Shropshire, Brogyntyn and Caledonia Manor revisited

For the past 16 days we have been holed up at a wonderful place just out of Oswestry called The Lion Quays.  It’s a fantastic hotel right on the Llangollen canal, with two restaurants and a function centre (there have been about 10 weddings since we arrived and one non-wedding – yes that really does happen), an amazing health spa including the most beautiful pool and gym facilities (completely underutilised by me) and lovely gardens resplendent with their own peacock called Eugene. 

It has been a great place to settle in and work on Alice-Miranda’s 7^th adventure, Alice-Miranda In Paris.  I’ve made good progress – hopefully by this afternoon it will be almost halfway there. 

There has been some self-discipline required on my part as although this is a quieter part of England, there are still many attractions close by and I could spend days just driving along country lanes and visiting villages.  So I’ve used a bit of a reward program – certain number of words attained in the morning, go somewhere in the afternoon.  We’ve visited Wrexham, Chester, Llangollen, Oswestry and Welshpool. 


We had a fleeting visit to Powis Castle and a much longer day out looking at the Pontcysylite Aqueduct, and Chirk Castle then a lovely long lunch at The Boat pub in a pretty village called Erbistock.  So while we haven’t done nearly as many things as perhaps I would have liked, I knew that this part of the trip would require a considerable amount of work, to be able to go back to Australia anywhere near ready for work, work (and still I’ll need to write every day from now until we go home and for the week we are home before I head back to the ‘real job’).  But I’m determined and 5 days in Paris next week should be great in terms of research and getting the facts right for the story.  Then it’s on to Hong Kong.

By far and away one of the highlights of being here has been stumbling on the house that inspired Caledonia Manor in the Alice-Miranda series - the derelict mansion, which up until a few weeks ago, I knew only to be somewhere in Shropshire.  Now we’ve not only toured the outside with a lovely bloke called Pete, we’ve had a grand tour of the inside too, from the bombproof cellars to the spectacular roof with Will, the young chap who looks after the estate.  Then yesterday afternoon we met Caroline, her husband Nigel and stepdaughter Jazzy, who live in the Victorian gardener’s cottage at the back of the stables.  On hearing from Will that there were some Australians sniffing about, Caroline emailed me and asked if we’d like to see the rest of the estate including the medieval castle mound, the Home Farm and Swiss Cottage as well as the walled garden and loads of other bits and pieces.  We were so thrilled to be able to head out there again – this place has cast a spell over us for sure.

Caroline is Australian, and within a minute or so of meeting we established that her sister had gone to Abbotsleigh  (where I work) and she knew one of my dear friends, Donna Moffatt, or Mrs Moffatt as Caroline still referred to her.  Caroline not only attended the school where Donna had taught, but her father had been the Headmaster too.  The world truly is a small place!  There were other people we knew in common too.

There are not many times that I wish I was obscenely rich.  Really, I'm not kidding.  I might write about a character whose family has it all and it’s nice to imagine that life, but really, I don’t want for much.  The days of thinking it was important to have a big house and designer lifestyle were thankfully left behind at the end of my 20s when I realized that happiness is not necessarily a natural consequence of being wealthy. In fact, often, quite the opposite.  However, since finding Brogyntyn (my Caledonia Manor) I have found myself wishing I had the sort of money that would be required to save this amazing place.  To love it and bring it back to its former glory.  There are so many derelict properties in the UK, once grand homes that have gone into spectacular decline, mostly due to the absence of wills I gather and the high percentage of death duties.  Brogyntyn is a victim of time and circumstance, a grand old lady crying out for love.  A lot like my character Hephzibah, who I imagine living there.

We just don’t build places like these today and to see gorgeous architecture literally falling down around you is rather sad and wasteful.  A development company currently owns Brogyntyn and they have had numerous plans for restoration.  We’ve heard differing stories from apartments, to a family home (that would have to be one big family) to an aged care facility and a hotel.  I can’t imagine the cost of bringing the house back to its former glory.  There is wet rot and dry rot and any other rot you can think of, leaks in places that are obvious and some untraceable, the plaster is falling off the walls and ceilings and the cellars are full of antique telephone equipment left over from the days when British Telecom used the house as a nerve centre during the war.  We were stunned to see plant rooms (with plant equipment still in situ), a whole room with what looks like an ancient computer, switchboards and typewriters and all manner of bits and pieces.  There are massive boilers and RSJs that have come out of the ceiling but are too big to take out of the house without chopping them up.  Apparently the legend is that when BT upped and left, they were meant to restore the house to its original state which would have been a vast expensive; however, the then owner, one of the Lords Harlech was a little stretched and took a (relatively) paltry cash sum instead.  Hence the house continued its decline and hasn’t been lived in for over 50 years.

