England’s Stapleford Park manor

Cheers! As Jenna Ives mentioned in her blog post two weeks ago, she and I just returned from a wonderful ten day vacation in England, fulfilling both ends of the spectrum of our favorite things. I agreed to go to a Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park in London with her (65,000 people dancing in the park, amazing energy) and she let me drag her to some fabulous old castles and ruins in the countryside. Since I write historical romance, my part of the trip was for research purposes. Yes, research. (Okay, and to have a little fun, too…)

Next month I’ll give you a tour of the most fascinating places we visited, but today I really want to share Stapleford Park with you, the magical place Jenna and I used as a home base for our forays into the countryside. Stapleford Park was like stepping back in time, literally.

Stapleford Park, Leicestershire

 

hotel lobby

The manor was originally built in 1066 on the orders of William the Conqueror. It passed through a succession of owners, but in 1402, the house was acquired from the Earl of Lancaster by Robert Sherard, a descendant of William the Conqueror, and for the next 484 years Stapleford remained in the possession of his family!

 

The Old Wing of the house was restored in 1633 and if you look at the right-hand corner of the picture above, you can see the inscription ‘Anno Domini 1633.’  There are still bedrooms in use in this part of the house!

The manor was renovated again (in the Edwardian style) in 1894 by John Gretton (I stayed in Lady Gretton’s bedroom, below). The house was eventually bought by an American in 1982 and opened as a country house hotel in 1988. It still has a private owner.

 

Two of my best memories of this amazing place are the archery lesson I got from Brian of the Kirby Muxloe Archery Club  near Nottingham (Robin Hood, anyone?)  I did eventually hit a bull's eye (after many, many attempts, as you can see…)

 

Then there was my memorable falconry demonstration… (That's a Harris hawk named Roland sitting on my hand...)

 

My brain is already buzzing with stories that could be set in this magical place! For more information on the manor, visit: http://www.staplefordpark.com/

How about you? Was there one vacation in particular that gave you memories that will last a lifetime? Please share!

Leigh Court

www.leighcourt.com

 

 

 

Off To England!

My fellow Fierce Romance blogger Leigh Court and I are off to England for a fun-filled (er, I mean research-focused) ten-day trip.

Leigh will probably have pictures for you by her next blog post on July 26.  Since Leigh writes historical romance, she’s insisting we take archery lessons and learn the finer points of falconry while we’re there. We'll probably be visiting ruins of old castles as well. On the other hand, she’s letting me drag her to a Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park in London! This is why we get along so well J

Who knows? If we get really lucky, we may be in England when Duchess Kate gives birth! I’d love to be part of the country-wide celebrations.

So ‘cheerio’ until next month!

Cheers,
Jenna
www.jennaives.com

 

Scotland Day 6: Dunrobin Castle

One June 21 we left Nairn and drove up the east coast to Dunrobin Castle. On the way, our guide taught us about the history of Dunrobin, seat of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland and the largest mansion in northern Scotland with 189 rooms. It has a sordid past because the owners, Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland and her husband George Levenson-Gower who became 1st Duke of Sutherland in 1832, were responsible for Highland Clearances. They forcibly evicted thousands of people who lived on and farmed the land (The estate was 1 1/2 million acres.) They set the croft homes' thatch roofs on fire, even killing people who were not able to get out of the burning houses in time. These families, Gaelic speaking for the most part and descendants of the clans who had lived here for hundreds of years, knew no other home. The reason for the clearances was money. Though the owners were already wealthy and earning millions a year, they wanted more. (Even the queen thought their mansion more impressive than her own.) The advice they received for "improvements" was to kick the people out and bring in sheep. We saw abandoned stone croft homes all over the Highlands which are the sad leftover skeletons of Scotland's past. I can only hope the people who lived in them found happier and more prosperous lives whatever they eventually settled, either near the shore or on a different continent. Here are a few links if you'd like to learn more.

http://www.highlandclearances.info/clearances/clearances_sutherlandclearances.htm

http://www.highlandclearances.info/clearances/clearances_sutherlandclearances_dutchess.htm

http://www.theclearances.org/clearances/articles.php?articleid=5

Knowing how cruel the past owners and builders of the castle had been did put a damper on the visit. It is beautiful, fairy tale like setting. The castle reminded me a great deal of the Biltmore House in Asheville, which I've visited several times. The styles of both are mostly French. But Dunrobin has an interior section which is medieval, and some parts date back to the 13th century. The interiors of the rooms are incredibly rich with artwork and priceless furniture. No photos were allowed inside. You can see some interior photos here:
http://www.clansutherland.org/FrDunrobin.htm

Cedar, the European Eagle Owl

The gardens and falconry demonstration were my favorite parts. I had never seen falconry before and have always had an interest in it. These trained birds of prey are so impressive. I was amazed to learn wars had been fought in the middle ages over Gyr Falcons and that now they can cost as much as a BMW car.
Here is the official site for falconry at Dunrobin. http://www.castle-falconry.co.uk/index.htm

Quince, the Golden Eagle

The gardens were incredibly beautiful. As a gardener, I was keen to look at as many of the plants as possible. I noticed everything grows really well in much of Scotland. Due, I'm sure, to the large amount of rain and the peaty soil. The gardens lie between the castle and the ocean. Almost anywhere you stand here and take a photo, it looks like a postcard.

For lunch here I had a delicious Highland pie. This is not a dessert but a main course filled with venison and vegetables with potatoes on the side.