Calke Abbey — A Fascinating Un-stately Manor - Beyond Downton Abbey: A Guide to 25 Great Houses - page 73

It's one thing to tour a property that's had millions of British pounds poured into its restor-
ation; but quite another to walk through a manor house in serious decline. Calke Abbey is
just such a property. Unlike many country houses, Calke has not been restored to its former
glory. To better understand the challenges of rescuing an abandoned estate house, the Na-
tional Trust has opened Calke Abbey to the public. It's a unique opportunity to experience
how many of Britain's stately homes ended up — in a state of terminal decay. Calke Abbey
is an important reminder of similar houses that did not survive.
While the faded walled garden and orangery are still quite enjoyable and the surrounding
property is now a National Nature Reserve, the house and stables have been repaired but
not restored. For safety purposes essential repairs have been made to the buildings, but in-
side the property is presented to visitors as it was found. To better understand how Calke
Abbey moved from the prosperity of the Victorian era through 100 years of gradual de-
cline, take Calke Abbey's End of an Era tour.
In addition to touring a mansion in decline, visitors here can examine the clutter left behind
by generations of the eccentric and reclusive Harpur Crewe family. To tour Calke Abbey
is to walk through room after room of strange possessions…from crocodile skulls to thou-
sands of stuffed birds. Naturalists and compulsive collectors, the Harpur Crewe clan seems
to have never thrown anything away.
Who built it…who owns it
Calke's history dates back to the 12 th century when an Augustinian priory was built on
the site and operated until King Henry VIII dissolved the English monasteries. The priory
building was remodeled in 1575. In 1622, the Harpur family acquired the house where they
lived for over 300 years.
Although Calke has been called an “abbey” since the early 1800s, it isn't. Calke is essen-
tially a Baroque mansion, built between 1701 and 1704. An unknown architect built the
main south front of the mansion for Sir John Harpur in the early 18 th century. The kitchen,
built in 1794, was last updated during the Victorian era and abandoned in 1928. In 1985,
the property passed to the National Trust in lieu of inheritance taxes.
Style notes
Baroque