Manchester, Mr. Darcy and Hats

I'm not ashamed to admit it: I love Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and the best adaptation I've ever seen - hands down - is the BBC's 1995 mini-series. (Can I have an amen?)

It should come as no surprise then that we would eventually find our way to at least one of the houses  used for this series.

 

On the spur of the moment, we packed a small bag and headed west to Cheshire County and Mr. Darcy's famous estate, Pemberley. Technically, it's called Lyme Park and is maintained by the National Trust. 



At Pemberley - I mean, Lyme Park

Only the exterior of the house was used in P&P due to some kerfuffle over filming rights for the interior. It's just as well, since Lyme Park's interior is dark and foreboding, not at all light and airy as the film portrayed. Some twenty years later we're still not allowed to take pictures inside.

 

Still, it was easy-peasy to imagine Miss Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy awkwardly running into one another near the front of the house, and then Mr. Darcy bounding down the steps after changing into something more presentable.


So easy to imagine Mr. Darcy on these steps.

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Why was there a Hat Museum in little Stockport?

We had booked a room in Manchester and the train to and from Lyme Park passed through the small town of Stockport. I probably wouldn't have paid it much nevermind  except there was an old brick smoke stack rising from the town with the words 'Hat Museum' painted down its front. That was odd. What in the world was a hat museum doing way up here in Cheshire--? Then it hit me.

 

The only Cheshire thing I'm acquainted with is the grinning cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The same story, of course, gave us The Hatter who was mad like so many others in his trade. In the 19th century, mercury was used in the felting process to make hats and extended exposure to it caused mercury poisoning, or madness.  At one point, there were more than 100 hat-making cottages in little Stockport. I quickly gave it a google and, sure enough, Lewis Carroll grew up about 25 miles west of here. He would have been well familiar with many a mad hatter, as the expression itself predates Carroll's work by a good 30 years.

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Proper Burger and Hard Milkshake

Saturday evening back in Manchester we ducked into Byron's for a "proper hamburger."

As good as the burgers were, the hard milkshakes were even better. Yes, the hard is what you think it is and why haven't I heard of these before?

The Richmond Tea Room with its Wonderland décor

Sunday morning, we walked around Manchester seeing the sights, the huge block-long town hall, the amazing art gallery with its unusual paintings and 1950's dress exhibit.

For lunch, we found a great little out-of-the-way tea room down on Richmond St with an 'Alice in Wonderland' theme.

They had a crazy soundtrack playing, mostly old scratchy blues and jazz records from the 1930's that somehow worked here.

Afterwards it was back on the train to head home. Manchester is a hard-working open minded city, with one hand protecting its past while the other lays down light rails for its future. And as much as I looked, I could not find any Cheshire cats grinning or otherwise. Perhaps they were all busy disappearing.

For more pictures of our quick trip to Pemberley (I mean,  Lyme Park), the Hat Museum, and Manchester click here.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn at The Vyne

My First Brush with Jane Austen and J.R.R.Tolkien

The Vyne

With a beautiful Sunday in front of us, we hopped in the car and took a 30-minute drive south to visit our third National Trust estate, The Vyne. Over a 500-year span, The Vyne was home to just two families before it was given to the Trust in 1956. The Vyne has seen its share of history  including at least three visits from King Henry VIII, and is said to have influenced the writings of both Jane Austen and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Originally owned by William Sandys, the estate is 1,120 acres of formal gardens, ornamental lakes, woods, parks, farmland and a stunning house complete with its own chapel. The decor ranges from Tudor to Victorian as fashion came and went over the centuries.  Alongside beautiful renaissance paintings and Egyptian sculpture is a wall of trudgeons used to subdue an unruly mob during the 19th century Corn Law riots. (I didn't make that up and am sorry I didn't get a picture.)

Entry way inside The Vyne

  The second owners, the Chutes, did not have children, but their adopted daughter, Caroline, is likely the basis for Jane Austen’s character Fanny Price in Mansfield Park. Certainly Austen would have known Caroline since her brother, James Austen, was the local rector and dined at The Vyne on several occasions along with sister Jane. 

 

The gold ring that possibly influenced J.R.R. Tolkien's writing.

Legend has it that a 4^th century Roman soldier lost a gold ring near where The Vyne stands today. On a “curse tablet” he pleaded with the god Nodens to help him recover the ring and wished ill to whomever stole it.

In 1929, when Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, he helped discern the tablet and ring's inscription.

Could this ring have influenced his 1937 classic, The Hobbit? Quite possibly. But since there’s no absolute connection, visitors can vote yea or nay on whether this truly is the one ring. 

The Gardens

The gardens and parks are breathtaking with layouts that encourage visitors  to stroll the grounds at their leisure. And when it comes to strolling, I can certainly hold my own.

Stunning lakes, parks and woodlands cover most  of the 1,120 acre estate.

Beautiful garden beds.

Near the house stands a 600-year old oak tree that a timber merchant once offered to buy for 100 guineas during the time of Trafalgar. The owner, John Chute, declined and this beauty stands today. 

100 Guinea Oak tree, over 600 years old.

The weekend we visited, The Vyne was hosting an autumn festival complete with falconry, apple pressing, and food booths. For an extra pound or two, visitors could make a besom broom or faery hat. (I had to look up 'besom.')

For more pictures of our visit to The Vyne, click here.

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It's the little things . . .

While the live falcrony display did not grab my attention, this fellow certainly did.

Great Grey Owl