Upstairs on the main floors, it was fantastic to see that the staircases are still original – and the main one is unbelievably impressive with its carved timberwork.  There are two libraries still with original shelving and the marble fireplaces are all still there too.  The secret library door is less impressive in terms of where it leads to in reality than in my imagination, but it’s gorgeous just the same.  Upstairs the bedrooms go on for miles.  The attics are fascinating with their myriad rooms where the servants who ran the house once lived.  Some of the attic rooms are huge and there was one that leads to the roof which you could just imagine being the most gorgeous playroom.

The views from the top are stunning.  The day was hazy and you could still see for miles.

My favourite room was off the second library and apparently was the reading room.  With a domed roof and light streaming in, it is breathtaking even in its current state of dereliction.

Our tour of the grounds yesterday afternoon gave us more insights into this amazing property.  The gardener’s cottage behind the stable and the walled garden is Victorian and in very good condition.  Along the back of the walled garden there were once many more cottages, where no doubt the huge team of gardeners resided.  What remains now are some crumbling walls and evidence of fireplaces and cellars.  There were greenhouses aplenty too, with only one remaining now and an ice room built in under the earth and still chilly.  We walked around to the walled garden which is sadly completely abandoned.  The walls have suffered years of trees taking root, pressing their limbs through the brickwork and one section had been taken down to enable a tractor access to keep the long grass down.

We walked up to a larger paddock and then over to an area that up until a few weeks ago had been heavily wooded.  However, the trees have all been cut back to reveal an ancient medieval castle mound, with some evidence of what might lay underneath.  There was a moat around the circular structure and now there is a tunnel running through the middle, apparently a Victorian addition, from the years when the top of the mound was used as a bowling green.  British heritage are going to excavate the site.  It’s thought to be over 1000 years old.

Across an idyllic man-made pond is the Swiss Cottage.  A beautiful place built in a traditional Swiss chalet style with quartz crystal walls and intricate timber work, created by weaving tree branches together.  It too has a secret door made to look like a library bookcase.  The cottage is much bigger than it first appears and is currently rented out, as are all the habitable cottages on the estate.  It is grade 1 listed, which is an even higher grading than the hall which is grade 2.

We walked along the roadway to Home Farm, a huge complex of buildings, most in severe disrepair but with one home that is still livable.  We heard that this is where the developers were planning to create a range of residences.  The setting, with rolling hills in front and behind is very pretty and I can imagine why people would want to live there.  I would happily live there!

Walking back across to the hall we wandered (stalked though long grass actually) through what would have once been the main gardens.  Huge trees and stunning rhododendrons are dotted all over the place. It is a child’s paradise with so many trees climb and to make cubbies in, hides and the like.  I felt like I was eight years old again – imagining how many dragons there would be to slay, how many princesses (and princes) to rescue, camp outs and tea parties.  It was simply gorgeous.

We walked back around the outside of the hall, marveling at its sheer proportions, its dominance in the landscape, yet the deliberate tree planting in the fields, which, apart from where the stone wall has fallen down , ensure that the building cannot be seen from the road, making our discovery all the more amazing.

We heard some fabulous stories too of days when Eric Clapton lived at the gardener’s cottage and visits from Mick Jagger (who apparently rode a motorbike into the lake near Swiss Cottage and for all intents and purposes it’s still there), and George Harrison sitting in the garden where he may have even penned Here Comes the Sun. 

The story of Brogyntyn is a tragic one, with many family members over hundreds of years meeting untimely ends, often in horrible circumstances.  But it is a place with a fascinating history and surely deserves a second chance.  Having the financial resources to shower on a restoration project on a house that should be loved and cherished and shared with the rest of the world would be quite something.  And if I can’t do it, where is Sarah Beeny when you need her!

Caledonia Manor - real name Brogyntyn, Oswestry, Shropshire

This afternoon we decided to take a drive into Oswestry, but instead of taking the main road I found an alternate route through some of the back roads and villages.  The countryside is typically pretty, rolling English hills and villages dotted with pubs and tiny cottages.  We reached a section of road with ancient stone walls running along each side – usually an indication of something grand hidden behind.  The wall to the right was in disrepair with several sections dipping down revealing green pastures and lots of sheep and lambs. 

