We headed off to a local garden centre with lunch in mind. We enjoyed browsing around the garden centre but the lunch options did not tempt us. After paying our respects to Her Majesty we drove to Wightwick Manor only to find that the car park was closed because it was full.

We eventually found lunch in a garden centre at Gailey. I thought I would choose a healthy sandwich option until I saw the calorie content was more than I would consume for an evening meal. Instead I opted for a piece of ‘naughty cake’ which was half the calories of the sandwiches. When Mr C’s sandwich arrived I understood why, the bread was doorstep sized.

Next we visited Shugborough allowing me to complete my target for day 3 of my June walking challenge. On arrival we walked up to Hadrian’s arch, a place the Mr C had not been before. It was rather blustery on top and as we turned to descend the incline we noticed that we had set a trend and several other people were now ascending the incline.

Back at lower levels we visited the walled garden before walking to the house so that we could see the formal gardens. We will be back to explore some of our other favourite features of the estate when we have more time.

Later we dined out with family; all dressed in Red, White and Blue in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

After the weekend storms, bank holiday monday turned out bright and beautiful so we headed of to the Shugborough Estate. It was our first visit since the National Trust had taken over all of the estate after Staffordshire County Council surrendered the lease with the National Trust.

The context of the house and estate are being reinterpreted to highlight previous owners of the estate in their place in history. The late Lord Lichfield’s apartments are now fully open by timed ticket. We didn’t get to see these on this occasion, we weren’t offered them as we should have been when we arrived at the entrance to the estate. As the day was so beautiful and sunny we decided not to pursue the matter when we were informed of this as we entered the mansion.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the gate on the blue bridge barring access to the wider estate had been removed. This allowed us to follow an enjoyable walk that led to the red bridge and the Chinese Pavilion.

Long time friends and readers will know how much I enjoy walled gardens and will understand why I couldn’t resist exploring the walled garden at Shugborough before I left the estate.

Unfortunately on the day I visited Shugborough the tower was closed so I was unable to see the interior. This is what the guide book has to say about the tower:

The Tower of the Winds was completed in 1765 and is based on the Temple of the Winds in Athens. the Greek original derived its name from the depiction of each of the winds as reliefs at the top of each octagonal side.

Shugborough’s tower stood at one time at the edge of an ornamental lake and was flanked by two bridges. At the other end of the lake it was faced by an elegant Chinese Pagoda. Sadly the pagoda was lost during severe flooding in the late eighteen century and the lake was drained in order to prevent such a disaster recurring.

At one time the basement of the building was used as a dairy and the upper floor is believed to have been used as a gambling den by the 1st Earl in the mid-19th century.

I am now taking you on a little detour just outside Shugborough across the Essex Bridge:

The Essex Bridge links Shugborough to the village of Great Hayward at the point where the rivers Trent and Sow join.

It is believed to be the longest packhorse bridge ever constructed and was built in the late 16th century. The financing of the project was funded by the Earls of Essex who used the bridge to access the hunting forest of Canks Wood – now Cannock Chase – from their home at Chartley Castle a short distance away. Originally it boasted 42 arches but it is believed the bridge was shortened in size in the early 19th century when a new channel for the River Sow was dug. Today it spans over 100 yards and has 14 arches.*

*From the Shugborough guide book.

The guide book says that it is rumoured servants who were tardy would be asked to sleep in the bedroom beneath the clock tower.. The clock chimed on the hour every hour.

For information about this monument see my previous post.  The photos above make some of the details on the monument clearer.

I invite you to join me at Vision & Verb for a little bit of Shugborough history and its famous connection with photography.

From the guide book:

There are two theories concerning the Cat’s Monument’s existent. One tale suggest it is a decication to the ship’s cat on the Centurion who kept the ship free of vermin during its lengthy circumnavigation. Another story claims it is a memorial to a family pet a Persian Cat by the name of Khouli-Khan.

The monument was probably the work of Thomas Wright, completed around 1749 and the depiction of Corsican goats is a dedication to the herd which were kept on the estate.

The first photo reminds me of the Cheshire Cat…

Shugborough Estate features several interesting monuments, one of which is The Ruin.

The Ruin is situated by the River Sow, facing the formal gardens. Part of its feature is a thoughtful druid, he seems rather ghost-like in my image.