Getting Wet in Wales

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With Zoe at work I had sat watching the small furry one plod from one window to another emitting ever increasing sighs, in the hope that rain might only be affecting one part of the site and not the other, his sighs got louder and I considered our options, sit and let him annoy me for hours to come or take him out on the understanding that raindrops might well touch his fur!



Woolly says – I reflected on my options, gave an extra loud sigh and trotted down the steps of our caravan and over to the car. Jo was refusing to tell me where we were heading as well as refusing to play my favourite car game of how many pistachio’s can one mammoth eat ….she never guesses! So I spent the short journey looking balefully from the car window at the light drizzle and glorious green countryside. Just as I could feel another huge sigh building up and the opportunity of excitement decreasing ever more we turned left at one of the lovely brown touristy signs……my eyes must be deceiving me, has Jo finally listened to something I have said or been reading my email’s! I checked again as we passed a second brown sign which clearly stated ‘Erddig’ and was top of my list for visiting after a recommendation from my bestiest friend Sion who once lived in the area. I could feel a smile growing between my tusks and felt almost inclined to give Jo a friendly kick in appreciation.



I knew he had been doing his research and as it was only a few minutes drive from the camp, I thought he might be pleased. Even the rain didn’t seem to be dampening his spirits as we pulled into a convenient place he literally threw himself out of the car in his eagerness to start looking around.



Woolly says – I left her to deal with the boring things like paying and looking at maps as I raced into what had once been the stables where the body of a large steam engine was on display, next door was another of the colourful sheep on the trail that I had found on the campsite…..I really need to brush up on where I can find more of these lovely beasts and what is the trail, before I could give more thought to that I rounded a corner. I was delighted to make the acquaintance Lofty and Tambo the donky’s who were wisely sheltering inside to keep out of the damp conditions, I asked them if they knew Jerry my donkey friend in France and as they were considering if he was their cousin twice removed, she arrived.



Having stopped him from trying pull the ears, ride them or force feed them carrots, I knew that there was no way that I was going to get round the house without the required sustenance first!



Woolly says – Much to my delight and with no prompting whatsoever it appeared that we were heading for a snack, well who am I to argue! As I tucked into my mammoth sized baked potato I told Jo about the hall. Built between 1684 and 1687 for Josiah Edisbury, the High Sheriff of Denbighshire, it was designed in 1683 by Thomas Webb. John Meller purchased the buildings and land in 1714 and set about enlarging and refurbishing the house until his death in 1733 when his nephew Simon Yorke inherited the whole estate. The house was passed down through the Yorke family until March 1973, when it was given to the National Trust by Phillip Yorke who had attempted to repair holes in the roofs and crumbling walls after his brother had left the place to go to wrack and ruin, following the collapse several years earlier of a shaft from the nearby coal mine (Bersham colliery) under the house. The collapse caused subsidence of 5 feet (1.5 m), which seriously affected the structural security of the house to the extent that, without suitable underpinning, it would have become a ruin. With the trusts support and Phillip’s determination to protect his family home and treasures, Errdig Hall opened to the public forty years ago.



With his eyes shining in glee and a stray piece of lettuce attached to his tail we set off to inspect the inside of the incredibly grand building.



Woolly says – the old bread ovens stood empty but they must have provided a wonderful aroma to the servants coming and going into the huge kitchen, Jo attempted the usual picture just a mammoth group of school children arrived with clipboards and pens and settled down on the floor. The corridor beyond gave a huge insight into the kindness of the Yorke family and the respect that they had had for the servants who had once served them as portraits of everyone who had worked on the estate since the 17^th century were displayed, as we passed the butler’s pantry and the housekeeper’s parlour, the rooms seemed warm and cosy, as more and more seemed to appear as we moved further and further into the house. Silverware displayed in one of the rooms showed the wealth that would have once been a part of the places history until the house had declined.



