Calke Abbey visit

Some time ago, I'd arranged to visit Calke Abbey (near Derby, in England) with a friend and fellow photographer (Moira). Usually we see each other on busy library shifts, so this was a chance for something more relaxed.

There's more info about Calke Abbey here:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/calke-abbey

It's presented, by the National Trust, as an example of a country house and estate at a particular stage of the twentieth century decline in similar places.  So the emphasis is on keeping it more or less intact and weatherproof, but not 'restored' in the conventional sense.

The main upstairs rooms in the house show the characteristic, somewhat random collection of opulent furniture and other objects often found in these places, along with some info about the families who lived there. Below stairs seems much more interesting, at Calke, as here there are traces of the work that large numbers of people did to keep it all going. Best of all today were the walled gardens, especially the extensive kitchen garden.  Some small and medium-sized glasshouses remain intact too.

So... the main image shows one of the dusty downstairs windows, with a hint of the courtyard beyond; extras show an abandoned gardeners' area and a rather gracefully-faded doorway in the stables area. It's dereliction... but very picturesque dereliction.