Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
As it was a gorgeous day we decided to visit Lytham Hall. It is Grade 1 listed and described as the finest Georgian house in Lancashire. What a pleasant surprise it was. We drove up the very long drive and, having parked, proceeded as normal to the cafe. This was in an indescribably beautiful courtyard with plant displays straight from Chelsea, and available to buy. The house itself looked a picture of what Georgian means.... and inside was full of interest. You hear of houses where it seems as if the family has just popped out. This was one of them. But the amazing thing is that after the last of the family frittered away the last of the inherited wealth, the house was sold - empty - to Guardian Assurance in 1963 as a kind of Northern HQ. They did Sixties things such as put up false ceilings and strip lighting, partition walls etc etc. Full marks to them however for not only carrying out repairs and maintaining it but also buying back and recovering all the family pictures. The house was sold by a later management regime. In 1997 Lytham Town Trust bought the building, with help from a donation from BAE, and subsequently leased it to Heritage Trust For The Northwest for 99 years. They and their splendid volunteers have been responsible for putting in appropriate furniture and odds and ends to bring it back almost to its full glory. On the third floor two of the Jacobean rooms from the original building have been re-created in an aythentic way..... and the 'suite' of 3 rooms where the last family member lived is pretty much as was. on exiting we walked along the legth of the Jacobean wing..... to a walled garden, again restored fantastically by the mainly elderly volunteers...what a delight it was..... Unbelievable what you can do by harnessing the power of a group of enthusiasts. We are very very lucky in this country that so much has been done by such groups. It was time then for the seaside. We parked by Lytham station which has been restored and greatly enhanced to create an outside cafe/bar area with an almost continental feel....... and proceeding into town we were pleased by the standard of shops - here Stringers department store, a really enticing shop (where we made several purchases). We strolled along the promenade, past the repurposed mussel tanks towards the famous windmill........ We walked back along the main road as we wanted to peep at the very desirable houses.........Lytham is full of them. Whether large and Edwardian.... or cottagey Walls were a common theme, done with the marine touch and simply everywhere.... Back at the station it was a hot day, so we couldn't resist a seaside treat..... We drove north towards Blackpool and examined the dunes between Lytham and St Annes, very nice they were too. A spot for a future picnic. What a lovely and rewarding day we had, and there was one last treat. Coming back through a busy rush-hour Preston, we dived off onto the old road to Clitheroe and how magnificent it was - views as far as the eye could see and fantastic countryside.
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August 2023
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