Lyme Park - A Touch of the Austens (Lyme Park)

Member Name: Shekera

Product:	Lyme Park
Date:	30/11/01 (217 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A good place the the whole family as there are plenty of things for the children to do

Disadvantages: The overall cost can add up for a family of four if visiting all the attractions as they are charged for separately

Lyme Park, a National Trust managed property, is situated approximately 6 miles from Stockport, Cheshire.

For five hundred and fifty years, Lyme Park was the countryseat of the Legh family. At first glance Lyme Park appears to be complete from the outside, when you get into the building you find that the interior betrays its age, and parts of the Elizabethan structure, which were built by Sir Piers VII can be seen.

Once this has been ascertained, it is well worth taking a second look at the outside, for instance, the north front, which is the original entrance, still has the Renaissance portico with four tiers of columns following the classical orders in a non-conventional way.

The house is originally of Tudor extraction, but has been transformed into an Italianate palace by the architect Leoni. The front has been altered on many occasions by a succession of Leghs to become the way it is seen today after Giacomo Leoni's substantial remodelling in the early eighteenth century. As you pass through into the courtyard, the heavy Palladian regularity of the stonework is impressive, but rather austere in the cold light of northern England.

Fortunately, some of the Elizabethan interiors still survive, however, the contrast between these and later rooms is quite dramatic. Lyme Park provides an excellent opportunity to view Mortlake tapestries and woodcarvings by Grinling Gibbons. For those who are interested in clocks, there is an excellent collection of English examples.

The Victorian gardens were of particular interest, especially the sunken parterre. There is also an Edwardian rose garden and what is described as “Jekyll-style” herbaceous borders, together with a reflection lake, an a ravine garden. The gardens are surrounded by a medieval Deer Park, which spans approximately 1,400 acres of moorland, woodland, and parkland and is considered to be one of its best features.

The red deer which roam
freely over the park are said to be descendants of the deer which roamed the land when it was first enclosed by Piers Legh I. Up until 1884 there were wild cattle with white coats and red ears as well, but despite attempts to cross-breed them, they died out. Now Highland cattle graze on the surrounding moorland.

Lyme Park has been used for several television programmes, including ‘Pemberley’ in the BBC’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

As well as the gardens and house, Lyme also has several other attractions, which are worth a visit, including the Paddock Cottage, a hunting lodge that dates back to the 17th century and The Cage, an early 18th century hunting tower mentioned earlier, which was build to replace an earlier sixteenth century building which used to be on the site. The Cage was used for watching the hunt and for banquets.

The Cage shown above stands on high ground to the north east of the hall and was built by 1737 to replace a possibly early sixteenth century building on the site. Currently under restoration, this was used for watching the hunt and for banquets.

Today, it offers visitors wonderful views of the Cheshire Plain, the whole of Greater Manchester and as far as the foothills of Snowdonia.Another building in the park is the Lantern, which has a square base, an octagonal central section, and a pyramidal roof. This was built in 1729, possibly from old stone from the house.

Opening Dates and Times
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Lyme Park is open on Friday to Tuesday from 11:00 hours closing at 17:00 hours and Wednesday and Thursday from 13:00 hours closing at 17:00 hours – from the end March until the end October each year. It is also open on Saturday and Sunday, from 12:00 hours until 15:00 hours during November and December.

Entrance Charge
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Each attractions has a separate entrance fee and at the time of writin
g, this was £5 for the house and gardens, both of which can be visited separately (£4 for the house and £2.50 for the gardens). A family ticket was also available at a cost of £12 or a combination family ticket was available at £15. Entrance in the park per car was £3.50. There is a children’s playground but it is only available to those who are aged 11 or under and the park provides good facilities for those who take their dogs.

Location
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The main entrance to the park is off the A6, six and a half miles southeast of Stockport, nine miles northwest of Buxton. The house and car park are approximately one mile from the entrance.

Further Information
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For further information on Lyme Park, please visit The National Trust site at:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthand book.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&PROPERT YID=114

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