WWDoOH - MC&GW - Erddig and That Aqueduct
I think maybe Chirk was the last place I had sufficient time to look around properly. As 'twas I had to rush down the drive (I use 'rush' in a very limited sense here. I was overtaking snails and tortoises, but not that much faster.) I was almost last back to the coach, arriving breathless and glad that I could walk far enough, fast enough to get breathless!
We headed off to Erddig (pronounced 'Ear-thig') courtesy of the SatNav as neither Tony the Driver nor Marion the Tour Guide knew the way from Chirk,. Thus we arrived at the gates to try to make a right turn in a very narrow space. The coach was too big and Tony, bless him, ended up taking it all the way up to the main road, to a local industrial estate where there was enough room to turn the coach. Then back again to do a left turn into the gateway. Breathe in everyone, those are stone gate posts!
Erddig is a Big House, property now of the National Trust but before of the Yorke family who inherited it from a childless uncle in 1733. It remained in the family until the death of the last Yorke, in 1978. He realising he was the last, presented the house and grounds to the National Trust - who took a look and at first said, 'No thanks!'
Then they had a look at the house contents - the result of the Yorke's having thrown almost nothing away for two hundred years (pages and pages. See what I mean about having thrown very little away) and decided that the contents alone would be well worth the cost of repairing and renovating the house, starting in 1973. The remaining Yorke supervised the initial renovations and would have had an apartment in the house, but died during a Sunday service at the local church. I expect the then vicar wasn't allowed to forget that! More history here.
Anyhew, these are Erddig's posh front gates. Not the way tourist coaches enter.
Here the front view of the house
Here the back view
There are elegant parterre gardens in the area between the house and the sundial.
Some of their roses were well out
Also
Though it was by no means all roses.
Apparently the Yorkes, unlike some Big Families, valued those who worked for them. In a time when many who served remained nameless, the Yorkes went to the trouble of having portraits painted of some. To these Philip Yorke I added little verses.
The Yorkes were never terribly Rich; building, updating and maintaining a Big House does that to you I gather, but generations of the same families served them. Whether this was because the Yorkes valued those who served them or because there was little else in the way of employment is unclear. Whatever. With the advent of photography the 'portrait and rhyme' was tradition continued. There's a whole Downstairs corridor filled with such photos and verses. One reason we found ourselves pushed for time!
Upstairs the main rooms are fine and quite grand. I think it was at Erddig they had a fine tester bed which the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) had managed to piece back together from almost splinters. The V&A had specified that Erddig could have the bed back to display in situ, provided it was kep in a climate-controlled glass box. In the end NT Erddig decided to put the visitors in the glass box and have the whole room climate-controlled. It works - for all the furniture in that room (win!) Though looking into the room at first is a little disorienting, darkened as it is, it's almost like looking into a mirrored box. No, Dear Reader, we don't have a photo. Light and all that.
Upstairs from that were the maids' bedrooms, actually quite well appointed for the times. They even had their own sitting room, though were clearly expected to make and mend during their 'downtime'. There was a sewing machine, ironing board and iron as well as a fireplace and comfy chairs.
H managed to see more of the grounds and stuffed outbuildings than I did, hence he found these sheep
which we thought look slightly sinister. Those eyes!
Though this sheep, decorated by local school children, probably now with grandchildren of their own, I did see.
Like much of the area, the Erddig lands are well wooded. Trees come down in storms or are felled. There's a resident Wood Artist, hence
And that, Dear Reader, was Erddig. Briefly.
After which we were rounded up for the scheduled Surprise. Which wasn't so very surprising after all.
You may have heard, or even seen pictures, of The Stream in The Sky, the (checks spelling carefully) Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (pronounced something like 'Pont-khsihl-te ak-we-duct, but don't quote me on that.) Also here.
Bearing in mind the hiatus with the previous post, I'll leave the Interested Reader to check out the links and merely post two photos H took.
A pictureseque view
And a look from the top level which, at the centre, is 160 feet above the River Dee below.
Note that there is a railing only on the towpath side, thus if you're in a boat the views up the Dee valley are spectacular - as is the view over the edge! I walked across and enjoyed looking down on the trees. Not something I get to do often. H looked at all the people coming and going along the somewhat narrow towpath and decided to give it a miss. He doesn't do heights, not even standing on a chair all that willingly.
