Shugborough Hall – 1805 Living Estate
What fun I had on Saturday! I visited Shugborough Hall, a working estate, themed to be a window into life in the year (rather early for Steampunk) 1805. While there are no doubt a great many historic estates, I liked this one most of all because they have themed staff working away on the estate, willing to answer questions on life in the very early 1800’s. I had the most lovely chat with one of the gardeners in the walled garden, initially just to ask what had been eating his cabbages (pidgeons, apparently) but later to discuss his plans for getting the glasshouses and mushroom huts up and running again. You can chat with the brewer (I had a sip of the brew, but ugh – I dislike beer something terrible, and this was no exception – I needed some icecream afterwards) and I had a natter with a scullery maid and the butler in the dining room. There is an area just off the walled garden (and before the servants quarter) where there are appropriate craft bothies, the candlemaker was very informative and the woodturner very skilled.
There were several themed rooms up in the main house – a schoolhouse room, play room, kitchens and sculleries, there’s a working flour mill (you may buy some flour made on the premesis), a carriage display (I adored the hansom cabs) and a sweetie shop to boot. I did like it a great deal, but I have to say that I much prefered the servants area and garden the best – the big house was far more stern. Oh, and I had a ride on the ‘land train’ – a custom converted road vehicle made to look like a steam engine, pulling carriages down the road. Rather amusing indeed.
While it’s a tenner to access all the areas, I’d recommend it to anyone who’d like to see a bit of Georgian history toiling away (though of course, it’s not 100% accurate, or they’d run screaming from the strange people with their strange ways – us). Lots of fun – and I think I’d go again, if only to encourage them to get the mushroom beds in!