A country house in decline, left as found in its faded glory, Calke Abbey is a house of great contrasts with a vast collection of treasures and curiosities.
Whet your appetite with these five highlights from the House:
State bed
© NTPL / Mark Fiennes
The 18th-century State Bed, with its Chinese silk hangings, is one of the most spectacular objects you'll see at Calke. Although it is believed to have arrived at the house in 1734 as a wedding gift from the royal family, the bed was never slept in. It remained packed in a box until 1984.
You can now see the bed on display and admire its beautiful silk hangings. Still brilliantly coloured, they are densely embroidered with flowers, birds and oriental figures in traditional dress. Look for one fascinating detail - tightly rolled peacock feathers used for the markings of the butterfly wings.
How curious
© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel
The Saloon is a wonderful two-storey space that was originally designed as the Entrance Hall.
During the 19th century it was gradually transformed into a private museum with display cases crammed with fossils, taxidermy and Egyptian curiosities – a fascinating insight into the Victorian passion for collecting.
His Lordship's bedroom
© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel
This room - complete with its Victorian wallpaper remains much as it was during Sir Vauncey's youth in the mid 19th century. Above the bed and fireplace are hunting trophies and there is a glass cabinet containing collections of fossils and shells nearby.
The school room
© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel
Converted into a school room for the education of Sir Vauncey, this room was used for home education until the Second World War - when army officers were billeted at the house. Although never again used as a school room, the walls are bursting at the seams with children's books and toys.
Waste not want not
© NTPL / Andreas von Einsiedel
In its heyday, 27 staff would have worked at Calke. After the First World War and the dramatic reduction in country house staff, there was a total of six. For this reason the House's Kitchen gradually fell out of use, in favour of a smaller and more conveniently located site, and was totally abandoned in 1928.
Although there is a sense of abundance elsewhere in the House, the Kitchen was obviously run on more frugal lines. The old adage ‘Waste Not Want Not’ is painted on the keystone of the huge fireplace, where once meat was cooked on spits and racks before the cast iron oven was fitted in the 1840s.
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