The Special Places Project - Have Your Say

The National Trust have joined up with The Times and The Sunday Times for their Special Places Project.

If there is anywhere in the country that you consider special then you can and should enter.

The Trust want you, the public, to come up with photos of your chosen special location and the reason behind your choice. It doesn’t matter what the back-story is, as long as it’s special to you.

I know that I have places that help me unwind; some places just have an intense sense of calm and silence which seem to act as a form of meditation for me. Some places help you see things in perspective and give you a feeling of serenity.

But, special places don’t all have to be about silence, serenity and wait for it… inner peace. Some places are all about nostalgia, childhood memories, memories of a loved one or just somewhere that has a café with good grub, some half decent shops and a good ice-cream van. It could even be a pub, a house, a church; there’s no rulebook. It’s your place and you can decide.

I’ve chosen somewhere near where I was brought up. Somewhere I associate with lazy holidays, long ambling walks and believe it or not, warm and hazy summer days. The South West Coast Path and Lulworth Cove is a very special place to me and was one of the first places I took Mr Bingley when he came to visit me at home. 

The views stretch for miles and the coastline just keeps on going, stretching out ahead of you. There’s something about this that makes me feel extremely tranquil and satisfied. I’ve no idea why, it could just be that I like following the meandering coastline as it winds its way along the sea with the regular ebb and flow of the tide.

It looks as though I’m one of many who find the Wessex coastline inspiring as it’s currently rating the highest for the public’s chosen spots but it’s still early days so you should definitely have your say and enter.

If you do choose to enter you could win a photo-shoot at your selected place and a stay in a National Trust Holiday Cottage. On top of all this you can be safe in the knowledge that other people will have been introduced to your special place and will be as captivated as you are.

Where will you choose?

You can enter through The Special Places Project Facebook App here by the 6^th May 2013.

A Visit to Hardwick Hall

This weekend me and my companion (called Mr Bingley from here on in) decided to head down to Derbyshire to visit Hardwick Hall.

This visit was inspired by my recent reading of Phillipa Gregory’s novel ‘The Other Queen’ about the Earl of Shrewsbury and his formidable wife Bess of Hardwick's care of the captive Mary Queen of Scots. The book’s pace is a slow trudge and nothing really happens but it did introduce me to a fascinating Elizabethan lady; Bess of Hardwick (pictured).

I was expecting an unassuming country manor but instead was met by a glorious Elizabethan statement in fashion and flamboyance.

Pictured: New Hardwick Hall

Instead of just one house there was a new hall and an old hall, some compact but impressive gardens and a number of parkland walks with fabulous views of the valley (and the M1)…

Remember if you aren’t a member of the National Trust or English Heritage then you will need to buy extra tickets for the Old Hall. I felt this was extremely cheeky but they provide you with a free audio tour and the views and existing plasterwork are stunning.

So to the facts and figures:

Getting there:

Easy peasy, straight off the M1 at Junction 29 and well signposted.

Information:

Free audio tours at the old hall and guide books and audio tours available at a small price at the new hall. We didn’t take these – I like to enjoy the atmosphere of the house instead of listening to some hoarse woman harping in my ear about medieval toilet facilities. Mr Bingley nods in agreement.

There are seminars and talks throughout each day subject to ticket availability and a number of events throughout the season. You might be interested in the Stone Carving Days and ‘Painting Pebbles and Pots’ event. I wasn't;  I thought they sounded awfully drab but the Murder Mystery night with a themed three course meal and Food Market celebrating local Derbyshire produce sounded brilliant. 

Pictured: Remaining plasterwork in Old Hall

Best Bits:

Pictured: Tapestries in the New Hall

The ‘Fifty Shades of Bluey Grey’ leaflet about the more adult themes in the house’s tapestries was a good find. Mr Bingley evidently enjoyed these and was particularly over-zealous in seeking them out; well-endowed women being groped by lascivious rogues seemed to be a common theme. Tearing Mr Bingley away from these to instead inspect Turkish carpets proved especially difficult.

Worst Bits:

Having to pay extra for the Old Hall was a disappointment. If you are not a member of the National Trust or English Heritage and are desperate to visit this interesting ruin then the excursion could prove rather expensive.

Kids:

Yes, sadly there were a number of them present. However there was so much for them to do in each room and in the gardens that they didn't irritate me in the slightest.

There was a children’s treasure hunt throughout the house and gardens and a box of children’s activities in every room. These included quick quizzes about the house and its inhabitants, dressing up boxes to play lord and lady of the manor and even a ‘Make a Mud pie’ competition outside.

The property also provides baby slings and carrying seats for infants as well as baby changing and feeding facilities including bottle warming.

Facilities:

There was a garden centre, shop and barn café which stocked the usual delectable cakes and pastries. The shop was also filled with local meat and dairy products as well as the usual scrummy National Trust biscuits and chutneys.

Interesting Fact:

Hardwick Hall featured in the Harry Potter films as Draco Malfoy’s home, Malfoy Manor. Fascinating…

Not only was it featured in the Harry Potter films but one of the Dukes (I forget which one) used the Long Gallery on the top floor for dog racing. We were told that historians know this as a dark brown stain in the corner of the room was testament to dog’s cocking their legs post-race.

Mr Bingley found this far more fascinating than its film credentials and spent the next twenty minutes searching for the afore-mentioned stain.

Overall:

Pictured: Portrait of Elizabeth I

We had a really great day, the architecture of the house is striking and the wealth of Bess the original owner is apparent in the plasterwork, tapestries, fireplaces and the almost floor to ceiling windows, leading to the local Tudor rhyme ‘Hardwick Hall more glass than wall.’ They also have an excellent art collection and the portrait of Queen Elizabeth was a great surprise as it’s one we had never seen before.

The activities for the kids were exceptional and as a family day out I just couldn’t fault it. Plus if you are making a weekend of it then it’s only a short drive to Chatsworth, Bolsover Castle, Sherwood Forest and a walk to another National Trust property, Stainsby Mill.

All in all a great place to take the family or friends for a sight-seeing day and plenty to do over a long weekend stay. I will definitely be back at some point in the future to take in the parkland walks but I think I’ll wait for some warmer weather.

Mr Bingley’s Rating: 8.5/10

Fact or Fiction?

I like history; I like history a lot.

Especially when it's tied into literature or any kind of fiction. My love for this has developed into a great passion for the country house; a true British symbol.

Whether you believe in what it stands for, or stood for or not, you can't deny it's symbolism. You can't deny a beautiful house's ability to unleash the imagination and place you amidst some of Britain's best loved historical and literary figures (Robert Dudley and Jane Eyre to name some of my personal favourites) or even our more recent TV stalwarts like the Dowager Countess Grantham.

Whether you read Austen for a pastime, consider yourself a budding Tudor historian or just watch Downton Abbey with a Chinese on a Friday night it makes no odds. Whether you visit to indulge in a little fact or fiction; everyone can enjoy a stately home and gardens.

You can go there to discover the story behind it, to appreciate the art it houses, the extravagant gardens and plush interiors. Or, as I often do, purely to imagine myself as Lizzie Bennett on the search for my own Mr Darcy amongst the pretentious amateur photographers that inevitably hog all the best camera shots with their stupidly oversized tripods...