A taste of the aristocratic lifestyle. Helen Werin lives the country house dream, if only for a day or two…
It’s breakfast time at The Peacock at Rowsley and the topic of conversation is centred around who is going to be riding side-saddle on a horse, across the 350-year-old bridge, to the magnificent medieval manor house of Haddon Hall nearby. The guest literature informs us that we are able to safely leave our gun in the hotel’s gun room. And if we are keen anglers, we can take a wicker basket down to the banks of the River Wye to enjoy a “very fine” picnic whilst we fish for rainbow trout. Antiques and fine furniture from the Duke of Rutland’s extensive estate, including Belvoir Castle, adorn the hotel. It’s all in keeping with the 17th century Peacock’s aristocratic history. It was once the Dower House to Haddon Hall. Our breakfast table looks across the gorgeous gardens leading to the banks of the Derwent. Our room has a wonderful four-poster bed and an ancient wooden chest with legs so wonky that, sitting in the armchair opposite, gives the illusion of being in one of those curious crooked fairground houses which leave you disoriented. But this is no illusion; we’re here to live the dream, if only for a couple of days, of a country house lifestyle. With a young daughter in tow, there’s more leisurely exploration of stately homes and the beautiful Derbyshire Dales scenery than hunting, shooting and fishing. Nevertheless, trying to put ourselves, figuratively, in the lord of the manor’s shoes is not that difficult. Spectacular Chatsworth House is just three miles up the road, refined Bakewell a few miles’ walk past fields in which we spot plenty of pheasants and The Peacock itself is owned by the Duke’s younger brother, Lord Edward Manners. His family has owned Haddon Hall since 1567. Even better, Haddon Hall – described as “the finest example of a fortified medieval manor house in existence” – is dressed for a film set; Jane Eyre, starring Dame Judi Dench no less. The talk over breakfast had been that of the actors discussing their day ahead. Our entry in to Haddon Hall is no less grand, even if it is a little surreal when we spot an obviously fake film-set tree near the bridge. The gardens, with their descending terraces, are pretty and romantic, although the unseasonal roses are excellent imitations. Many of the rooms are also dressed for the film. What is impossible to conceal is the fabric of this building. This is a place that is conserved, rather than restored, so what we are seeing dates from the Middle Ages through to the early 17th century.
Royal marks In the chapel are fabulous 15th century frescoes, including one of St Nicholas rescuing some small children from being cooked in the butcher’s cauldron. This is rather ironic considering that he is now the patron saint of butchers. In the 16th century long gallery, the grandest room in the house, the windows appear, at first glance, to have buckled with age. This is where the film set ends and stunning reality takes over. These south-facing windows were designed with diamond-shaped panes set at different angles to reflect the light. Peering a little closer, we find graffiti etched on the centuries-old glass by various workmen and visitors as well as some rather talented poets. In the earl’s apartments, more modern – and more regal – signatures have been scribbled above a fireplace; those of King George V, Prince Charles and the Princess Royal. As we admire 800-year-old oak chests, 400-year-old spinning chairs and 16th century tapestries depicting the five senses, we wonder at why the first Duke of Rutland decamped to his then far more fashionable Belvoir Castle, leaving Haddon suspended in time for 200 years. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that the ninth Duke returned and realised how special Haddon Hall is and made it his life’s work to preserve it. It’s certainly special enough for the film crew. This is the fourth Jane Eyre production filmed here. In Haddon Hall’s car park, actors in coachmen’s liveries stand beside 19th century carriages squashed rather incongruously between enormous shiny trailers. It’s a short drive from here to Chatsworth and our spectacular approach to the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, through the deer-filled park, is as good as anything on celluloid. The house, its’ landmark cascade of water and the 90m jet of the Emperor Fountain emerges from behind the trees, with tantalising glimpses of the Capability Brown gardens. We can almost imagine the opening credits rolling. Once inside the house, even the hordes of visitors from every corner of the globe don’t intrude on our reverie. Everyone speaks in awestruck whispers as the rooms and their contents reflecting 16 generations of impeccable taste and incredible wealth become more impressive with each step. The painted hall draws gasps, covered as it is with lavish frescoes. These murals, along with an entire suite of fabulously-decorated rooms, were done purely to impress William and Mary, whom the first Duke hoped would visit. They never came. What would have been the King or Queen’s bedroom is a display of ostentation with a capital O, with silk fabrics and rich tapestries and ornate early 18th century mirrors which cost £100 to buy but £80,000 to restore.
