Erddig, the atmospheric 18th-century house and estate near Wrexham has been voted by the nation as one of its top ten favourite historic sites in the UK, and number one in the Historic House category.
© NTPL / Rupert Truman
UKTV’s 'Britain’s Best' programme revealed the results of the 600,000 votes the show received over 6 months in its search for the public’s favourite historic site in the UK. With over 12,000 votes to its name Erddig appeared number 8 in the public poll, snapping at the heels of Stonehenge, HMS Victory, Liverpool Cathedral, Tamworth Castle, Lincoln Castle, Hadrian’s Wall and York Minster.
As well as being a comprehensive, informative and inspiring directory of historical sites, including recommendations for the best places to visit, one of the aims of UKTV’s 'Britain’s Best' was to discover the places that the public really love. Over the past six months, the public have voted for their favourite historical sites via web, red button, post, phone and SMS. The only criteria were that the site was to be of historical significance, open to the public and located in England, Scotland or Wales.
Leafing through the visitors comments book, its not surprising that Erddig is such a firm favourite:
'Wow – what a fascinating place...really eye-opening to see how the servants would have lived and worked – a great day out', and 'I like to run around in the lovely garden and I like to see the kitchen where they worked in Victorian times'
Erddig plays a valuable part in British history, not because of its notable residents but rather their unusually intimate relationship with their staff which gave rise to a unique display of portraits.
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