Shropshire: Oswestry U3A group set for talk on Wrexham's Erddig Hall

Members will receive a talk from former National Trust education officer, Jill Burton, who will share some fascinating facts about the Erddig estate near Wrexham.

Jill, who has been an education officer with the trust for 21 years, will bring three centuries of the hall’s history to life.

From owners stuck in debtor’s prison and repeated family names leading to self-styled royalty titles including Simon I to Simon III, to reclusive owners refusing to install gas, electricity or telephone, and how the house suffered large-scale subsidence from coal mining underneath, it will all be covered.

A spokesperson from the U3A said: "The talk will illustrate examples of stunning staterooms containing collections of fine furniture, Chinese wallpaper and tapestries and porcelain, and outside, the mix of formal and informal gardens, the walled garden and national ivy collection, plus the famous walking routes, via the the ‘Cup and Saucer’ waterfall, and beside the showpiece canal, topiary hedges and surrounding parklands, a wonderful setting for Erddig’s autumn Apple Festival.

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"Jill will explore the house’s elaborate design, stretching to 21 bays, and with all doors opened, it was possible to see from rooms at one end of the house to the other. This was enough to make an impression on Queen Victoria who compared it to Versailles after she had visited both properties.

"But, it is in the finer, smaller details that Erddig comes up trumps. The owners started a unique tradition of recording paintings of their servants, and later photographs, and penning a poem about each one, creating an important historical record of domestic life in a stately home. Edward Prince, Erddig’s carpenter, aged 73, is painted by John Walters in 1792.

"In addition, the Yorke family were famous for hoarding and gave it all to the National Trust, from false teeth to underpants, creating the second largest collection of objects of any NT house."

Jill's talk entitled ‘Erddig, Jewel in the Crown of Welsh Country Houses’ will take place at the Oswestry Senior Citizen's Club on Wednesday, March 1,  from 2pm to 4 pm.

Newcomers to Oswestry Borders U3A are welcome to this talk, with two visits to try the club out before joining.

All necessary Covid health and safety precautions will be carried out at the premises, which will be well ventilated.