Wollaton Hall was built for landowner and industrialist Sir Francis Willoughby, and finished in 1588. (Its architect was Robert Smythson, who also designed Hardwick Hall.) Poor old Sir Francis wanted then Queen Elizabeth I to grace his stately pile with her presence. She didn't (royalty being ever unpredictable). And his project didn't bring him luck in other directions either. He died just eight years after it was completed, and left behind large amounts of debt but not the coveted male heir.

The superstitious might wonder if it was a bad idea to use stone from the ill-fated Lenton Priory...

Nevertheless, Willoughby's undertaking makes for a pleasant excursion:
















There are a couple of cafe options on site (nice tomato soup, but the sticky ginger cake took the prize for me). And there are a couple of shops, whose range of products includes rhubarb mead (quite delicious, and we've yet to try it with blue cheese, purportedly an excellent combo...):