{chastleton house}

{gorgeous Chastleton House}

Chastleton House is a Jacobean manor preserved in time. Eery cobwebs and dust appear on furniture frozen in time. Unlike other manors or great estates where subsequent generations had money to make a mark and often transform the fabric and makeup of a house,  the aspirations of the merchant who built it never were realised. Built between 1607 and 1612 by a prosperous wool merchant who had hoped to gain a title, the family became more and more impoverished, and thus no renovations were undertaken or no new furniture bought. For us, it means an authentic Jacobean house and a visit that brings to life the way people lived in the 17th century.


In early August, my cousins and I try to take a few days off and go on a 'clark holiday'. Our first was to Highclere Castle (the home of Downton Abbey) and highlights from past trips have been to places like the Peak District, walking in the footsteps of Eliza Bennett and her beloved Mr Darcy. This year we visited the Cotswolds, with stunning little villages on the water and lovely National Trust properties like Chastleton!

{the fabulous entrance leads into an amazing hall}

{the interior hall--it was a chilly August day so we were happy for the fire}

{furniture frozen in time}

{the plasterwork is seriously stunning and amazingly original!}

{old jacobean bed with the bedspread that was painstakingly done by hand 100s of years ago!}

 At the top of the house is what feels like a grand hall, with the largest original plaster ceiling in existence in England. This was not a formal entertaining space--rather it was used for exercise when the English weather was rainy--shuttlecocks were found under the floorboards indicating the family used to play badminton up here!

 Downstairs unsurprisingly were the servants' quarters with a wonderful old kitchen:

From there we drove to some beautiful Cotswolds villages including Bourton on the Water:

A truly wonderful Clark Holiday--already looking forward to next year!

xo

L