A day out at Mr Darcy's house

Today we went to another National Trust Park (they are brilliant) called Lyme Park. It is set on a whooping 1,400 acres! We went into the Edwardian house (mansion) that was a home to the Legh family for over 600 years but after the war things went downhill and in the 1940s the house was handed over to the National Trust. It is such a blessing that everyone has access to this wonderful place. The house was very grand with a room with a stage that used to be dedicated to theatrical performances 3 evenings a week for the family and their friends. The dining room was also breathtaking all set up for the next meal with the most exquisite tableware and heirlooms. The art throughout the house was also incredible. Even the hallways are so grand. It is no wonder this place was home to Mr Darcy (Pemberley) in Pride and Prejudice. There was a gift shop with white t-shirts saying 'I love Mr Darcy' which were quite tempting to be honest. Come on Colin Firth ladies!!! Anyhow... clearly the cost of the upkeep of the house is huge with more work still required in some areas of the home. Anyway we couldn't take photos of the interior but I have some from the beautiful gardens surrounding the house. After this we also ventured back out into the park which is free for the public to access anytime and found the most incredible playground. More about that on the next blog. I forgot to mention today was Mothers Day here and also day light savings started today so mother nature really turned everything on and gave us a fine 19 degree day. So everyone came out to play and by the time we left there were people everywhere enjoying the outdoors with their loved ones. Such a heart warming sight.