Looking for Mr Darcy: The House

We had surprisingly good weather a few weekends ago so my sister, Melissa, and I took a spontaneous trip to Newstead Abbey in Nottingham. 

FYI: this has nothing to do with Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice or Mr Darcy himself. It was more what it may have felt like to be part of that time. Especially, walking through the gardens.

This is part one of our day trip...The House.



Trying to explain to Melissa what it was about our initial reactions were...

(source from pinterest)

...(we are city girls after all) but then we got over it and really enjoyed ourselves.

Newstead Abbey is a historic house set in beautiful landscape of gardens and parkland. Once home to the notorious poet, Lord Byron. 

Entry is £6 per vehicle (gardens only). To visit the house is an additional £5 per person.

You can pick up a guide to the house and gardens for £1 at the house reception.

Once we parked up we walked the short distance from the car park only to be greeted by The Garden Lake.

A list of all the gardens can be found here.

The abbey and gardens hold numerous weddings throughout the year. On the day we went we managed to see 2 blushing brides.

We arrived just after lunch time so we headed straight to the cafe. Tourist places like these always have a visitor cafe and it is always expensive. Feeling the hunger strike, I opted for a ham and tomato baguette, latte and a packet of flapjacks totaling around £9.

The food was standard compared to some cafes so I do advise to take your own snacks when visiting. 

>We made a friend

The house it self can be accessed through the gift shop on the other side of the building.

To learn more about the Abbey click here.

> one blushing bride

> Had to be done

>Lord Byron's bedrooms. 

This bed was brought from his student rooms in Cambridge when he moved into Newstead Abbey

> Byron's very own pistol he kept next to his bed

>Lord Byron's signature

> Lol, Fanny, Lol

> A great shot for a person at 5 ft

> Yes, these are boobies

This area housed the location of a white peacock named Tracey. Famous for the fact she was hatched from an egg brought on Ebay. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a better shot of her. 

More about Tracey can be found here.

> The Dressing-up-room. 

You could try on replicas of period dresses 

> Melissa opted for a hat

                                             > Awkward posing by yours truly #1

> Miniature abbey

> Walkways like these always remind me of Harry Potter

> The Chapel

> Awkward posing by yours truly #2

> Gift shop

Exiting the gift shop we stumbled on another wedding. After waiting to see the bride, because you have to and she looked beautiful, we made our way to the gardens.

> Another blushing bride

I really liked the house. For only £5, I expected a few rooms, few paintings and a sculpture or two. I was wrong. 

I would recommend visiting the house. There was something to discover in every room and corridor telling a story of its history. I liked the fact helpful curators were on stand by if you had any questions and not pushy like other places I've been to before.  

Well worth a visit. 

:-)

Looking for My Darcy: The Gardens coming soon...