Wednesday night moored beside the river Trent on the Trent and Mersey canal by the Shugborough estate. This is a really pretty stretch of canal and Shugborough house and grounds make for a lovely view. The dank weather and still bald trees give it all a sad greyness, albeit atmospheric with mists flattening the distant treescape. An owl was hooting all night too, just to add to it all. When is the weather going to improve?!
I was surprised to find that the house was the home of Patrick Lichfield - his family name having been Anson, who have owned the estate since the 1700s. I took a tour of his apartment (in one wing of this vast mansion) which was fascinating with lots of his photos on show and evidence of the partying that he hosted - help yourself bar areas and music systems (cassettes!) His London studio is replicated as well, with camera equipment that now looks so dated. Across the hall from this is the original 'ladies boudoir' from the 18th century which he occasionally used as a studio with elaborately painted ceiling and 200 year old 'damask' wallpaper. What a mixed world he inhabited.
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There is a young woman living in a tent on the bank by our mooring. Hard to tell how old she is - she has a weather beaten appearance. A fellow boater told us she is very nice and not to be worried by her, which we aren't. But you wonder how/why she lives like she does with 2 big dogs and a cat! Her pitch is very tidy and her washing was hanging to dry on a line between 2 trees, so we guess she is happy enough, but she must be so cold.
I was surprised to find that the house was the home of Patrick Lichfield - his family name having been Anson, who have owned the estate since the 1700s. I took a tour of his apartment (in one wing of this vast mansion) which was fascinating with lots of his photos on show and evidence of the partying that he hosted - help yourself bar areas and music systems (cassettes!) His London studio is replicated as well, with camera equipment that now looks so dated. Across the hall from this is the original 'ladies boudoir' from the 18th century which he occasionally used as a studio with elaborately painted ceiling and 200 year old 'damask' wallpaper. What a mixed world he inhabited.
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There is a young woman living in a tent on the bank by our mooring. Hard to tell how old she is - she has a weather beaten appearance. A fellow boater told us she is very nice and not to be worried by her, which we aren't. But you wonder how/why she lives like she does with 2 big dogs and a cat! Her pitch is very tidy and her washing was hanging to dry on a line between 2 trees, so we guess she is happy enough, but she must be so cold.
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