Calke Abbey

A place where time stood still.

Calke Abbey offers a unique step back in time, unlike other National Trust sites. The paintwork is fading, and personal belongings are left untouched, preserving the past through estate buildings, archaeology, and family possessions.

Calke Abbey is a Baroque mansion on the site of a former priory, notable for its dramatic preservation of decay and vast collections, including taxidermy and personal belongings. Owned by the Harpur-Crewe family for centuries, it was transferred to the National Trust in 1985 and showcases its rooms as found, with peeling wallpaper and abandoned items.

The Harpur-Crewes were avid collectors, leaving behind vast arrays of natural history items, such as eggs and bones, along with impressive book collections, grand paintings, and personal belongings. The Baroque-style house features an 18th-century staircase and a Neoclassical dining room, offering a journey from the house's grandeur to its subsequent decline.

Below is an extract from the National Trust website on Calke Abbey's collection:

"Calke’s is a collection of extreme contrasts. Room after room is filled with objects, from cases of antiquities and shining silver, to butterflies and stuffed birds, children’s toys, and minerals. Some items, like the silk hangings of the State Bed, are well preserved, while others reflect the shabby decay of the house itself. 

When the National Trust acquired Calke in 1985, a decision was made to present the estate as it was found – including the collection. A matchbox still props up the broken leg of a china pug dog in the Entrance Hall. The rusting metalwork in the kitchen is preserved rather than restored. Dust is allowed to settle in the abandoned rooms, preserving the fragile atmosphere of quiet decay. "

Here are some of my photos from the interior of the house!

Calke Abbey grounds boast a historic National Nature Reserve with ancient oaks, walking and cycling paths, and a deer herd. The gardens feature walled gardens, a Physic Garden, a Kitchen Garden with an Orangery and Auricula Theater, and historic flower borders. Visitors can explore rare breeds of sheep and cattle and access underground tunnels from the house.

We didn't explore too much of the grounds, as we had a busy day exploring planned, and this was the 3rd stop of the day.

Here are some of my photos of the house from the grounds:

I hope you have enjoyed my photos.

Thanks as always for taking the time to read!