I glimpsed a house – a huge place in the distance and immediately knew that was it.  I couldn’t believe it.  Had we really stumbled on the house that inspired Caledonia Manor, home to Miss Hephzibah Fayle in the Alice-Miranda books?  We drove along further, found a safe spot to turn around and headed back to the gatehouse in the hope of a better look. 

I was almost sure of it – but the house was impossible to see and we were not in the habit of trespassing – although the gate was wide open.

We wondered how we could find out more.  In Oswestry I asked a couple of people in the shops if they knew the name of the place to no avail and then we ran into Sean and Caroline who we had met at Moreton Hall last week.  They suggested the local estate agents or the library.

We decided to visit the library in the morning and so drove back out along the road to see if we could at least snap some photos in the distance – which we did.  But then we found someone outside at the gate house and asked her who owned the place and if we might be able to have a look.  She said that there was a public right of way access through the property but seeing that the gate was open, she thought we could probably drive up and take some photos.  There was another car at the top of the driveway so I hopped out and asked the lady if she lived there and as luck would have it – her partner resides in the stables.  So we wandered about for a while then met Pete, the resident.  I explained why we were so interested – that this was the inspiration for a place in the Alice-Miranda books called Caledonia Manor.  He said that it was most unusual for the gate to be left open and that we shouldn’t really have driven up but after I told him the whole story he was keen to show us around.  He also knows an incredible amount of the history of the Hall, the tragic demise of the family and plans for the future. Settled in the 1600s the house and its estate once presided over the land as far as the eye can see.  The family was one of the great English dynasties and owners of Harlech Castle in North Wales as well.

Unfortunately a string of tragedies including two Lords Harlech dying without wills, leaving massive death duties to be paid, saw the decline of the family fortunes and subsequent sale of the Hall.  Interestingly it was also used during the war by British Telecom as headquarters for communications for the spy network operating in Europe.  Apparently the cellars are bomb proof.  During the time that the Hall was used by BT it fell into serious disrepair and has continued in that vein ever since.  The family eventually sold it about 11 years ago to a development firm who are currently looking at what they could do to save it.  Perhaps a hotel or apartments.  Although Pete said that it is absolutely haunted!

The grounds are utterly gorgeous with towering trees and the remnants of a once much loved garden where in its heyday, 24 gardeners were employed.

The stables are magnificent too and so close to what I had imagined.  I could almost hear naughty Bonaparte whinnying hello. 

It was such a thrill to find this place.  I never imagined that we would – given that when I saw it on the Internet it was an unnamed derelict mansion in Shropshire, which is quite a large county.  I had searched and searched for further clues about this place that I came to call Caledonia Manor but nothing.  There are apparently many derelict mansions in Shropshire and without an exact location or a name the search seemed fruitless.  But today we found it – on a road that we travelled by accident.  Tomorrow there is a chance that we might be able to look inside.  I’m very excited by the prospect. 

Leaden Hall School for Girls and Salisbury

Sunday morning saw us drive south west to Salisbury.  Ian and I had visited the area on my first trip to England in 2006, but that was more a happy accident than good planning.  On that occasion we had come up against some serious motorway delays enroute to Bath, so had taken the off ramp and ended up in Salisbury on dusk.  It was glorious and I will never forget entering the cathedral just as evensong began.

This time we were heading there to visit Leaden Hall School for Girls which is located in the Cathedral Close.  We arrived in town around 2pm, having spent the morning wandering through Richmond.  We went straight to the cathedral close and spent a couple of hours there.  The cathedral itself is now 754 years old – it’s hard to fathom really.

There was a spirited game of cricket going on on the common and during our wander we bumped into a group of Leaden Hall boarders on their way back from a weekend outing.  Some of them were so little.

Our accommodation that evening was at a lovely B&B/hotel called Cricket Fields, aptly named as it sits on the edge of the local cricket pitch where a very lively game was in full flight.

We settled in then went for a drive to find something for dinner.  Our hosts recommended a pub called the Victoria and Albert in a nearby village.  We found our way to Netherhampton and the pub, but it was closed for another half hour so we drove into the town and had a walk around.  Salisbury has every convenience and is much bigger than I had remembered it.

The pub was great – low ceilings, an ancient bar and a great big yard out the back with tables dotted around.  We had bangers and mash (how can you go past it in an English pub?), which was delicious.

