We had lunch at Chirk Castle followed by a walk around the gardens and woodland area. Due to it being bank holiday Monday the cafe’s main seating areas were busy. We found the secret additional seating area which was almost empty allowing us to enjoy our lunch in a calm oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the main areas.

After our walk we visited the nearby Caffi Wylfa which we had discovered last year when we walked along the canal next to Chirk aqueduct. The cafe was just as delightful as it had been our previous visit.

On the Sunday before Christmas, the day before Christmas Eve we had an excursion to Chirk Castle with one of Mr C’s friends. Before we set off on our excursion we briefly called in on someone else to exchange presents in time for Christmas.

Chirk Castle had a fun theme for their Christmas display “Christmas of Make-Believe”. The display took us in the footsteps of the six children of Lord Howard de Walden in the 1920s. The children grew up in their very own fairy tale castle:

John, Bronwen, Elisabeth, Priscilla, Gaenor and little sister Rosemary grew up playing make-believe, putting on Christmas pantomimes, and playing dress-up in a castle full of imaginary dragons and knights, princesses, and stories.

From 1923 to 1931 Lord Howard de Walden wrote six pantomimes, based on popular tales, for his children and their friends to perform at Chirk Castle.

The Chirk Castle Christmas display was inspired by the pantomimes and photographs of them being performed.

The weather was inclement so we chose not to venture into the gardens to follow the fairy-tale…

This left us with enough time to visit the Christmas display at Powis Castle. The the theme at Powis was “Portrait of Christmas”. Giant gilt frames had been erected to frame Christmas scenes revealing how the Herbert family spent their Christmas.

After our lovely day out we arrived home to find an unwelcome surprise on our doorstep, but that is a story for another day…

*Clicking on the collage photos leads to links where the individual photos can be viewed full size

The Bronze Nymphs dotted around Chirk Castle are the work of Andrea Carlo Lucchesi.

And… There’s always one!!!

Detail from the Statue of Hercules at Chirk Castle:

This lead statue of Hercules was commissioned in the 1720’s by Robert Myddelton, and stood outside the main entrance to the Castle with a companion figure of Mars. In June 1770 it was removed to an outlying wood in the park, whence it was rescued in 1983 by means of an R.A.F. helicopter. The severely damaged statue, has been restored by the National Trust. Inscribed in Latin on the plinth is a heroic couplet recording the statue’s flight and eventual repose.

You can see him in his full glory in a previous post of mine.

Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744)

The first photograph shows the view from the bottom of the slope where I showed you the bluebells a few days ago.  Right in the middle of the photo is the Cadbury factory, it looks rather a blot on the landscape.  But I am sure the local community are happy to have it there and chocolate lovers everywhere would be sad to see it go.

The second picture is from the opposite side of the castle and a much nicer view to leave you with.

To the right of the picture is a building that is known as the Hawk House. The first building on this site was described as a greenhouse and erected by Joseph Turner in 1766-7. In around 1912 Lord Howard de Walden rebuilt the Conservatory to a similar plan but topped it with a thatched roof, turning it into an aviary for his hawks.

Lord Howard was a late devotee of the cult of chivalry, and on occasion his falconer Mr Bradd dressed in medieval costume. The Hawk House was seriously damaged by fire in 1977. It was re-thatched and stocked with fantail doves.

Growing on the walls are Wisteria sinensis, purple vines and Jasmine nudiflorum. The back wall provides shelter for camellias, which were given by the late Sir John Carew Pole of Antony in Cornwall. *

*From the short guide to the garden.

I am getting a bit behind with my ‘100 reasons to be glad’ so I need to do a bit of catch up and a picture of bluebells is the perfect place to start. In the background you can glimpse a building which is known as the Hawk House. I shall post a bit more about that tomorrow.