A sneak look Inside Charlecote

As I promised I said in my next blog I would show you a few of the photo's I have taken of inside Charlecote House. This house is quite something from outside but wait until you get inside, there is so much to see. I never rush around these old houses because you would just miss so much. Charlecote is an Elizabethan house but was re-furnished in the Victorian times by Mary Elizabeth Lucy. She spared no expense getting the house just as she wanted it. The house actually dates back to the 1550's when Sir Thomas Lucy built it on the land they had owned since the 13th Century.

One of my favourite rooms in this house has to be the Great Hall, like at Packwood House, the Great Hall is a later addition. In the 1830's George Hammond Lucy transformed this area into the Hall you see today. You could easily be fooled into believing that it was part of the original house. I thought it was, but like many  big grand houses, room's and wings were added through time, but I must say, I think he did a very good job of disguising the fact that it was a later addition. I really did not know this until I had read the history of this house.
 The Hall displays painting of the Lucy family and has an amazing table in the middle of the room. I love this table, the photo below does not show it's true beauty. It is made from Oak, Breccia, Jasper and Onyx and must be so heavy.

         A couple of photos of the Great Hall, there is so much to see in this room.

The fire place in the main Hall with a couple of costumes from the times.

This room, the drawing room, I also enjoy, it oozes wealth with it's gold wall's and ornate ceiling. People often don't look up when entering a room but you really should in these older grander homes. You never know quite what you will see and as for the Harp in this room, it is a truly a beautiful instrument. It must be my favourite item in Charlecote house itself. The work and craftsmanship that has gone into making this, I can only imagine. The harp belonged to Mary Elizabeth Lucy and was built by Sebastian and Pierre Erard in 1844. It is said that Elizabeth was quite an accomplished harpist . For a little more about Elizabeth and her harps, here is an article written by Ruth who works at Charlecote.

http://charlecoteparknt.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/my-favourite-object-1/

The room as you see it when you enter through the main door.

Just to the left side of the same room you see these lovely seats, you can just imagine the ladies in the old days, with their long dresses sitting on them. I wonder if they were made in India like the black fourposter bed upstairs?

Look at the ornate ceiling in this room, it looks so beautiful.

Arhh, Now we move on to the room most men dream about, one room dedicated to a snooker table.

Again the ceiling, this looks like the same as or very similar, to the room before but unpainted, will have to check that one.

The beautiful dressed Dining room, it's perfect in every way, from the table and elegant chairs to the silverware on the table. All dressed as if the Lucy family were about to come in and have dinner. You can just imagine them entering through the door, the ladies in their beautiful dresses and the men in their elegant suits.

Again the ceiling is not to be missed in this room. They just don't make them like this any more.

The Buffet that sits against one of the wall's in the dining room at Charlecote was another piece of furniture Mary Elizabeth bought in the 1850's. It was carved from oak by J M Willcox and his apprentices of Warwick.                       

One of my favourite items upstairs has to be this bed in the picture below which was made in India, I noticed it matches some of the furniture in the drawing room. I could actually imagine that furniture in this room. I wonder if it ever was?

I am always amazed how short some of these beds look and how high they are, especially with older ones from the Tudor times. 

A couple of the other bedrooms open for viewing.

The wooden Staircase and gallery landing.

Charlecote's Victorian Kitchen is one of the rooms I like to have a good look around ,especially when you have the Volunteers in period dress there cooking .It brings history alive to see how things were done in the old days. 

Most of these pots and pans are made from copper but I liked these photos in black and white so you can not see the lovely copper colour. 

History coming alive in Charlecote's Victorian kitchen. 

I think it could be fun to have a Victorian day here, maybe with the schools involved. Can you imagine it? As soon as you enter the grounds , it would be like stepping back in time. When I was a child, I used to wish I could go back to different times in history, just for a day or two to see how they really lived. History has always interested me, ever since I was a child. 

I can remember my children when they were younger, having to go to school dressed up in their Victorian and Tudors clothes for their special days. It's part of their history studies through junior school and helps them to remember better. With three children close in age, I seemed to be constantly making costumes. 

 One of the things I like about this place, is that the staff and volunteers are always happy to help and answer any questions you have and believe me, one of my son's wants to know everything!

Can you imagine working here? I would love a kitchen this size.

A quick look around another area of Charlecote I really like, the old brewery, I like seeing how things used to be done and which equipment was used. I guess I am a little more interested in it all than the average person, as I make a little home brew myself, on a much smaller scale of course :)

My own home brew wine made to my Grandfather's recipes, we even made a label for fun :)