Sunny Shugborough

Another lovely sunny day, and it's good to be out and on the move.

 Yesterday we came down the locks at Gailey, we were last along here in June, and it was wet and miserable, just look at the blue skies today.

We stopped at Penkridge to have a wander and look around the town. In June we just did a quick dash for essential supplies, so it was nice to enjoy a more leisurely walk around.

The old town gaol, now in service as a Heritage centre.

The town's library, a very grand building, I wonder if it had a former life as something else.

Worn stone at the bottom of this lock, from all those feet pushing to open the gate.

Approaching Tixall lock this morning, once again in the suns, with lovely reflections, though a little over-exposed.

And at Tixall wide, we had thought to moor here last night, but time ran out on us, and we had to stop quite a few miles back, it was lovely and quiet as we passed through this morning.

At Great Haywood junction we turned right onto the Trent and Mersey, so we shall cover the gap on the map, the stretch from here to Fradley junction which we have not been along yet.After going through the lock at Great Haywood, we moored up to go exploring again. There is a cafe/restaurant beside the lock and we had a roast dinner there first, our 3rd roast dinner this week! (the other 2 were cooked on Tacet). 

Then we crossed this lovely old packhorse bridge across the river Trent to the Shugborough Estate, a NT property and home of the Anson family from 1720, who made many improvements to the house and park over the years.

 Admiral George Anson was a naval officer who circumnavigated the world on his expeditions and brought home the wealth from captured Spanish treasure ships. 

The Anson family were the ancestors of the Earl of Lichfield, and Patrick Lichfield (photographer) had his private apartments here until his death in 2005.  The house and estate was transferred to the NT in the 1960's and is leased to the County Council who manage it all. There is so much to see here and we didn't see it all today.

The grounds are extensive, in fact they cover what was once the village of Shugborough, but was bought up and cleared to make way for the Anson family estate. the Chinese house was built as a summer house, furnished and decorated with treasures from the far east.

Friday & Saturday
22 miles, 14 locks