Kiplin Hall

One of my quests while in England was to tour an estate house. The hero of Book #3, in my WWI trilogy, is the son of a baronet and lives in one of these centuries-old, country houses. We tried touring a couple of them, but it was either the wrong day or time to get in on an actual tour. Then I learned that a number of these great houses were doing an exhibition on living in a country house during times of war. So we decided to visit the one closest to us - Kiplin Hall.

back view

side view

We went somewhere else that morning and it took longer to get to the house than we thought, but we made it just in time for the last tour of the day! The inside of the house was amazing. I wish I'd been able to take pictures of it. The library was one of the coolest I have ever seen - it fit so well with what I wanted in my book. 

The war displays were really interesting. Several members of the family served in WWI. During WWII, Royal Air Force officers lived in the house, which was also used for storing and supplying ammunition and bombs to nearby airfields. Several of the rooms used by the RAF have been left exactly as they were back then.

front view

front gates - the road used to come up to the house from here

The grounds were also lovely with lots of lawn, a walled garden and a lake out back. And the sweet English ladies who oversee the tours were as delightful as the house itself!

We talked to them about my book and they gave me some great pointers on writing a story set in England. For example, they told me that no one asks if you want a cup of tea over there; they simply say, "I'll make you a nice cup of tea." And everyone in England talks about the weather. It was well worth the drive and time to see this gem - and find my hero a proper English country house for a home. :)

What do you think of English country houses? Would you rather live in one of them or a brand-new house/apartment?