The National Trust in England is an amazing institution that keeps places of historic interest or natural beauty open to the public.
Whenever you can’t think what to do on the weekend, taking a trip to a National Trust property is a great idea.
The trust owns heritage properties, including houses and gardens, as well as industrial monuments.
It was founded in 1895 by three Victorian philanthropists — Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley.
According to the National Trust website, they set up the trust to act as a guardian for the nation to protect threatened coastline, countryside and buildings.
The trust works hard to educate people about the importance of the environment and preserving the heritage of the UK.
In the West Midlands, where I lived for the past three years, there are many National Trust properties to visit.
One of my favourite places is Attingham Park in Shrewsbury. It is an elegant 18th century mansion with Regency interiors.
It was built from 1782 to 1785 and was home to the Berwick family for five generations.
As you walk around the property, you can really sense what the family was like and how the different generations treated the house.
At the moment, Attingham Park is undergoing an ambitious restoration program which is fascinating to see.
It is called “Attingham Re-discovered” and involves the public by giving people a chance to have their say on how far restoration should go.
The question is whether the house should be turned back to how it originally was in the 18th century — but then you lose all the rest of the changes made since then and the history, which is arguably just as important.
The picturesque landscapes at Attingham Park were created by Thomas Leggett and Humphry (corr) Repton.
But one of the best things about the National Trust is enjoying a cream tea in the cafe after you have done you explorations.
My mother and I enjoy going to Wakehurst Place in West Sussex and tucking into delicious homemade soup and a cream cake.
One weekend my friends and I decided to do a Pride and Prejudice weekend.
This involved visiting the houses used for both the new Pride and Prejudice film featuring Keira Knightley and also the BBC version staring Colin Firth.
We first went to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, which is the setting for Darcy’s Pemberley in the new film.
Just to note, the house is not a National Trust Property but still owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.
Building of Chatsworth house was begun in 1552 by Bess of Hardwick and her second husband Sir William Cavendish. Their second son, William, was created Earl of Devonshire in 1618.
Incidentally, Georgiana Spencer, a distant ancestor of Princess Diana, married the Fifth Duke of Devonshire. They mainly lived in London, but did visit Chatsworth, although according to Georgiana’s biographer Amanda Foreman, she did not enjoy it very much.
I have long been fascinated by Georgiana’s story so a visit to Chatsworth was especially fascinating.
The peak district is a very dramatic landscape and as we drove to our next stop, we created an even more theatrical atmosphere by playing the music featured in the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice version.
Our next stop took us to Lyme Hall, the house used to portray Darcy’s Pemberley in the BBC version).
It is managed by the National Trust with support from Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council.
You can even do a Pride and Prejudice tour and find the famous lake where Darcy (Colin Firth) emerged dripping wet to meet Elizabeth, played by Jennifer Ehle.
The National Trust honestly has something for everyone to enjoy and on a trip to England, visiting your nearest property will ensure you a great day out.
Rebecca Lawrence can be reached at 691-1258.
