We decided to use our new National Trust membership yesterday with a late visit to Clumber Park.
There is no house now. After a number of problems, including fires, declining fortune and death duties the house was demolished in 1938. A house that once had 105 rooms (and a dining room that seated 150) was brought to nothing, though statues and fountains were removed for reuse. The contents were sold – the Library sale raised £70,000 and the rest of the contents for £60,000 – a total of £130,000 (around £6,000,000 at 2017 values). There are rumours that the house as rebuilt in Arizona, but nobody can say where.
It wasn’t just a house that disappeared, a whole way of life disappeared along with the houses. It wasn’t just this house that went either. Since 1900 0ver a thousand country houses have been lost. Causes include social change (lack of servants), declining income, taxation (with death duties up to 80%) and damage from the military during the war.
Despite this, there is still plenty to see, including the Chapel (which looks more like a Church to me) and a four acre walled kitchen garden which contains a 450 foot greenhouse and 135 varieties of rhubarb.
There is also a Lake, which is what we went to see. It’s 87 acres, so it’s a lot bigger than the duck pond at Arnot Hill.
To be honest, despite the Greek temple and bridge, the lake isn’t that interesting. The bird life was also rather dull – no Mandarin, no cross-breeds and no Pochards. The trees on the lake’s edge did, however, provide food and shelter for a flock of Bramblings, which was worth the trip as I haven’t seen any for years. They have a profile very much like a Chaffinch, and come to visit from Scandinavia each winter.
They kept flying round, making it difficult to count them, but there were about 40 of them. Despite that it was still tricky getting a good photo.
There was also a small flock of Greenfinches masquerading as something interesting.
We’ll have a longer visit next time.
It’s amazing what you find in the shrubbery
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Nice to have a National Trust membership and be able to see places like Clumber Park. Sorry to hear so many historical estates are being lost to various reasons.
We are looking after them better now, but it’s amazing how many have gone when you start looking.
Interesting, hope to be able to visit someday, the lake might appeal to me! Great post.
Thank you. It is an interesting place. 🙂
Thank you – saved it for future reference.
I would be interested in seeing the walled garden.
The one time I’ve tried to go to Clumber Park, it was heaving (never seen so many families in one place at a time, so no idea what was going on). It also seemed a confusing site, so at least in my memory, I’m not sure how I would navigate to the parts I’m interested in.
I will put it on my to-do list for Easter.
I agree – it’s very confusing.
This map might help – http://www.nottsbirders.net/notts_maps/Map%20-%20Clumber%20Park.pdf
Lucky you. I am suffering from brambling envy now.
I had a lot but they were all at the top of a tree, not like yours on the feeder.
Such a pretty face peeking through the shrubbery! So sad about the house, but church/cathedral is grand, and I loved seeing pictures of the different birds.
I’ll tell her you said that, it will cheer her up! 🙂
Hurrah for the National Trust, then – and the brave souls who support it!
We have had some fantastic days out – and free car parking – as NT members.
I try – and fail miserably – to guess what the world was like when those first few “visionaries (nutters?) got together to start the whole ting off.
Is what we have today anything they could have imagined?
Yes, things would be very different without the visionaries – no NT, no RSPB and no Votes for Women! 🙂
Hmmm – mm let me think about that for a moment, No my wife says that’s definitely a good thing.
😀
So does mine. 🙂
It upsets me to think of all the beautiful houses razed to the ground during the first half of the 20th century. We have a book which is a sad read but which tells the story of, I think, 20 mansions and estates and their eventual dissolution.
https://www.waterstones.com/book/felling-the-ancient-oaks/john-martin-robinson/9781845136703. Out of print now I think.
Clumber is mentioned en passant as yet another estate lost by financial ineptitude by the owner of The Deepdene (which includes Box Hill) in Surrey.
Th Looks like a good book.ey sold the Hope diamond in 1902 and still had money troubles!
😮