Sunday 10 October 2010

Please don't put me through it, my midnight flight.





A little while ago, some friends and I visited Calke Abbey in Derbyshire. I was intrigued as soon as I read about it. Who wouldn't be - an English country house preserved in a state of decline?

I love going round old houses - probably my favourite things to photograph, actually - but it's true that a lot of them are quite similar. Calke Abbey seems as if the last residents just up and left, abandoning everything. Chaotic, but fascinating.










The house itself is such a weird mixture. Some rooms are in semi-darkness, because the condition of the furniture and walls is so bad that they can only take minimal light. Others are better lit, but crammed to the rafters with... STUFF. It made me think of poking around an eccentric relative's house - you know, a crazy great-uncle who never throws ANYTHING away.





















Love this wallpaper (yes, it's wallpaper!):



Guess which iPhone app I'd recently become obsessed with when I took this?



Plus, there were stairs that lead to nowhere. I LOVE STAIRS THAT LEAD TO NOWHERE.




PS - Sorry for, yet again, the big gap between posts - my laptop broke! I have lots of posts planned for the next few weeks though, never you fear...
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6 comments

  1. Absolutely gorgeous photos! Love old houses like this :) xx

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  2. Those stairs look like they're for mounting and dismounting a horse.

    Looks like an amazing place.

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  3. These photos are gorgeous! x

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  4. I'd love to visit this place, you've taken some beautiful photos.

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  5. Oh I adore Calke Abbey. Did you like that amazing state bed that they found in a box in the attic where it had been untouched since about 1720?

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  6. I LOVE STAIRS THAT LEAD TO NOWHERE TOO! Why is that, they're quite creepy really?! I was just about to recommend this place to you but then clicked and clicked through to it - this is my fave country house ever. I've been to Derbyshire a few times and seen a few of the houses (Hardwick Hall is another that's good) but never Chatsworth, hence my obsession! xx

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