Monday 2 May 2011

Mini road trip to Hatfield House

Still feeling in a royal mood after the wedding, The Wig and I decided to take Auntie on her longest joureny to date, on a trip to Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. Hatfield House is an absolutely stunning stately home type place with lots of royal connections and was also used as a hospital during WWII. As well as looking around some really beautiful state rooms they have the most amazing collection of 'old stuff'. A broach from Quen Victorias Bridesmaids dress, a piece of Queen Elizabeth II wedding cake, and probably the most amazing thing I have ever seen in a museum, ever. A pair of Queen Elizabeth I (??!!) gloves, a pair of her woolly stockings and one of her hats! They currently also have a Henry Moore exhibition at the moment but I'm not really into his scupture. Who cares about sculptures when you have seen a royal pair of tights!

However, before we had got there we passed a litle boot sale which we had a sniff around. This is why its so great to have our little car, we never would have been able to spontaneously pop into a boot sale before, we wouldnt have been able to get there! And if we hadnt been able to get there I never would have seen a beautufl old fancy Jaguar, or picked up a thermometre for 50p, a royal mug for £3, a spoon for 50p (which cleaned up a treat) and some lovely garden shears for £6. All essential items.




















It really is worth a visit although its not a cheap day out. Tickets for the parkland (with deer) and house only is £9 but you can only get to see a tiny proportion of the house since the Earl of Salisbury still lives there. Then it's another £9 to see the gardens, which did look beautful from what I could see from the house window, but we had spent all our coins by then. There is also a moderised area with a restaurant and a couple of antique shops and I'd seen some old glass bottles I wanted more than I wanted a peak at an old bush. So I bought some bottles for my collection. Again, essential.




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