Unusually the group had two visits in April firstly to;
Kedleston Hall
We set off for Kedleston Hall on Monday 15th April on a morning which saw some rain and a cold wind blowing. Fortunately, the rainfall reduced to showers over the day although the cold wind never really abated. The short journey into Derbyshire saw us arrive a Kedleston for 10.30 am.
Coffee or tea was the order of the day for most members on arrival followed by a slow and comprehensive tour of the impressive Hall. The large rooms beautifully decorated ranged from dining rooms, libraries, bedrooms through to kitchens.
A look round the gardens followed for many and a visit to the various shops on the estate. The usual waterside walks were very much curtailed on this visit by the wet ground and cold wind.
A 4.00 pm departure saw us arrive back in Hucknall shortly after 5.00pm.
Snowshill
The second visit in April saw over 70 members visiting the beautiful setting of Snowshill in the Cotswolds. Here the house is much smaller than the usual NT property but was full of over twenty two thousand objects collected by the owner, Charles Wade, around a hundred years ago. A truly fascinating collection. Charles Wade also extended his property out into his lovely gardens with many buildings adorned by beautiful models often hand built by Wade himself. A truly unique collection which included a Cornish fishing village. Using the knowledge from the very keen volunteers on site we learned so much about the venue and its contents.
Some members also found their way into the nearby church and picturesque village of Snowshill.
After last minute refreshments we gathered for the journey back up to Hucknall after a really pleasant day in generally nice weather.
May’s visit sees the group venture towards the east coast of Lincolnshire to visit the Gunby Estate.
