Staunton Harold Estate and Ferrers Centre for Arts & Crafts

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• Uncover the story - Steeped in intriguing history, surrounded by natural beauty and even with artists in residence, centuries-old Staunton Harold has almost been hand-crafted to charm visitors.

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  Simply gazing through the ornate Golden Gates, at a vista little-changed since the 18th century, will stop you in your tracks. Georgian mansion Staunton Harold Hall and the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, complete with serene lake, manicured lawns and grazing sheep is a landscape in oils brought to life.

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  Although the hall itself is a private residence, its owners are passionate about sharing the land with walkers and cyclists. With the National Forest on its doorstep, head even further into the great outdoors, or follow a path of 13 inscribed stiles on The John Blunt Poetry Walk, crafted by the estate’s landowner.

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  Staunton Harold’s National Trust-owned church was also beautifully, and lavishly, crafted – one of few built between the outbreak of the English Civil War and the Restoration. Sir Robert Shirley, whose family owned the hall for five centuries, ordered its construction in defiance of Oliver Cromwell. Imprisoned for his plotting, he died in the Tower of London, and was eventually buried in the church’s crypt along with other family members. The church is open to the public on selected days in the summer.

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  The estate’s former stable block and now the Ferrers Centre for Arts and Crafts is another must-visit. Watch as craftspeople, from painters to blacksmiths, practise their art in front of you, and admire the best of British craftsmanship in the Ferrers Gallery in this exquisite courtyard setting. Sure to capture your attention, The Victorian Model Workshop is perhaps its quirkiest studio. A designer of automatons, it’s one of very few workshops of this type open to the public.

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  Adjacent to the courtyard, and set within historic walled gardens, Staunton Harold Nurseries & Garden Centre sells plants and gifts. It also serves up refreshments in the Peach House Restaurant, a Victorian building originally used to grow peaches and other fruit for the Earl Ferrers resident in the hall.

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  Stay longer in Staunton Harold in Deerpark Lodge, a holiday cottage secreted in the hall’s grounds. Guests can fish in the lakes and have access to otherwise off-limits countryside, meaning they can craft their own uniquely individual break.