Princess Lily Puts Her Best Foot Forward At Attingham

On a warm, but overcast day in June, Princess Lily ventured over the border into Shropshire to enjoy a day at Attingham Park, a National Trust property not far from Shrewsbury.  

Famed for its free-roaming deer herds, Lily enjoyed the grounds of Attingham whilst it was still dry.  There are different way marked walks to choose from varying in levels of intensity.  Lily enjoyed the 2 mile Deer Park Walk, pausing to spot many deer in the woods – although the wild deer must not be approached as they are easily spooked!  

After building up something of an appetite, our Princess stopped for refreshments in the Mansion Tearoom before heading into the beautiful Georgian mansion itself, home to the Berwick family for five generations.   

 

 

From the moment you step inside the main entrance, it is evident how much work the National Trust is investing into Attingham to fully restore it to its former splendour.  For younger visitors there’s the Mouse Trail too – which proved something of a challenge for the whole family, with the pesky (but cute!) mice hiding in the most unexpected of places!  

The stand-out room for Lily was the amazing Dining Room.  With its table set for a banquet of royal proportions and the candlelight reflecting in the ginormous mirrors, Lily couldn’t help but dream of hosting the most splendid of dinner parties for her felt-tastic chums, and dancing the night away after a hearty feast.   

On the upper floor of the Mansion, the views across the Severn Valley are absolutely breath-taking, so much so that Princess Lily had to stop for a rest on a rather grand sofa. 

 

 

The main restoration project at Attingham is the construction of a new roof over the Picture Gallery to protect the original roof, which was designed by John Nash.  It is estimated that the project will cost £1.4 million and will take 2 years to complete. 

In contrast to the opulent upper levels of the Mansion, Princess Lily ended her visit “below stairs” in the Housekeeper and Butlers’ Quarters – which would, in its day, have been a hive of activity with staff bustling around looking after the Berwick family.  Lily was impressed with the large kitchen and all of its copper pans – she was even tempted to try her hand at some baking! 

 

 

After a pot of tea and a slice of delicious home-made carrot cake, Princess Lily decided it was time to head home to sleep and dream of all those deer she had seen at Attingham Park.

 

What a fabulous day out she'd enjoyed!

Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X All content and design work, including text, photos, etc are © copyright 2013 Lisa Marie Olson owner of Tigerlily Makes (unless otherwise stated and named whereby copyright resides with said named person)and cannot be copied without prior permission from the copyright owner. Tigerlily Makes is a member of ACID (Anti Copying in Design and all designs are registered and protected. www.acid.uk.com www.tigerlilymakes.co.uk www.facebook.com/tigerlilymakes www.twitter.com/tigerlilymakes

Staffordshire Days Out - The Shugborough Estate

There are many beautiful  places to visit and sights to see in Staffordshire, and the Shugborough Estate situated just 4 miles from Stafford offers a wonderful day out, whatever your age! 

 

 

It was a very warm and sunny Bank Holiday Monday when we paid a visit to the Shugborough Estate.  The queue to get in snaked out of the main entrance building and along the side of the road, but thankfully, given that we are National Trust members (the property is jointly owned by the NT and Staffordshire County Council) our membership cards were checked as we queued and we were granted a speedy entrance via a side gate. 

Wandering through the estate grounds with the sun beaming high in the sky was an absolute delight.  Despite the crowded car park and queue to get in, it didn’t actually seem that crowded.  We walked as far as is possible within the grounds, crossing over the river which was full of families splashing about with the kids and a plethora of dogs.   

After treating ourselves to a sandwich from the on-site café –which we decided to eat al fresco, sitting on the grass in the sun, it was time to look around the magnificent Mansion House – a truly breath-taking building which has been restored to give you a real taste of what life would have been like to live at Shugborough in the 18^th Century.  

I think my favourite aspect of the day was the Lord Lichfield exhibition and the insight into the Lichfield Private Apartments – somewhat voyeuristic, yet a compelling view into the life of one of our great artists, one almost expected him to pop up and enquire as to whether you were having a good day! 

For history buffs, the servants quarters are not to be missed – with working staff located around the kitchens, scullery and brew house you really do step back in time. 

