Sarah and I have spent the weekend in Derby attending the wedding of Sarah’s niece Suzy to Carl. So, after all the partying, a more relaxed activity was required. Kedleston Hall and Parklands is just a few miles outside of Derby and seemed the perfect place to visit.

We arrived before the Hall opened. Fine, an excuse for tea and cakes!

Kedleston Hall is an eighteenth-century mansion with Adam interiors. The estate has been in the hands of the Curzon family for approximately eight hundred years

The present home was built for Sir Nathaniel Curzon in 1765 by Robert Adam. It is an opulent display of neo-classicism.

Adam and Curzon shared a love of ancient Rome and classical design, and the house was designed more as ‘a temple of the arts’ and a canvas to display his paintings, sculpture and furnishings than a family home.

Standing adjacent to the Hall is the redundant Anglican church, All Saints Church. It is the oldest building on the estate.

Within the church are thirty-five monuments to the Curzon family.

After visiting the Hall and eating lunch we decided upon a walk around the Parklands. There is a range of signposted walks and we set off on the ‘Long Walk’.

Early in the walk, we came across ‘The Hermitage’ which sits under a large Plane tree. It is one of many features added as ‘entertainment’ in the gardens.

The ‘Pleasure Gardens’ and walks were also primarily designed by Robert Adam, and the walk forms one of the best examples of an eighteenth-century circuit walk in the country.

There were some great views out over Derbyshire and at one point, looking down at the Hall below.

Eventually, we strolled back along the Lower Lake.

Kedleston Hall and Parklands had provided us with a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing afternoon.

Before we headed for home, however, we returned to Derby. The Silk Mill was playing host to Poppies: Weeping Window a sculpture by Paul Cummins and Tom Piper.

It is influenced by the installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ that was on display at the Tower of London in 2014,

The sculpture (and a similar one called ‘The Wave’) marks the centenary of the outbreak of war and is currently on tour at venues across the country.

Popping over to The Silk Mill at Derby and visiting Poppies: Weeping Window is well worth it if you get a chance.