Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
"Astley Hall is the most exhilarating house in Lancashire" - Simon Jenkins in his book 'England's 1000 Best Houses'. Surely one of the most exhilarating houses in the country.....It is set adjoining a 60's or 70's estate on the edge of Chorley whose boxy appearance is redeemed by lots and lots of mature trees. When you enter the extensive grounds of Astley however you are in another world. We had a look at the Gardens of Reflection........all brilliantly done ....and the walled garden which was at its luscious best if you like to see rare varieties of apple in profusion....all under the care of volunteers. On approaching the house itself the first thing you notice is the sheets of unadorned windows rising two stories to a huge long gallery - "the facade must carry the most sensational glazing of any house in England" (Jenkins). When the Brookes took over from the Charnocks in 1653 they built over the core medieval hall...... ........and the Elizabethan structure which you can glimpse in the inner courtyard... but first you enter the Great Hall where the decoration is unbelievably sumptuous - 'the hall of a Renaissance prince'. What immediately strikes you is the plasterwork some of the most astonishing anywhere. Pevsner called it by turns 'barbaric' and 'breathtaking'! The guide we chatted to said it was done by local workmen. The written guide sees a London influence. But also unique are the painted panels which depict famous people of the time - Elizabeth the First and Drake, Columbus, Henry IV of France, and pairs of enemies such as Scanderberg and Mohammed II or Phillip II and Leicester. The over-the-top plasterwork continues elsewhere into the house, here the Drawing Room. And the Morning Room....... The Dining Room...... Wood carving was everywhere too....... and fascinating details....... Upstairs a Room of Reflection (all this appropriate as the house was gifted by the family to Chorley as an act of remembrance of the First World War). The various bedrooms were on display and lastly you climb to the Long Gallery which undulates like a galleon, three of its sides completely fenestrated.......... ........and the longest shovel-board table in existence. Very impressive and according to the guide 'one of the most significant pieces of English oak furniture in the country'. After walking the grounds and getting our steps in, we then drove to The Spread Eagle at Mellor where there are far-seeing views of the Trough of Bowland.
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August 2023
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