On Friday morning we were up early to head over to the school.  Idyllic, picture postcard, gorgeous – are all words that spring to mind about Leaden Hall.  It’s setting in the Cathedral Close must be about one of the most picturesque places you could imagine.  We later learned from one of the teachers that John Constable used to stay at Leaden Hall and paint scenes of the garden.  He also painted the Hall from across the river.

We were warmly greeted by the head, Julia Eager, with whom I had been corresponding about the visit.  The day started with assembly and I met all the girls.  Then we continued with five sessions covering all of the girls from Nursery to Year 6.  They were wonderful to work with and the little ones were absolutely precious.  Leaden Hall’s boarders are mostly children whose parents are in the military.  The youngest girls are eight years old – Alice-Miranda would definitely fit in well here!

In recent years the school has added a whole wing of new buildings and a large hall.  Apparently the planning permissions are very strict in Salisbury due to its heritage listings and there were numerous attempts before the designs were accepted.  They nestle into the block beautifully.  There is also a fast flowing river at the bottom of the garden and adjacent fields with horses and cattle – as I said, idyllic.

The school garden is very pretty, with a walled rose garden and an ancient sun dial.

We ate lunch with the girls and staff in the dining room, which is a huge conservatory off the main building.  The food was great – English boarding schools seem to set the standard for excellent meals.

After lunch we spent an hour with the nursery students.  I read some of my new series, Clementine Rose to them – it seemed to go over very well and they were all in love with Lavender, Clementine’s tea cup piggy.

My last session was with Year 3 and 4.  The girls were great as all of the groups were.

I was very glad to visit Leaden Hall as a number of years ago the previous Head, Diana Watkins had visited us at Abbotsleigh.   Our Head of Junior School, Sally Ruston had in turn gone to spend a day at Leaden Hall and raved about what a beautiful school it was.  I can only agree!

PS Had a lovely email from one of the girls and her mother after the visit – it seems Jess talked about nothing but Alice-Miranda from the minute she hopped into the car J

Richmond Upon Thames and Hampton Court

On the weekend Ian booked for us to return to Richmond Upon Thames where I had previously visited Old Vicarage School the week before.  A gorgeous part of London, it’s hard to imagine that the centre of the city is not far at all.  We navigated our way through the Friday afternoon traffic, not hitting too many snarls until about 20 miles out when the M25 came to a stand still.  But we were getting used to that by now.  I even managed to find an alternate route and we got to the hotel around 6pm – not too much later than we had anticipated.  The weather was sparkling – so warm and clear.  We stayed at the Richmond Hill Hotel, which is beautifully restored.  Our room was tiny, typical of London hotels but very comfortable – even if I did have to step over our luggage to be able to put the ironing board up. J

We headed out for a stroll – the view from the top of the hill overlooking The Thames is gorgeous.  I think everyone in town was out.  There is a pub across the street from the park at the top of the hill and we were amazed that they sold drinks and allowed people to spill out across the road.  In Australia we’d be too worried about someone having one too many and ending up under a car.  But this is England and they certainly seem a lot more relaxed about some things than we are.  And while it looks like a quiet road, the cars zoom along at pace.

We ended up having dinner back at the hotel and an early night.  I don’t know how many miles we covered this week but it was a lot.  When we told people where we’d been most of them couldn’t believe we’d driven ‘that far!’

Saturday morning we decided to take a boat from Richmond to Hampton Court Palace - a place I have wanted to visit since I was a child.  The weather was almost too good to be true.  We ate breakfast in a park on the river’s edge – the cafe also had excellent coffee – then went to the wharf.  I wore sunscreen and a hat all day but the sun here doesn’t seem to have the same intensity as at home.  With my pale skin I wouldn’t risk it and we did see plenty of lobsters by the end of the day but if I’d have sat outside for an hour and a half on a boat in Australia, I’d have had a headache for sure.  No such problems here.  The views down the river were incredible – as were many of the houses.  I don’t wonder why Brad and Angelina have apparently decided to buy a house here – if I had a spare million or ten, I wouldn’t mind living here too.

We had to navigate the Teddington Lock.  It was fascinating to see how it works.  Manned by volunteers it takes about ten minutes to get through. 

The town of Kingston is also very pretty and I imagine an expensive place to live too.  There were already hundreds of people out enjoying the weather, and many more hundreds on our return visit.
Hampton Court is spectacular.  Hard to believe that King Henry VIII once walked these halls.  Although at one point when we were in Henry’s chamber, an actor dressed as him barreled through shouting to the commoners and bidding us all good day.  It was a great touch, although a little disconcerting as I hadn't seen him coming! There are several actors dressed as various royal figures throughout the castle and grounds.

