06-Nov-2023
As the name would indicate, Calke Abbey stands where a medieval religious house once stood. Initially independent, the community became a cell of Repton Priory in 1172. And all was well until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Mothership Repton went the way of all flesh in 1538. One John Preste, a Master Grocer of London, acquired the lease for Calke priory, which he converted into a Tudor house. There seems to have been some jiggery-pokery about Preste's inheritance, and in 1622 the estate was bought by Sir Henry Harpur, in whose family it remained until it was taken over by the National Trust in 1985.
We didn't visit the house, but the estate is magnificent, all the more so when viewed on a beautifully clear autumn day:
The "Old Man of Calke", a 1,200-year-old oak tree
Part of the extensive stables. As the National Trust explains: "With peeling paintwork and overgrown courtyards, Calke Abbey tells the story of the dramatic decline of a country house estate. The house and stables are little restored, with many abandoned areas vividly portraying a period in the 20th century when numerous country houses did not survive to tell their story"
St Giles of Calke
The gardens are spectacular, and very atmospheric
The outbuildings are also a step back in time
The ice house
We spent so long investigating all this (and -- uh-HEM -- having coffee and scones in the sunny courtyard...) that we had time only for half of the Tramway Trail, which commemorates the horse-drawn tramway that used to link Ticknall and Ashby:
An excellent day out. It palled a little at the end, when a misunderstood Ms G. Maps prompt steered us into the Toyota factory, at a time when every Toyota worker in the world was exiting -- and having eventually emerged, we found the exit we wanted blocked by an accident, necessitating a bit of an impromptu diversion. Never mind. Small price.