A textile lovers guide to Canons Ashby House

It seems to me that Northamptonshire is the forgotten county.  People pass through it (I guess most of them are on the M1).  But they are missing so much. Bit's of it are a bit like the Cotswolds - slightly flatter and without the tourists!

If you ever find yourself in Northants with a few hours to spare I can highly recommend Canons Ashby near Towcester (and in fact not a million miles away from The Bramble Patch )

The house is a lovely manor house, dating originally from the Elizabethan period but lovingly restored to show how it might have looked when it was loved in the 19th Century.

It also has a garden, much of which is still a work in progress, but including a fernery.

And then inside, the rooms are lovely.
However I was rather blown away by the bedroom.  Look at these chairs, matching fire screen and sofa.  And also the tapestries - which are probably slightly faded from their original glory.

And then, in the less glamorous part of the house there are a couple of rooms set out for servants.

And of course there is a lovely little antique quilt.

And if you look closely at the tiny squares you could see that the papers were still in place and in a couple of areas, where the fabric had worn a bit, you could even see some print on the papers.

And then in the kitchens there was a 'rat'!

And a 'mouse'!

And just across the field, the parish church.  Not your average church, but in fact all that is left of the original monastery (hence the name Canons) which at one time was a pretty impressive building.  As with many similar establishments, it met it's end at the hands of the religious police during the reign of Henry VIII after his spat with Rome.

Definitely worth a visit (and the tea room is fabulous!)