Bolsover

Whilst my sister was here, we took a few days off and headed to my husband's family in Yorkshire.

Interesting sight on the road

Everytime we go up north, I see this 'stately home/castle' on the hillside off the M1 in Derbyshire. Because this wasn't a dash up at Christmas, we decided to stop to discover it a bit more (we had looked it up first).
It was Bolsover Castle...which the audioguides insisted was pronounced "Boh-zer".

It was an interesting eclectic sort of place. Like a building caught on the cusp of the Middle Ages and the Georgian period! Some of it was intended to evoke the chivalrous past, so it was a bit difficult to place what you were looking at.

Some parts were ruined when the Roundheads attacked it. The owner was connected to The Stuarts. He taught Charles II how to ride. But I am not sure whether the ruined portions - a whole long building with upstairs/downstairs/great hall and so on - were parts which weren't restored later or for another reason, or what. It seems he had to flee to the continent when Charles I was beheaded, but came back after the Restoration.

Along side of this set of buildings, there was a mini castle which seemed to be used as a sort of folly and where all sorts of whims and fancies were catered to.

The Little Castle didn't seemed to be ruined at all, just disused. However, there were rooms where the ceiling paintings were still pretty vivid. Some, the audioguide said, had been renewed somewhat recently, but it was unclear if all of them had.

Anyway, now I know what the place on the hill is. The jury is out as to whether I would recommend visiting. Unless of course your period of historical interest is the Stuarts. For me, I think I prefer Middle Ages and Tudor. Or maybe it is because the places I have seen with similar interior decoration have been lived in Castles - like Windsor. Anyway, it is a bit of a mash-up of periods, but I am sure would be just right for one of those films where they are just trying to look like past history.

I did find a few things like interesting doorways and pane-less windows to add to my collection of photos in ruins. Someday there will be a series about portals I am sure!

But here are two surprising finds in the architecture.

a face on a corner

a cow on a stair step

Have you been to Bolsover? What did you think of it?