The kitchens were enormous – it must have been hectic down there preparing meals for hundreds of people each day.  The rotisseries on the open fireplace would heaved with meats of all variety.

The gardens and surrounding park are especially beautiful and I really enjoyed wandering around.  It was interesting to learn that the castle ceased to be used by the royal family sometime in the 1700s and was then given over to certain friends of the royals who lived there ‘by grace and favour’ of His or Her Majesty.  I’m glad that Queen Victoria saw the potential for a tourist attraction and set about opening the palace up for visitors so that we commoners could have a peek into the history that is steeped in its walls.

We took the boat back to Kingston and found a pub along the waterfront to have a drink.  All I can say is Pimms and a hot day are a dangerous combination – it went down like fizzy drink, hence a slightly foggy head for the remaining trip back to Richmond!


That evening we dined at an Indian restaurant which had been recommended in the Michelin Guide – it didn’t disappoint and was quite possibly the best Indian I’ve ever eaten.

Twilight in England at this time of year is wonderful – especially when the weather is good.  We wandered up the hill to the hotel and I really couldn’t have imagined a much more perfect day.

Bridgewater Primary School, Northampton

We left Bakewell early Friday morning heading for Northampton.  Fortunately we weren’t due there until 10.30am which was good seeing that we knew it would be at least a two hour or so drive and that was without any dramas on the motorway. 

For the first hour we drove through pretty villages including a gorgeous hamlet called Matlock.  I could have stayed and explored there all day.  Next time…

The drive was fortunately uneventful and we arrived at Bridgewater Primary School in Northampton about half an hour early.  We were greeted by one of the teachers, Jessica Wise, whose daughter Izzy was the reason behind the visit.  Izzy had received Alice-Miranda At School for her birthday read it and loved it,  andthen written to me.  I wrote back and so on and so forth and we realized that a visit could be possible.

The school is new and sits on a huge patch of ground.  The Head Teacher, Alison Harvey gave us a tour of the grounds and buildings – both of which were impressive.  It was such a vibrant and happy place.  The children stopped to say hello and there was a gorgeous group of little boys who ran up to us with a box of rocks, ‘these are dinosaur eggs,’ they gasped.  So proud of their findings – it was adorable.

The school is working hard on an environmental focus and has developed a wetland area encouraging all manner of birds.  They also have raised garden beds in which they are bringing along a fantastic vegetable patch too.  There is a lot of land still ripe for more projects.  I was intrigued that the education department doesn’t actually own the school.  Schools are built by private enterprise and then leased back to the school body who pays rent for the building use.  The school has to jump through lots of hoops when they want to make additions or changes as the owner has the final say on what is acceptable.  Hence the school was built without a kitchen which is somewhat problematic when there is a lunch program.  Instead there is a ‘pod’ just outside the main hall area which is a kitchen in a compact space, a little like a demountable.  I can imagine it’s a tricky business in the middle of winter or when its raining to get the meals across.  But the lunch ladies were doing a sterling job when we saw them.

Apart from the lack of kitchen the school seems really well designed and I adore that the library is open plan in the heart of the building, similar to some that we have seen in the US.
I spoke to the Year 3-6 students in two groups.  They were loads of fun and had some of the best quips I've heard in ages.

My favourite comment of the tour so far was this.

Me:  ‘So how would you feel if you went home tonight and your parents said that they were moving to Spain and you were staying in England and going to boarding school?’

Various replies: ‘Sad’, ‘Angry’, ‘I’d wonder if they didn’t love me anymore’ ,‘Abandoned’…

And then this.  ‘Are you leaving the laptop behind?’

I laughed until there were tears and so did everyone else.  The young lad was dead pan and priceless. 

The kids were excellent at drama too.

I loved signing their books and the postcards we had made for the tour.  There were three little girls with the most beautiful auburn hair - all of whom looked like perfect little 'Millie's', Alice-Miranda's best friend.

Jess had arranged for the local newspaper to come and take a photograph, so Izzy and I went for our picture in the library.  I am waiting for it to appear online and then I will put up a link.  It’s the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.

I had a great time at Bridgewater – Jess and I were already talking about next year and doing some writing workshops with the children.  I’ll certainly go back again in a heartbeat.