Do you like the servants’ quarters or the plush master bedrooms best when you visit a stately home? I love the small details of everyday life from the past, and chances to pick up interesting anecdotes. Some grand old houses are beautiful and palatial - almost other-worldly. Kiplin Hall near Richmond is large with a rich history yet it’s also a very friendly welcoming house full of stories. It’s 400 years old, built in the 1620s for George Calvert, founder of Maryland, USA.
There are some opulent furnishings and grand rooms but my favourite items are smaller and more intimate. I love the clunky large postilion’s boots, open on one side. The pair of riders would wear a boot on their inside leg to protect them from being caught or crushed between the two horses. There’s a wonderful curved table fitted on the hearth of a fire, designed so residents could enjoy the warmth of the fire as they ate or drank.
Some of the items on display seem quite random, such as the large lump of wood which is supposedly part of the block on which King Charles 1st was beheaded. There’s a very smart side cupboard with an open door, showing the chamber pot hidden inside.
Where can you see the execution block used for King Charles 1st, an odd curved lounge cupboard perfect for a 'gazunder' and the 400 year-old home of the founder of Maryland, USA?
If you’re anything like me, it’s far easier to imagine living in the servants’ quarters than the grander rooms. The bathrooms also feel reassuringly ‘real’ if somewhat stark!
Kiplin Hall lies just outside Richmond to the north of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and is full of quirky history. It's a lovely, comfortable and ancient house that somehow manages to feel homely at the same time as being very grand.
Outside are some lovely grounds, including walled gardens and scenic walks around the parkland and lake. Don't miss the tearoom too, and look out for Kiplin Hall's events.
To find out more, take a look at their facebook page for all the details.
