Mum's
75th Birthday |
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Mum was 75 at the end of October
2012 and we celebrated with a weekend away at Rushton Hall in Northamptonshire.
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Mum and Dad travelled down from Yorkshire and we travelled up from Kent on Friday 2nd November, arriiving in plenty of time for afternoon tea.
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The menu took a lot of studying! When the waitress came for our order, Mum and Dad had the traditional tea whereas Jonathon had special sandwiches (no mayo) and I had the fillings without the bread - the hotel team were very accommodating! |
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Rushton Hall is packed with history. It was started by Sir John Tresham and his family in 1438. They owned the hall for almost 200 years passing it down the generations. Francis Tresham took over in 1605. He was involved in the gunpowder plot with Guy Fawkes et al. The Cockayne family bought the estate in 1614. They owned the estate until 1731 when it was sold to the Hope family. Miss Clara Thornhill bought the hall in 1853 the married Willam Capel Clarke and became Clara Clarke-Thornhill. She was a friend of Charles Dickens who visited several times. Rumour has it that Rushton Hall was the inspiration for Haversham Hall in Great Expectations. The Clarke-Thornhill family owned the hall until 1934 and then it passed through a few hands until it reached its present owners, H I Limited. |
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With so rich a history and the link to the Gunpowder Plot, and with it being so close to 5th November, we shouldn't have been surprised that there was a firework display. What a bonus! |
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We had to wrap up warm but it was a lovely, clear night |
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It was a great firework display. Far more spectacular than the Gunpowder Plot of 1604 which aimed to bring down the government by blowing up the Houses of Parliament. Francis Tresham was implicated along with his cousins Catesby and Wintour and he met an early death in December 1605 after being imprisoned in the Tower of London. |
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That was enough excitement for one day so off we went to bed after a quick look across the courtyard to the hotel, all beautifully lit up. We were staying in the Stable Block where the rooms were named after race horses - ours was Mambrino (left) and Mum & Dad's was Firetail. |
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Back in daylight on Saturday morning and a quick wander round the hotel itself. There was loads of artwork, paintings, tapestries etc. The photo on the far right was part of the large tapestry in Reception. The chandelier was also in the Reception area. |
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Beth very kindly offered to show us the old chapel and so we enjoyed a guided tour of the oldest part of the hall. |
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The chairs were very ornate and beautifully carved. The chapel was very small but when the guards were seeking Catholics they didn't seem to think about looking in the servants area so the chapel survived. |
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As with many large houses, it had its own priest hole. It was built for Catholic clergy escaping persecution during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. It's believed that it linked into a network of tunnels to the Triangular Lodge and the Church in the village. The chapel was upstairs and the priest hole downstairs. The cellar bar was also downstairs - bet it makes for a great halloween party venue! |
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There was lots of wood panelling everywhere - wonderful. |
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The Great Hall lived up to its name but was also very comfortable. It's where we had afternoon tea on Friday and on Saturday we had morning coffee there. |
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The chandelier on the right was in the Great Hall. The stained glass windows came from a church that was to the left of the entrance to the hall before the Cockaynes pulled it down. They are now in the Great Hall. |
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This corridor led from the Great Hall, Library etc to the Reception. |
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Many of the ceilings were ornate - lovely to look at. |
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The library wallpaper on the left is leather. There were lots of lovely old fireplaces to admire as we walked around. |
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As you can see it was pretty wet but it did get better and we managed to have a stroll round the grounds in the dry. The quadrangle on the left was very pretty. |
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There were several reminders of just how old the hall is. |
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Mum and Dad admiring the Autumn colours. |
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Rushton Hall has about 25 acres of grounds - very nice to stroll around and we were lucky that the sun came out. |
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The main entrance is in the photo on the left. The photo on the right is of Plenty who was sitting above the front door. |
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Best have a look in here - don't want to miss anything! |
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A snack for lunch and we arranged to meet up at 4 p.m. in the Spa. Mum and Dad were very surprised to find Carole, Gareth, Pauline, Paul and Marie waiting there for them. Graeme wasn't able to join us as he was away at university. |
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Pauline and Paul had already swum and run around a lot so they didn't join Carole, Mum, Dad and me in the jacuzzi. Dad and Carole even went into the sauna. Then we all piled into the Spa Cafe for drinks (and some for cake!) |
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A few hours later and it was time to eat again. Dinner this time at The Old Bakehouse in Rothwell. Very nice it was too - they looked after us very well and the food was delicious. |
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Not satisfied with starters and main course, we then enjoyed a yummy cake baked by Carole. |
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Full up of lovely food, we went back to Rushton Hall and off to bed. Sunday morning, after a play in the spa (Carole, Pauline and me) and a run around in the gym (Paul), we all had a hearty breakfast and went on our merry ways back to our respective homes. |
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