Lyme Hall - the largest house in Cheshire - is a grade 1 listed building; mansion house to the Lyme estate.
In 1346, the land on which the hall was built, was given to Sir Thomas Danyers by Edward III, as reward for his service to the Crown at the Battle of Crécy. The land passed into the Piers Legh family after the death of Sir Thomas and the marriage of his daughter to Piers Legh I. The present house was constructed in the late 16th century during the life of Piers Legh VII, but has since seen some modifications, including the addition of the south range, creating an internal courtyard, and the development of the formal gardens which stretch mainly to the south and east of the house.
The house remained in the Legh family until 1946 when Richard Legh gave it to the National Trust.
Today, the house, park and gardens are open to the public, with their popularity having increased somewhat since the famous plunge into the pond by Mr Darcy during the filming of the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, where Lyme Hall became the fictitious Pemberley Estate in Derbyshire.
During the years we lived in Old Trafford, Lyme Park was our bolthole from the confines of the inner city; a chance to get out onto the moors and allow the wind to blow away the cobwebs, stretching the limbs and expanding the horizons. Then a visit to the adventure playground for the lads to work off any remaining energy, before piling back into the car and heading for home.
The moors are where we are headed next, but first, walking alongside the house, I spotted this...
Awwww, Cheryl! Look at that bee!! Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz ;)
Thank you for bringing Darcy back to life, and the bumble bee is enjoying some lovely flowers. Even better than Linden Gardens....
ReplyDeleteBuildings, schmuildings! Bee! On Some Flowers! Alive! (I hope.)
ReplyDeleteLovely - we must visit now we are trust members again. Last time we visited wasn't long after P&P had been on TV and there was an exhibition of costumes from the series - a young woman behind us in the queue - squealed and nearly passed out when she saw Darcy's white shirt!:)
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that Pride & Prejudice was filmed here. It's the perfect setting, too! I love your description of what this area meant to you in years gone by. The Hall certainly is grand and the pond and gardens seem to be beautifully maintained. What gorgeous yellow daisies! Wondering what the significance of the bee is to Cheryl...
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