On to the Macclesfield Canal

On Monday I went to visit Rode Hall. I was moored about a mile from the hall so was able to walk up to it. The garden (and tea room) opened at 12 noon and the house at 2pm. Although the day was dry to start with, there was a chilly wind. It was pleasant enough wandering around the garden which has a one mile long "pond", a kitchen garden, a grotto and some woodland. The Baker-Wilbraham family still live in the house which has been in their family for over 300 years. Sir Richard himself was manning the door and trying to come to terms with all the different rates - I am a concession AND an Art Pass holder, which complicates things at several venues. The house itself was full of family portraits, one by Joshua Reynolds. and very fine furniture and artefacts, such as local pottery. I went on a guided tour and learnt all about the family history. An ancestor had the folly Mow Cop built as the family's summerhouse; another had the village church at Odd Rode built as their journey to the existing church was too onerous. (I expect it took too long to get home for tiffin). About 3pm it started to rain and rain it did for the next 30ish hours! However, I needed to press on so did some cruising in the rain. Actually it was quite fine rain and I had no locks or lift bridges to contend with so it was okay. Arriving at Congleton about midday, I went for a mooch round the town. It has lots of independent shops and is making an effort to find a selling point - so quite a few interiors type shops. It also has a mill building which houses craft units, etc. I had a look around the tiny museum but they had managed to pack a lot into it and I was there for a good hour. Lots of information about the silk industry, fustian cutting, the civil war and World War Two as there is a connection with Dutch soldiers who came to Congleton when Holland was occupied.(Many married local girls and stayed after the war). There are no new photos as the inclement weather put me off getting the camera out. However, I am going back to some of my earlier posts to add the photos that I took earlier, so do have a flick back over the last two or three posts to see what I have added.