Shropshire 35 Quatt/Dudmaston Hall/ Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it /you might see me with an Aldi bag

---

Gabby the motorhome - the car with no name was parked up on a rather full car park at Dudmaston Hall. We had decided to come out and drive one hour and fifteen minutes to see the hall owned by the National Trust and the galleries which were full of what I misread as Mattise paintings and Moore sculptures . We had taken a lot longer than one hour and fifteen minutes to get her as the car with no name was running on petrol fumes and we needed to call into a local garage to fill him up otherwise we were going nowhere . We also had to put in a little side trip to drop a birthday card off for daughter as her birthday falls whilst we on holiday . When we arrived after the short diversion we found the car park heaving . We had not expected to see so many people out . The weather was colder than it had been and the sun refused to put in an appearance.

We walked up to the welcome desk manned by two very helpful ladies "Have you been before ?" "No " we said as we handed over the two cards . I was careful to take the cards back as I had left my credit card in the machine at one of the local shops the day before and panic had set in . We were issued with a small map of the estate pointing out the walks around the lake and the sculptures dotted around the garden . We were pointed in the direction of the Orchard where there was a tea room serving light lunches , tables set out amongst the flowering Morello cherries. We were shown the clock tower where the clock hands pointed to one o'clock but the bells rang out 4 times and the book shop and toilets . We headed into the tea room which was full to bursting with not one table free . Coffees ordered we came out with sandwiches . Cheese and tomato and tuna and cucumber . The side order of a jacket potato with baked beans arrived with small salad and very creamy coleslaw . Over the light lunch we talked about the crit aire which had arrived albeit taking longer than pre- Brexit . We had one on Gabby that was the wrong emissions as the car with no name was petrol rather than diesel and emitted less noxious substances so was no use for the car with no name . We talked about what clothes we needed to pack and how difficult it was doing things very differently. No cupboards to empty and clean. No carpets to hoover and surfaces to dust. No medicines to come out and be checked and no clothes already in for the trip. It felt odd going back to travel we had been doing pre Suzy in 2011. We probably would forget something . The UK sticker had been found as had the high viz jackets . A complete bulb set had been located ready for packing in the boot . The books for the trip were ready. And then the laptop packed up . I think the vodka remaining in the bottom of the glass may have been the culprit but the battery was failing to charge it . I had left it for a while hoping it would dry out and start working again . Time would tell on that one . Glenn had spent hours on checking Google earth for parking and had written down a whole host of parking co-ordinates ready for the holiday. After eating we headed off in the direction of the gardens and the house.

Dudmaston is a house of two halves . The 17th century country house is in the care of the National Trust which meant free entry for us. There was a large sign outside explaining that we could take no photographs as the house was still lived in by the family . In fact the house was never open on Thursdays or Fridays as the family invited friends to stay over with them . The owner having been in the army had many friends who spent time in the house . He worked in safety for the fire brigade and could often be seen wandering round the house with an Aldi bag of shopping on his arm apparently . We were invited in by the room guide into what was described as a traditional Shropshire country estate with main hall .landscaped gardens falling away to a lake , parkland , managed woodland and farm land and estate cottages . The original house had been owned by the Wolryche family from nearby Much Wenlock who had married into the de Dudmaston family . They had owned the house since 1403. Prior to that there was a french connection as there always is , a medieval manor house which burned down and a fortified manor house . The main hall was spacious and wood panelled with an enormous oak table in the middle of the room highly carved on one end with a shove halfpenny board . All around the room were paintings of the family but equally filled with wellingtons probably worn by the latest owners , riding tackle and the trappings of modern living . Not many rooms were open on the ground floor . The hall had a lovely open wrought iron stair rail and marble steps. A massive chandilier hung from the roof . The study was open full of books and writing desks and still in use today . The last downstairs room was set out as a sitting room with wonderful views over the gardens and lake . Modern wood burning stoves sat in the old hearths . The sofas still looked comfortable and we were told the family had the run of this floor of the house on closed days . It did look wonderful mixing the old with the more new furniture .

Upstairs a few rooms were open . Two bedrooms with mid 20th century beds set in rooms with ancient wallpaper . The bathroom was from an older age but in the corner modern shampoo , bath foam and everything needed for a bath . Apparently the bath was used just three weeks ago by visitors to the house . The library was full of wonderful books although I was not sure how many were read . We were told the other side of the house was modern . Modern furniture and modern fitments set into the wing of all old house . We were told of lunacy in the family in the 17th century and the passing of the house to other members of the family some of whom gambled on horses and hunting .

We left the house and went into the basement where the galleries were set out . One room was full of fans . Some of ostrich feathers , others made in Japan from bone and hand painted . A second gallery was filled with art work and the third full of sculptures . This was where we expected to find the Matisse works and the Moores . What we did find was a series of modern sculptures . The blurb had told us that the galleries were devoted to the modern movement the key figures of which were Hepworth , Moore and Nicholson . They used new materials and techniques to challenge the norm and produced items that were not realistic . Is it harder to sculpt a David when you know what a body looks like or an abstract figure with holes in the middle of it ? Confucious said " Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it " We were struggling a bit with the brass sculptures swirling or the metal abstract shapes . They may have been beautiful but we were struggling a bit to see the beauty . We took a few photographs as we were allowed to in the galleries although one fo the visitors chastised me saying that no photographs were allowed . I had to correct her . Sir George Labourchere had curated the collection of abstract art in the 50's and had been described as an addicted and knowledgable collector . We never did find the Hepworths or the Moores but instead found the work of a local artist Anthony Twentyman . Nearly every sculpure in the gallery was made by Twentyman and that continued into the gardens. Amongst the magnolias and the spring flowers were sculptures . Sculptured gates into the garden . I liked those but the Blade left me cold . I walked around it and looked at it from all angles but felt a bit lost . It had a certain sense of beauty but it left us cold . Was it an airplane blade or the blade from a wind farm pylon.

It was a different day with different things to see but the modern bit well perhaps we should have left that for another day.

---

Comments

[Sevenhills0]

Amazing!
What a lovely article! I felt that I was actually there!

[JenGog]

dudmaston
Thankyou