Melford Hall and Beatrix Potter, Suffolk

Moving on from one house to another, here we are visiting Melford Hall - not as large and grand as the previous two but interesting all the same

The Hyde Parker family have been living at Melford Hall for 200 years and the hall is alive with their stories past and present.

At first glance, this Tudor house gives the impression that little has changed since Queen Elizabeth I visited in 1578 

However inside there is a surprise round every corner as you uncover generations of changing tastes and fashions.

So many of these homes are now owned and looked after by The National Trust while the families are still able to live in them.

Last year the trust began to allow people to sit and relax in certain areas of these homes as seen here

Beatrix Potter, one of the country's best loved children's writers, was a relative of the family and often visited Melford. One sees references to this around the house

here we see the family's place cards on the dining table

Book cases everywhere

and the staircase to the side which is unusual

A stain glassed window depicting Queen Elizabeth I

the family chapel

the room where Beatrix Potter stayed

this toy duck was dressed by Beatrix Potter as the model for 

Jemima Puddleduck

One of the garden follies 

where an artist teaches people how to draw the illustrations in Beatrix books

Hope you found it interesting

I especially enjoyed a trip back to Summertime today as the weather here was so wet and nasty that it was dark by 3.0 pm

I am also excited to say that today I finished my Spring Cleaning

Can't believe it took until November but there was always something on throughout the year to stop me getting on with it

Can't say that life has quietened down now but probably just a little bit