- MichaelJM
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 5
- Reviews
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4
- Photos
Editor Pick
Working Outdoors
- September 23, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
The National Trust didn’t stop at restoring the house and gardens, indeed it actually started in sorting out the outside work buildings. A sensible move as this ensured that the host of workers had a base to operate from in the buildings that were returned to their original usage.
The joiner’s shop dates back to the 19th Century in the days when the carpenters employed on the estate owned all of their own tools. The tools of the trade are now on open display in the out-house and there’s a vast array of chisels and other amazingly well cared for specialist tools. A short information film was being showed in one of the other work rooms and there we learnt that, alongside the joiner, the blacksmith was in regular demand. It would have cost less than 10p to shoe each of the estate’s horses (the equivalent of £150 in today’s money) and they would have needed shoeing up to eight times a year. It’s suggested that the blacksmith would have had at least two days a week work just tending the horses. The estate had its lime mortar mill with each of the wheels weighing in at half-a-ton it required the impressive power of the 1850s steam engine to power them.
With 2,000 acres of estate land the horses were kept quite busy and there was a thriving timber business at Erddig. Trees were seasoned in the drying shed and now you can check out the work area where workers would have cut the timber into two-and-a-half inch planks the saw pit would have accommodated two men one on top of the log and the other stood below in the pit he was referred to as the underdog.
The massive lawns were mowed by a horse drawn mower with the horses having their hoofs clad with leather shoes to protect the grass. The stable boy would have led the horse on its mowing duties and it is assumed that this is where the term “shank’s pony” came from. The work complex now houses a fine display of the estate’s transport – ranging from cycles (including a penny-farthing bike), motor bikes and some well restored Austin cars. The chassis of a much neglected car is suspended in one of the “sheds” – confirmation of the work that needed to be undertaken to restore its “near neighbours”.
Across the cobbled courtyard there are some excellent examples of working carriages and early carts that were all used on and around the estate. Indeed everything you see at Erddig was used on the estate – the National Trust has not had to “import” any period pieces to boost the exhibits.
To this day the estate preserves its interest and care of the shire horse and stabled in this courtyard area were a couple of the current working horses at Erddig – mainly used today to give carriage rides around the estate for tourists willing to pay the premium price (around £10) for the privilege.
From journal Extravagant Erdigg
Editor Pick
Life in the Kitchen
- September 23, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
You enter the house by the kitchens and the servants work quarters and after paying your £8 (it’s not cheap but we’re National Trust Members so get in free) you’re standing at the side of the laundry and admiring the display of laundered linen that is out on display (well actually it looks as if the maids have just gone off on a lunch break mid stream preparing the family’s “Sunday best”).
We next enter the large kitchen with ceiling hooks for the drying of herbs and the hanging of cured meats and I’m intrigued by a recipe for Turtle Soup with a box of “selected sun dried turtle" alongside it. The master of the house had had the inscriptions “Waste not” and “Want not” painted on the arches either side of the kitchen store. A permanent reminder that even in such a affluent household people need to be a little frugal.
The corridor from the kitchen leading to the inner house is lined with photographs of the staff with lengthy poems, written by Philip Yorke, detailing their contribution to the house and giving superb insights into their lives. Although it’s not magnificent poetry it offers a marvellous social commentary on Victorian life and underlines the very special relationship that the family had with each and every one of their servants. It is alleged that this relationship is unique to the Yorke household.
Below some of the house bells is another of the Philip’s fine rhymes:
“may heaven protect our home from flames
Or hurt or harm of various name,
And may no evil luck betide
To any who therein abide
As also who their homes have found
on any acres of its ground
or who from homes beyond its gate
bestow their toil on this estate”
As I indicated earlier he was not the world’s best poets but he was careful and considerate in his use of words making sure not to miss out a single member of his staff from the estate photo calls and the accompanying homage in verse.
Dragging ourselves away from Philip’s verses we next check out the old still room (originally used for brewing and distilling drinks) but latterly used as a dry store for products with neatly (although now well-faded) signs on each of the large drawers including “peppers”, “sugar”, “coffee”, “chocolate”, and “starch”.
Further on are the estate master’s room and next door the immaculate and neatly laid out housekeeper’s sitting room. Behind the door is a bellows operated vacuum cleaner – the ‘Witch Dust Extractor” – and we had fun imagining the antics of the young boy who would have been expected to balance on the foot operated bellows.
The Butler’s pantry has a fine display of silver, glass decanters, elaborate soda siphons and a steel and wood “Merritt cork remover” mounted on the late 17th Century table. A unique glass goblet (the weeping glass) is displayed in a low humidity show case to protect it from deterioration. It’s real delicate!
From journal Extravagant Erdigg
Editor Pick
Outside Grounds
- September 23, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
The blue sky gave us perfect conditions to explore Erddig’s gardens. Other than the outlying park and farm lands the estate has the formally laid out and cottage style gardens. Bearing in mind that the garden was severely neglected in the 1960s the National Trust has done very well over the last thirty years in returning the land back to the original plan.
There’s a plaque at the garden entrance confirming that the house and gardens were opened, by Prince Charles, in 1977 - a mere nine years after they had been handed over by Philip Yorke III to the care of the National Trust. Despite Phillip’s efforts to look after the estate it was haemorrhaging money and he didn’t have the resources to throw into this money pit. The house, which had been built in the 1680s was subsiding as a result of mining underneath and at one end it had sunk over five feet. This major subsidence had resulted in cracks not only to the walls but also the roof and a video (viewable in the stable block) shows Philip talking about his desperate measures to save the furniture and fittings. In fairness he did his best and moved furniture from vulnerable parts of the building to those that were still intact.
