Calke Abbey
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Calke
Abbey now run by the National Trust, is the house “where time stood
still” or a time capsule. This is not a house of immense architectural
quality, but important because of the Harpur Crewes who lived there
since the reign of James 1st in the early 18th
century.
The family started conventionally with wealth based upon law and clever marriages. However less than a century later there was a marked oddness in the family and the marriage of the owner, Sir Henry, with a lady's maid. Sir Henry went on to cut himself off from society and was known as the “isolated baron”. This reclusive nature continued, together with a passion for collecting and an interest in natural history. When the house was handed over to the National Trust in 1984 it was just as it had been in 1924. A time capsule.
The State Bed came to Calke in 1734 but was never unboxed until the National Trust found it in the loft. It is therefore perfect in its original colours and Chinese silk. It is worth a journey to see this alone.
The volume of collections is incredible and the chaos that has been left by The Trust is extraordinary.
The large park is also worth exploring.
