Derbyshire Sites

A few weekends ago, we ventured up north to Derbyshire to visit a few English Heritage sites. In addition to visiting Bolsover Castle (shown in the post below), we visited a couple of smaller sites containing ruins of some stately English homes. 

SUTTON SCARSDALE HALL

English Heritage describes this site as follows: "The imposing shell of a grandiose Georgian mansion built in 1724-29, with an immensely columned exterior. Roofless since 1919, when its interiors were dismantled and some exported to America: but there is still much to discover within, including traces of sumptuous plasterwork."

(Above) Lucas can't ever avoid jumping in puddles

(Above) Our van at the rear side of the building.

HARDWICK OLD HALL

An old manor house built in the mid-1500s belonging to one of the richest, well-known women of Elizabethan England. 

(Above) The skeletal ruins of the old hall. Some of the fireplace sculptures are still there (preserved by the metal flaps that deflect rainwater).

(L) A big sculpture above a fireplace. (R) Harmony, Noelle, and Lucas down below. Lucas was initially too tired to climb the stairs with Jack & I, but later joined us when he saw us looking down from above.

(Above) A view of the "New Hardwick Hall," which was later built by the same rich woman. Since this was not an English Heritage site, we didn't go in. We were feeling a bit to cheap to pay the steep entrance fee.

(Above) Great view from the top of the old hall of the Derbyshire countryside.

Bolsover Castle

A few weekends ago we ventured up to Derbyshire to visit Bolsover Castle, a structure built in the 12th Century. This castle was never meant to be a defensive fortress, but a posh home for English nobles.

Below: Hide and seek is a must-play every time we visit old ruins. 

(R) Jack getting ready to count for hide and seek.

(L) Lucas' little hiding spot

(Above) Rushing to find a hiding spot

(L) Lucas counting

(Above) Happy little Noelle

(Above) Idyllic countryside

(Above) Touring inside the preserved part of the castle

(Above) An aerial view of the castle

Autumn in England

October was a great month for the blackberry harvest in our area. Blackberry bushes grow everywhere- along most hedges and roads, in our back yard- everywhere. Most of the blackberries around here end up rotting on the vine. But we managed to pick a few bowls full of them and freeze them.

Below: Visiting an old church in our neighboring village. This church is around 900 years old and is still used today for services.

(L) The ropes are used to ring the church bells.

(Above) Beautiful countryside visible from the church grounds.

(R) Aaron's birthday- halfway to 70. Ugh.

(L) Lucas in disguise (R) Jack practicing his writing. He did a great job transcribing the words out of his book.

(Above) Harmony and her little clone

Halloween is the boys' favorite holiday.

(Above) Just before setting out trick-or-treating in the base neighborhood.

(Above) Counting their spoils.

(L) Jack, the Halloween artist. He's wearing a poppy for the British Legion's annual poppy appeal- a fund-raiser for British military veterans. The British Legion hands these poppies out at places where they have their donation buckets. The poppy was chosen as a symbol of remembrance for the UK's war dead after the First World War. (R) Captain America showing off his moves.