It seemed like a rabbit warren and as we climbed the first set of stairs we found ourselves in what had once been the family rooms. The dining room was huge and presented two large fireplaces at each end to keep everyone warm, the ceiling is a rarity in that it is made from pressed steel covered in zinc alloy to stop the spread of fire of which the Yorke family always lived in fear.



Woolly ssays – I glanced at the metal ceiling…isn’t metal heavy? How can metal stay on a ceiling? Where is my hard hat?!!!! I peeked into the darkness of the tapestry room before finding myself in the library with its big bookcases and large window seats which would be ideal for curling up and reading in on a wet rainy day….like today! The drawing room displayed huge family portraits and it was here that I noticed that the glass in the windows wasn’t clear which gave a real reminder of the early glass industry of the Victorian era, they still gave a lovely view of the grounds and the big fat droplets of rain which were still watering everything in sight. Through the music room I went taking in the large collection of instruments that the Yorke family had gathered and played according to the information booklet.



We paused in the room that is known as the Red Bedroom and listened to the volunteer inform an American couple that the bed was one of the first in existence to have a hydraulic lift on it, which had helped in the caring for one of the daughters of the house when she became ill and later died of consumption.



Woolly says – The white bedroom with its panelled walls was bright and the bed looked rather snug, before I could contemplate a quick siesta I heard Jo laughing in the attached bathroom, I plodded through to see what the mirth was about to find myself confronted with the strangest looking shower I have come across. Made of what appeared to be bamboo poles it had a small water closet above and a mini bath below, I could only guess that a chain or rope would have been employed to allow the water to ‘shower’ out and felt sorry for the servants who must have had to climb up to fill it prior to each bathing session. Up another staircase I went and into the attic rooms which had once been the homes of the maids and female staff, the Yorke family had ensured their comfort giving furniture from the main house for their use, so lovely soft beds and wonderful views would have made life rather appealing, although the sloping floors made me feel rather seasick to walk along.



The best bedroom was yet to come as we arrived in the state room with its hand painted wallpaper and beautifully canopied bed it was shrouded in darkness to protect the furniture and coverings.



Woolly says – It was also behind glass so no chance of a quick nap either! As Jo became transfixed by the large beautifully decorated communications to the family on their marriages I found myself in the curiously named, Favourites Room, where unwanted gifts to the family were put on display so that only the family and servants on their way to the chapel would see them, hence ensuring that visitors to the main part of the house would only consider them having good taste! The final rooms presented themselves with the coats of arms for each member of the family and a curious collection of bones, skulls and other bits and pieces which the family had collected over the centuries. A lovely National Trust lady went to retrieve Jo’s bag and chatted to us about our travels, whilst admiring my outfit and remarking on how cute I am…. Well I am!



Before he could charge for an autograph I hustled him outside, into what had now turned into a very light drizzle, knowing that there was no chance of him walking I tucked him into my fleece and set off down the rather grand pathway to the pools.





Woolly says – the lush green grass was mowed to perfection and dotted with manicured bushes and long lengths of trees growing sideways across the walls, both of the pools seemed to be providing a lovely home for the ducks and coot’s and at many points there were sculptures and information on the local wild habitat, which gave me lots of useful information on bugs that might scare the girls heheehe . As the heavens opened and the rain started to pour Jo ran for shelter which turned out to be an area called Wolf’s Den. It had a small wooden shop and plenty of dens for children and in my case mammoths to play in, as the rain teemed down I happily imagined how the York family children must have once enjoyed the wooded area and the fun that you could have until Jo, who was looking somewhat bedraggled, begged me to leave and head to the car. As my fur started to steam gently as the car engine started and the fans went on I gave Jo a hard kick of appreciation for taking me and Well done Sion Sheep you made a brilliant recommendation.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

They are adorable
Great

[Sion Sheeo]

Its me .......................
I told it was good . It came second to Chatsworth in a national competition to find th the favourite place people went to . I think it should have won and was robbed . I love it and Jen does too. Her dad used to scrump apples from over the walls when he was a little boy.

[traveltalesofawoollymammoth]

I'd read about that....
... and agree it should have won