August 22, 2014
Tudor Halls – Sudbury Hall Sudbury Derbyshire
As we leave Calke Abbey we realise we have not had lunch so we decide that we would go to Sudbury Hall 30 mins away as there was likely to be a pub open in a larger village. Well of course when we get to Sudbury and visit the Vernon Arms there the kitchen closed 30 mins beforehand. No time to lose we thought we would go to the Hall and its café.
This hall is one of the finest restoration mansions as opposed to the stabilised decline we had just seen at Calke Abbey. In the 16th century there was a marriage between the heiress to the Sudbury estate and Sir John Vernon. This house was then built by George Vernon between 1660 and 1680 and is noted for its grand staircase (strangely not located in the centre of the hall but at one end (the west I guess as an east wing was built on the other end by later owners toward the end of the 19th century). It also is noted for its Long Gallery with portraits of various people but particularly Charles II’s mistresses (one cheeky one had a wardrobe mal-function whilst sitting for the portrait – cover up that nipple) and its grand wood carvings and murals. It is worth a visit to http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sudbury.
We were a bit rushed so my photos may not do it justice.
• The grand staircase – note the mural on the ceiling of the staircase
• One of the drawing rooms – note all the scroll work and the murals – the scroll work is hand carved.
• The Long Gallery – typical of Tudor Houses to show off the family (I did not take a picture of the lady with the wardrobe malfunction out of modesty)
• The Vernon Arms – kitchen closed
• The Sudbury Hall kitchen pet
• A view of a part of the garden – who would be so anal to plant every tree in rows
glendon1954 