Haddon Hall

Another glorious British summer's day.

I hadn't been to Haddon Hall (Derbyshire) since I was in my teens. I'd forgotten how magical it was. I'd forgotten about the wonderful meadows with wildflowers. I'd forgotten about the amazingly well preserved medieval buildings with classy interiors. It was wonderful to discover it all over again.

Haddon Hall on Wikipedia

Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye at Bakewell, Derbyshire, one of the seats of the Duke of Rutland. It is currently occupied by Lord Edward Manners (brother of the current Duke) and his family. In form a medieval manor house, it has been described as "the most complete and most interesting house of period".The origins of the hall date to the 11th century. The current medieval and Tudor hall includes additions added at various stages between the 13th and the 17th centuries.

The Vernon family acquired the Manor of Nether Haddon by a 13th-century marriage. Dorothy Vernon, the daughter and heiress of Sir George Vernon, married John Manners, the second son of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, in 1563. A legend grew up in the 19th century that Dorothy and Manners eloped. The legend has been made into novels, dramatisations and other works of fiction. She nevertheless inherited the Hall, and their grandson, also John Manners, inherited the Earldom in 1641 from a distant cousin. His son, another John Manners, was made 1st Duke of Rutland in 1703. In the 20th century, another John Manners, 9th Duke of Rutland, made a life's work of restoring the hall.

The Long Gallery

Amazing beams in the Great Hall

Haddon Hall skyline