A Peek at Pemberly

After yet another lovely breakfast at Callender House, we bid our hosts farewell and headed west towards Disley in Cheshire.   Here is where the largest house in Cheshire stands, known as "Lyme".  The name is taken from the Leghs of Lyme who were granted the estate in 1388.

The house itself dates from the late 16th century and has been maintained under the care of the National Trust since 1946.  If you are a Jane Austen fan, then this view might just be a bit familiar, as it is the house featured as Pemberly in the Masterpiece Theatre version of Pride and Prejudice.  

 

As you can see, the setting is beautiful, despite the dreary weather.  The interior is magnificent as well.

In touring the house, one first enters the drawing room.

There is so much to admire, that it can be a bit overwhelming, and one really can't take it all in within short time.  One of the highlights of this room was learning that it was the location of the annual servant's ball under the direction of Lady Newton.

You might note the tapestries on the wall. They are "Mortlake" tapestries and were made in the year 1625.

Tucked in the corner of the next room, is an extremely rare treasure and considered to be one of its kind. Under glass sits the first copy of the Sarum Missal, printed in 1487. 

It had remained among the Legh family possessions  until it was purchased by the National Trust in 2008.

Moving along the hall, one enters the dining room, filled with warm wood carvings and paintings that reflect family who lived in the household over the years. 

In the corner are two paintings:  One of Richard Legh, which was painted in 1776. 

The other of Martha Bene who married Peter Legh XIII in 1737.  It was said that her marriage was an unhappy one and that the painting reflects her melancholy.  She is supposedly the resident ghost.

If one looks out the window from this dining room, one can see a tower in the distance, up on the hill.  Note that there is a tree with a triangular section cut out.  This particular view was linked to the hunting forecast for the day.  If the Lord could not see the tower, then visibility was poor, so hunting was called off for that day.  The tree needed to be trimmed so that the tower could be visible, of course. 

Here are just a few photos of items in the house that I found to be fascinating.

I was in awe at the age of this photo, which was painted sometime around 1584!  The woman is the first wife of Sir Peter Legh of Lyme.  Can you even imagine walking around in clothing of that fashion?

One thing that I did note in this house, was that the steps were shallow and extremely wide on the staircases.  I imagine that the structure made it much easy to maneuver while wearing that dress. 

There are intricate carvings adorning the walls in the New Parlor.  These were carved from lime wood in 1684.

This was the Black Knight's bedroom, when he would stay in residence.  It is believed that Mary, Queen of Scots, might have stayed in this room, briefly, while under captivity. 

Outside, we enjoyed meeting some highland cows

and walked around the lake to enjoy the views.

One can just imagine Mr. Darcy popping up out of the water!  Although he would certainly have been quite chilly!

As you can see, the tulips were still holding up well in the gardens.

and although the roses were not yet in bloom, the Rose Garden was certainly beautiful.

There is an Italian Garden that is simply stunning and we managed to capture a view from the terrace outside the house. 

We decided to hike up the long stretch of hill to the "Cage", which was a tower that was used for hunting parties.  

As you can see, the wind was whipping up,

 but thank goodness the rain had stopped, at least for a little while.

It was time to head to Conwy, which is on the west coast of Northern Wales, where we are based for a few nights.

Driving in was quite impressive, as you can see.

We checked into our B&B, then hiked into town for dinner.  We passed through the town walls

and headed to the Erskine Arms, where I had made reservations.

Afterwards, we walked around the town a bit, as the rain had stopped and the sun even made an appearance!

Charming, for sure.  I have absolutely no history on that huge castle, but something tells me that I'll be learning a few things while I'm here.

I'll be sure to keep you posted!