Squirting tree In the Great Chamber, the painted ceiling depicts the Virtues kicking the Vices out of the house. Apparently the artist, Antonio Verrio, was a bit of a womaniser and upset the housekeeper. After they clashed he painted her in to the ceiling looking like a witch. Quirky little touches like this abound all over the estate. We discover these when we get sprayed by the Emperor Fountain and become frustratingly confused in the yew maze. Most amusing of all is what a certain young Royal visitor, Princess Victoria, called the ‘squirting’ tree; a willow tree fountain which rains from its leaves and branches. Whilst we’re absorbing the warmer, more lived-in ambience of Chatsworth, I’m hoping that, over at unheated Haddon Hall, Dame Judi is wearing her thermals. Whilst they’re lovely to visit, these vast houses can’t half be draughty. I’m reminded that during the Second World War, when the state rooms here at Chatsworth were used as dormitories by the 250 evacuated pupils of a girls’ school, the poor lasses would find their hot water bottles frozen solid in the morning. Back at The Peacock a log fire awaits us, along with the warmest of welcomes from the manager, Jenni McKenzie, for whom it seems our every whim is no trouble at all. When Jenni describes the food as ‘fine dining’ it’s a bit of an understatement. My exquisite scallop with confit pork and deliciously caramelly onions is fit for a queen, let alone a duchess – and that’s just the starter. My main course of sea bass, with a crab lasagne and shellfish foam and my husband’s red mullet with Greek-style vegetables, has us spellbound. Next morning the spell is slightly shattered when the only carriage at the door is a super-shiny black car with tinted windows waiting to take a rather beautiful young actress to the set. Our Vauxhall Vectra parked round the back may not be so sleek, but it has helped transport us, briefly, in to another world.
All photos © Robin Weaver |
WHAT ELSE TO SEE AND DO * Bakewell, with its’ picturesque limestone cottages and lanes of ‘olde worlde’ shops, has several Bakewell pudding shops and cafes, at least two of which lay claim to the original recipe. The much-photographed five-arched bridge over the River Wye is one of the oldest in the country. * The car-free Monsal Trail, accessed from the old station at Bakewell, is along a former railway track, popular with cyclists and walkers. The view is particularly spectacular at Monsal Head, where the viaduct carrying the track soars over beautiful Monsal Dale, another lovely place to walk beside the River Wye. * From The Peacock you can walk to Bakewell and beyond to postcard-pretty Ashford in the Water (and bus back), mysterious Stanton Moor with its Nine Ladies Stone Circle or across to Chatsworth. * Walking through Chatsworth Park is a delight at any time of year. Park at Calton Lees at the southern end and walk beside the River Derwent up to the quaint estate village of Edensor with its fairytale cottages and St Peter’s church. Edensor was moved when the sixth Duke wanted it put out of site of Chatsworth House. Inside the church are elaborate memorials to the Cavendish family of Chatsworth. * Caudwell’s Mill and Craft Centre, opposite The Peacock, is an historic roller flour mill in a tranquil spot beside the River Wye. www.caudwellsmill.co.uk * Derbyshire is a bargain-hunters’ paradise, including Peak Village in Chatsworth Road, Rowsley, close to The Peacock. www.peakvillage.co.uk * Enjoy a nostalgic four mile steam train trip between Matlock and Rowsley with Peak Rail. www.peakrail.co.uk
|
FOR MORE INFORMATION
|
WHERE WE STAYED Guests at The Peacock at Rowsley can have free golf at Bakewell Golf Club nearby, half price admission to Haddon Hall and 10 miles of the best dry fly trout fishing in the UK. Under 10s Monday-Thursday only. www.thepeacockatrowsley.co.uk
|
