Shugborough

Or the long way home....

After another horrible nights sleep it was time to start again!

Today Jules planned for us to go to Shugborough House a National Trust property just outside of Stafford. We were then going to do a walk.

After arrivng we soon realised that there was far more to see then we thought. Apart from the house itself they had working servant quarters and a working 19th century farm. We started in the servant quarters which were pretty cool. The kitchens were huge as was the laundry area. From listening to Jules and Peter it is quite rare to see the servant areas in these posh houses so it was very interesting.

We then moved onto the house. It was originally built in the 18th century and is the home of the Earl of Litchfield. You can read more of the history of the house here. Needless to say it was pretty impressive. After a quick tour of the back garden we realised it was time for lunch. The restaurant on the estate was serving Steak and Ale pie which was absolutely yummy!

We then continued to look at the gardens before heading over to the farm. It was pretty cool. They showed us how cheese and butter was made in the 1800s as well as having a couple of cool animals.

By this time we realised that it was too late to go for a long walk, so we went and had some afternoon tea and walked followed by a walk along the river close to the house.

Once back Jules gave me a lift into Birmingham for my train back to Southampton. Unfortunately track work meant I had to catch a bus from Birmigham Airport to Oxford and then a train to Southampton. This turned a 2.5 hour trip to just over four hours, but I finally made it home!

Heaps of photos today....




The House



The Back Garden



Back of the House



Where's my lunch?



The lovely river (at the back of the House)



Part of the garden



More of the garden



Billy Goat!



A pony looking after a baby goat..



More babysitting



Time for a fish!



Or a canal boat?



The bridge home.