New  for the 2013 season are the scarecrows and their dressing up box, located within the walled garden.  Great fun for kids of all ages (even those in their 40s and beyond!) to rummage through the wooden dressing up box and add a touch of glamour – or practicality – to the scarecrows on display.

 

 

 

The beauty of Shugborough is that it changes with the months and seasons.  I for one will be going back later on in the year to see how the newly-planted vegetables have fared over the English summer – and to sample some more delicious ice cream from the parlour!  

Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X All content and design work, including text, photos, etc are © copyright 2013 Lisa Marie Olson owner of Tigerlily Makes (unless otherwise stated and named whereby copyright resides with said named person)and cannot be copied without prior permission from the copyright owner. Tigerlily Makes is a member of ACID (Anti Copying in Design and all designs are registered and protected. www.acid.uk.com www.tigerlilymakes.co.uk www.facebook.com/tigerlilymakes www.twitter.com/tigerlilymakes

Where's Lily Been Recently?

Good day to all you lovely makers, creators and generally lovely woolly people out there. Today I thought I would share one of my recent visits to Attingham Park in Shropshire.

Attingham Park was built for the 1st Lord Berwick in 1785. It was owned by the same family for more than 160 years. Sadly thier ownership of the estate was to prove a problematic one due to some of its occupants lavish ways and lifestyle, resulting in one occupant having to sell off all his furniture to pay his debts. The atmospheric dining room, set for an evening banquet, and the contrasting decoration of the delicate feminine Boudoir are just some of the highlights of the estate. The walled garden and many park walks offer great ways to explore the landscape. The mansion, set in beautiful parkland designed to impress, is at the heart of this great estate between Shrewsbury and the River Severn.

Why do I love this property?  Well, because its a hidden gem in an unexpected location and is run and preserved by the National Trust. We are National Trust members and we are passionate about preserving our national heritage and historic landmarks. Why is this so important? Well because we are one of the few countries that have such a long and impressive history and forms part of the culture, fabric and makeup of a united nation today.

 The very grand front entrance - Only the best will do for Princess Lily

 Princess Lily the Lamb enjoy the view from the grand Staircase

Princess Lily taking a rest from all those steps and the heat!

 

In order to understand who we are today we must understand where we have come from.

My thanks to the National Trust for providing opprotunities to connect with our heritage and past.

Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X All content and design work, including text, photos, etc are © copyright 2013 Lisa Marie Olson owner of Tigerlily Makes (unless otherwise stated and named whereby copyright resides with said named person)and cannot be copied without prior permission from the copyright owner. Tigerlily Makes is a member of ACID (Anti Copying in Design and all designs are registered and protected. www.acid.uk.com www.tigerlilymakes.co.uk www.facebook.com/tigerlilymakes www.twitter.com/tigerlilymakes

Lily Takes Tea Fit For A Royal At Packwood House

Good morning and a very happy Friday morning to you all, today Lily takes a "Right Royal" cuppa at Packwood House!

Packwood House was originally 16th-century, yet its interiors were extensively restored between the First and Second world wars by Graham Baron Ash to create a fascinating 20th-century evocation of domestic Tudor architecture. Through its long history the house adopted many styles and features depending on the owner, but has now been restored to its original intent or as closely as would allow.

Packwood House contains a fine collection of 16th-Century textiles and furniture, and the gardens have renowned herbaceous borders and a famous collection of yews.

Packwood also houses one of the most prestigious fine china tea cups & saucer collections rumoured to have been commissioned for one very important lady who just may have been royal - we will let you decide from the pictures!

We are members of the National Trust and get an enormous amount out of our membership. Quite often we take the guided tours and we find this to be so valuable in learning much more about the history behind these great historic houses.

NB Please note that some National Trust properties don't allow you to take photographs inside the house so please always ask permission first.  Many will allow it provided you don't use a flash. I had asked and been given permission to take the internal shot featured here.

Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X All content and design work, including text, photos, etc are © copyright 2013 Lisa Marie Olson owner of Tigerlily Makes (unless otherwise stated and named whereby copyright resides with said named person)and cannot be copied without prior permission from the copyright owner. www.tigerlilymakes.co.uk   www.facebook.com/tigerlilymakes   www.twitter.com/tigerlilymakes