That's another fine mess you gotten me into

We went to our first wedding of the year at the weekend and a mighty fine do it was too, well from what I can remember. The wedding was that of the best friend of our eldest daughter who we have known for years. Kate was marrying Gareth and it was a bit like an Emelia Fox and Jamie Carragher look alike wedding.


I have to say the venue was fit for OK! or Hello! though. One does not associate Liverpool with stately homes, but nestled in the countryside just outside Kirkby, a right, rough part of town, lies Knowlsey Hall, the ancestral home of the Earl of Derby. It is a fabulous place with lakes and gardens designed by Capability Brown, and an interior in part re-styled by Adams. We were lucky enough to stay in one of the nine bedrooms in the house and so have a chance to wander round a bit.


The Derby family owned a large tract of land in the North West, and the Isle of Man at various stages in their history, but they are best known for their sporting interests and political adventures, with horse racing being the foremost association with them these days.


An early Earl, when Governor of Canada, presented the Stanley Cup as the premium ice-hockey trophy, and the Derby and the Oaks are both named after aspects of the family. Portraits of horses, most by Lynwood Palmer, litter the walls of the house, with their most recent favourite, Ouija Board, featuring prominently.


The Knowlsey safari park forms part of the estate which is surrounded by 9.5 miles of sandstone wall, but sadly bisected by the M57 these days, and much of their revenue comes from the agriculture, shooting and wedding markets, however, the place seemed pretty unspoilt as far as I could see and if it helps to preserve the heritage that's fine by me.