Calke Abbey

Over het museum

Calke stands on the site of a small Augustinian priory that was closed in the 1530s during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. A Tudor house was built there, and in 1622 the estate was bought by Sir Henry Harpur, whose family held it for about three centuries. His descendant Sir John Harpur, the 4th Baronet, had the present Baroque mansion built between 1701 and 1703 and the stables between 1712 and 1716. Later generations enlarged the lime works on the estate and turned the old formal garden into a landscaped park.

The house stayed with the Harpur Crewe family until the National Trust began to care for it in 1985. By then many rooms had been left unused for decades and were decaying, and the house held large collections of taxidermy, natural history specimens and everyday objects.

The Trust decided not to restore Calke to a polished state. It repaired the building and kept many rooms as they were found, which is why it is called the un-stately home. Visitors pass from the grand front rooms, such as the Dining Room, the Library and the Saloon, to the faded servants' quarters. The estate also includes walled gardens, a deer park, a national nature reserve in the parkland (the whole estate covers about 1,000 hectares), a system of tunnels and the Calke Explore recreation area.

Hoogtepunten

• Baroque mansion preserved in its faded, un-restored condition
• Saloon, Library and Dining Room with taxidermy and family collections
• Servants' quarters and the School Room
• Tunnels that once hid servants from view
• Walled gardens and Physic Garden
• Deer park and Calke Park National Nature Reserve

Vaste collectie

• The house and its collections – Rooms kept in the condition in which the National Trust found them, from the state rooms at the front to the worn servants' quarters, with a large collection of natural history objects.
• The tunnels – Underground passages that were built so that servants and deliveries could move around out of sight of the family and their guests.
• Local Treasure, Global Connections – A display in the Museum Room about new research on the state bed at Calke.

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

The park and gardens admission applies to all non-members, whether they arrive by car, bike or on foot, and includes the tunnels. The house is paid for separately at the ticket office. The park and gardens prices are shown without Gift Aid. National Trust members enter free. There is no parking charge.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

There are 22 accessible spaces next to the ticket office, with 10 more for visitors with limited mobility, and 10 accessible spaces at Calke Explore. Accessible routes lead to the gardens, the ground floor of the house, the restaurant, the café and the shop. The house and the orangery have steps, the corridors in the house are narrow, and the grotto and ice house cannot be used by wheelchair users. Wheelchairs and a Tramper mobility vehicle (booking recommended) can be borrowed, and a buggy service runs from 10:00 to 17:00 from the ticket office to the house and gardens. Accessible toilets are in the stableyards, the gardens and at Calke Explore, where there is also a Changing Places toilet. Induction loops are at the ticket office, in the house, in the restaurant and café, in the shop and at the Calke Explore kiosk. Braille guides and large print are available to borrow. Garden paths are hard gravel with some steep slopes. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

Calke Explore has a natural play area, a bike hire centre and a level Tramway Trail that suits buggies. Seasonal family events include trails, spooky tunnels and storytelling for under-5s. Pushchairs can be left outside the house, where baby carriers can be borrowed. High chairs are in the restaurant, café and at Calke Explore, children's picnic boxes are sold in the restaurant, and baby changing rooms are near the restaurant, in the garden toilets and at Calke Explore.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The estate is on the A514 at Ticknall, between Swadlincote and Melbourne, and can be reached from the M42/A42 junction 13 and the A50 south of Derby. Entry is by the main Ticknall entrance only. Sat nav postcode DE73 7JF. Three electric vehicle charging points are at Calke Explore.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museumwinkel
• Kluisjes

The restaurant in the stableyard is open daily, a smaller café near the ticket office opens at weekends and busy times, and a kiosk at Calke Explore opens at weekends. The shop is open daily, with a second-hand bookshop beside it and a plant shop outside the restaurant. Free lockers for large bags are in a bag store beside the house.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

The Riding School is licensed for civil weddings and offered as a country-style barn venue.

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