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Monday 29 June 2015

Rufford Old Hall

My father and I went out for a couple of hours to Rufford Old Hall, a small(er) National Trust building, built either in the Tudor or Elizabethan eras. It was another one of those lovely, hot sunny days, so it was a very pleasant, peaceful afternoon, inside and outside!




I desaturated this photo due to the funny lighting inside the hall - otherwise it turns out blurred. This was my favourite carving, being an angel.


Sorry about the strange flare - I'm not sure why that funny blue light is there, except for the fact it was a very bright day.


The cross on this dress and the tassel reminds me of dolly kei fashion.


 

The wood carvings in this room are astounding!


Louise and Flora, the two little girls that lived here in the 20s - what sweet dresses! They also had three brothers, two of which were depicted on the opposite wall (however I failed to get a photo of them, even though they were wearing the most adorable sailor suits), and the other one was painted on the floor above with his mother. Sadly the eldest brother died in a flying accident, possibly during the war.
I just love the idea of these darling sisters living in this ancient house with their brothers, during the 1920s. I could imagine them being like sweet little princesses, living in their very own palace with a lush garden to play in. The dresses here and in other 20s-onwards photos and paintings all feature very elegant, Lolita-esque clothes.
It was a shame that photos inside the house weren't allowed, as I saw a great many artefacts that I wanted to remember. This one was taken in stealth mode by my dad, who has obviously perfected the art of snapping illicit photos. The other things here I liked were a collection of cow creamers (giving me a good chortle when I remembered Bertie being instructed to sneer at one in the P.G. Wodehouse novels), some newspapers going as far back as the Titanic, a few vintage hats in the dressing room (where I heard one of the guides talking about masters and valets, coincidentally!), a stained glass window that reflected onto the floor in a rainbow of colours, and a Victorian portrait that had a girl exactly as I imagined Lucienne to appear! Shame there were too many people around that I couldn't snap up a quick one of her... Not that I don't appreciate the fragility of the items or rules of the National Trust - those particular things just inspire me.



Taken from a peep-hole upstairs. 


I want this bed!


But, admittedly, I would change the colour of this room if it belonged to me. I see that bright yellow colour a lot in heritage homes - perhaps it was a popular shade at one point.









I played croquet with my dad, even though we had no idea how to play. Seems that croquet is a good sport for me - I actually managed to get the ball through a couple of times! Beats playing football or something any day!


The gardens are stunning here!



In an ideal world, this house would be mine... ;) I think this one is my favourite of all the National Trust buildings I've seen so far.

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