Tony the Driver managed to make it across, but cadged a ride on a passing boat back. He didn't look over the edge either!
And there was dinner, and breakfast, the second day. Service was better too.
Y'all have a good day now!
We headed off to Erddig (pronounced 'Ear-thig') courtesy of the SatNav as neither Tony the Driver nor Marion the Tour Guide knew the way from Chirk,. Thus we arrived at the gates to try to make a right turn in a very narrow space. The coach was too big and Tony, bless him, ended up taking it all the way up to the main road, to a local industrial estate where there was enough room to turn the coach. Then back again to do a left turn into the gateway. Breathe in everyone, those are stone gate posts!
Erddig is a Big House, property now of the National Trust but before of the Yorke family who inherited it from a childless uncle in 1733. It remained in the family until the death of the last Yorke, in 1978. He realising he was the last, presented the house and grounds to the National Trust - who took a look and at first said, 'No thanks!'
Then they had a look at the house contents - the result of the Yorke's having thrown almost nothing away for two hundred years (pages and pages. See what I mean about having thrown very little away) and decided that the contents alone would be well worth the cost of repairing and renovating the house, starting in 1973. The remaining Yorke supervised the initial renovations and would have had an apartment in the house, but died during a Sunday service at the local church. I expect the then vicar wasn't allowed to forget that! More history here.
Anyhew, these are Erddig's posh front gates. Not the way tourist coaches enter.
Here the front view of the house
Here the back view
There are elegant parterre gardens in the area between the house and the sundial.
Some of their roses were well out
Also
Though it was by no means all roses.
Apparently the Yorkes, unlike some Big Families, valued those who worked for them. In a time when many who served remained nameless, the Yorkes went to the trouble of having portraits painted of some. To these Philip Yorke I added little verses.
The Yorkes were never terribly Rich; building, updating and maintaining a Big House does that to you I gather, but generations of the same families served them. Whether this was because the Yorkes valued those who served them or because there was little else in the way of employment is unclear. Whatever. With the advent of photography the 'portrait and rhyme' was tradition continued. There's a whole Downstairs corridor filled with such photos and verses. One reason we found ourselves pushed for time!
Upstairs the main rooms are fine and quite grand. I think it was at Erddig they had a fine tester bed which the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) had managed to piece back together from almost splinters. The V&A had specified that Erddig could have the bed back to display in situ, provided it was kep in a climate-controlled glass box. In the end NT Erddig decided to put the visitors in the glass box and have the whole room climate-controlled. It works - for all the furniture in that room (win!) Though looking into the room at first is a little disorienting, darkened as it is, it's almost like looking into a mirrored box. No, Dear Reader, we don't have a photo. Light and all that.
Upstairs from that were the maids' bedrooms, actually quite well appointed for the times. They even had their own sitting room, though were clearly expected to make and mend during their 'downtime'. There was a sewing machine, ironing board and iron as well as a fireplace and comfy chairs.
H managed to see more of the grounds and stuffed outbuildings than I did, hence he found these sheep
which we thought look slightly sinister. Those eyes!
Though this sheep, decorated by local school children, probably now with grandchildren of their own, I did see.
Like much of the area, the Erddig lands are well wooded. Trees come down in storms or are felled. There's a resident Wood Artist, hence
And that, Dear Reader, was Erddig. Briefly.
After which we were rounded up for the scheduled Surprise. Which wasn't so very surprising after all.
You may have heard, or even seen pictures, of The Stream in The Sky, the (checks spelling carefully) Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (pronounced something like 'Pont-khsihl-te ak-we-duct, but don't quote me on that.) Also here.
Bearing in mind the hiatus with the previous post, I'll leave the Interested Reader to check out the links and merely post two photos H took.
A pictureseque view
And a look from the top level which, at the centre, is 160 feet above the River Dee below.
Note that there is a railing only on the towpath side, thus if you're in a boat the views up the Dee valley are spectacular - as is the view over the edge! I walked across and enjoyed looking down on the trees. Not something I get to do often. H looked at all the people coming and going along the somewhat narrow towpath and decided to give it a miss. He doesn't do heights, not even standing on a chair all that willingly.
Tony the Driver managed to make it across, but cadged a ride on a passing boat back. He didn't look over the edge either!
And there was dinner, and breakfast, the second day. Service was better too.
Y'all have a good day now!