The view from the bottom of the garden towards the main house was glorious with the house reflected, in its current glory, in the murky waters of the lower pond. Behind us were the superbly crafted 18th Century ornate railings. Erddig has a wide range of apple trees neatly trained against the garden wall with some real old breeds such as Dutch Codlin (1783), Oslin (1768), Court Pendu (1613), and the gloriously names Edelborsdorfer, which alongside Joaneting dates back to the 1500s. At the foot of the trees is a border of pretty and bright contemporary flowers and in the centre of the lawn are well-manicured conical-shaped trees.
At the head of the garden, nearest to the house, is a family seating area near to a blue-faced exterior wall clock – charmingly unobtrusive as it chimed out the time at 12 noon.
Off the main garden is a small wall garden (a quiet sun trap) leading from the formal garden to the west front (ffrynt Gorllewinol) where were appreciated the marvellous view, from the steps of the double staircase leading to the main entrance of Erddig. Here the rolling fields stretch into the distance beyond the lightly wooded area and the cattle grazing lowlands nearest the house. A Virginia Creeper has been carefully crafted around the many windows of Erdigg.
As well as its selection of apple trees Erddig has some old strains of pear trees and around the car park wall is perhaps the largest grouping of ivies in the whole of the United Kingdom. Perhaps that doesn’t sound too exciting, but I found it interesting to see sometimes subtle differences between the plants. On the way to the exit check out the still occupied.
From journal Extravagant Erdigg
Editor Pick
Ground Floor Opulence
- September 23, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
Having checked out the servants dining with its large centrally placed dining table surrounded by numerous oil paintings (complete with the infamous poems) of the servants we progressed up the stairs to where the family would have entertained their important guests (the state dining room). The table, which was set for 10 but would easily accommodate 20, was flanked by impressive Scagliola columns. These are manufactured with marble chippings in plaster and then polished to complete. They really set this room off to a treat. Available for viewing is a book of dinner parties showing the names of guests set on a seating plan, the type of table decoration used and those all important menus. Clearly the family were anxious not to make “the mistake” of keeping the same combination when guests were invited back to dine.
The dining room had originally been designed as the best bedchamber with its dressing room and en-suite facilities, but although it had been fashionable at the time the house was built (1680s) to have the main bedrooms on the ground floor by the time that Philip Yorke purchase the house from the Mellor family it was highly unfashionable. He set about “updating” the place. So this floor became the day living area and by 1826 Simon Yorke II, had knocked the bedroom suite together to form the dining room as we saw it.
From the dining room we moved through to the saloon. Originally this and all the rooms on this ground floor side of the house had totally different functions and today’s saloon was originally two rooms. Philip’s conversion to a single impressive room gave perfect views over the formal garden and is a brilliant showcase for the family’s period furniture. The previous second best bedroom provided a superb setting for the fine “soho tapestries” which had once hung in the best bedchamber and today it is simply called “the tapestry room. I wonder why!
Beyond the tapestry room is the Chinese room. When we visited the house this was not open to the general public because the house had a shortage of stewards. I was most disappointed and made this comment to one of the older stewards who suggested in a hushed voice that if we asked, at the conclusion of our visit if we could view this room, then they would make arrangements to open it up for us. I did just that and we were given a personal tour by the manager of the house. He gave us some fascinating insights into the room and the house’s history. The wallpaper was imported from China (although there are some contemporary European copies in the room) and was originally a closet of the second bedchamber. By the time John Meller, a rich London Lawyer bought the house to impress it was in this room that he displayed his collection of fine artwork.
From this room crammed with eastern artwork we got our first view of the chapel.
From journal Extravagant Erdigg
Editor Pick
Prayers and Song
- September 23, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
Today we entered the chapel down a short flight of steps into a vestibule crammed with ancient books and the accompanying enticingly historical smell that goes with old manuscripts. This would have been the way that the servants accessed the library as the family would have entered the chapel directly into their pews by way of the Chinese Room on the ground floor.
It would seem as if no expense had been spared in setting up the chapel and it is evidenced that the commitment to the family’s belief continued right into the 20th century with the three magnificent stained glass windows. These had been bought from Wimpole in Cambridgeshire when the house belonging to the Earl of Hardwick was sold in 1900. I’m not sure what Philip Yorke’s connection was with the house at Wimpole but suffice it to say that the windows look superb in their current setting.
The servant’s pews are set along the length of the chapel (which in actual fact is as broad as it is long) overlooked by the family pews which are set up a level at the back of the church. The influence of Philip is noted by the quotation that runs along the top of the wall (although this time the words are not his) and it is not too difficult to imagine this harmonious group of family and their servants gathering each week for Sunday services.
Back up from the chapel, and on the opposite side of the house to the saloon is the family music room. Although these were all family instruments and the room is set out almost as it would have been in the Yorke’s day there’s a real museum feel to it. All the pieces are expensive and extravagant – a extremely finely decorated bellows organ, a well polished grand piano, an exquisite lute and a tarnished tuba. All the decorative pieces are musically based including a crude but interesting working model of a pianist at his piano. There are views across the rolling hills and it’s perhaps here that the family would have practised singing their hymns for Sunday.
Along from the music room is the magnificent parlour with yet another grand piano and plenty of room for the family to sit around the chunky fire place discussing the affairs of the estate. There are paintings by the score and a beautiful sparkling drop candle chandelier.
Although Erddig is referred to as a family home rather than a stately home you’re really hard pressed to spot the difference. These rooms – “the rooms of the parade” – put the family on display for its visitors and we could only speculate how ordinary the rest of the family accommodation would look. We were not viewing all of the home and I could only assume that the rooms “not on show” for the Meller (and later Yorke) families were a little less grand.
Having said that we enjoyed the opulence of Erddig’s (sometimes spelt Erthig) ground floor.
From journal Extravagant Erdigg