In Another Time

Music Room

Well this long, long day finishes with this blog before I wend my weary way to bed. I now have yet another certificate (my wife has always said I was certifiable - not sure if that's what she meant) after a successful course on the Freedom of Information Act. This will be a genuine help in the job I'm doing and will help things move quicker and smoother - less bureaucracy less people involved therefore better value for money for the taxpayer. The whole thing is about giving access to people in the community to information held by public authorities.

Upper Gallery Corridor

Now then I promised a little more on the wonderful place we stayed at in Crewe, Crewe Hall Hotel. I thought I'd mostly share some more photographs just to try to explain how Gothic and dark the place was yet beautiful and ornate at the same time.

Staircase

Like many great Halls and buildings of this type, at some stage they succumb to a fire and that's what happened in 1866 in Crewe Hall, hence why it was extensively rebuilt. I found out that in fact the last Lord Crewe died a bachelor in 1894, the title went to a nephew who died without sons and the title ceased to exist in 1945.

The arms of the Crewe family is a White Lion Rampant (stood on its hind legs) and they are to be seen all over the place, both inside the building and outside standing proud guard. One famous visitor was Sheridan, the playwright who dedicated his play 'School for Scandal' written around 1777 to Frances Crewe, wife of the 1st Lord Crewe who was celebrated for her beauty.

A Parlour

King George V and Queen Mary were visitors in 1913 and before its demise as a family home, it is said to have had 100 servants for the 190 rooms and 20 gardeners producing all the house needed in a three and a half acre walled garden. There was a farm that serviced the hall and it held another 50 farms and 200 cottages in the locality.

The Reception Hall

A statue in the garden spookily and rather amusingly peers round a bush at anyone approaching as if about to jump out and shout 'BOO!'

 Peek - a boo!

A Gryffin and a Lion guard the main gates to the long drive... and see us off, hopefully to visit once more in the future.

 How the other half lived eh?

Chat soon

Ta-ra.