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Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire.

Shugborough Hall on the Shugborough Estate, Staffordshire, nestles between the Trent and Mersey Canal, The River Trent, River Sow and the Staffs and Worcester Canal close to Great Haywood Junction, and Tixall 'Wides'. The Hall and grounds are accessible on foot from the Trent and Mersey at Lock 22 ( Haywood Lock) and Bridge 73 a short Confluence of the the River Trent and River Sow distance over the 'Essex' Bridge, a site of historic note and picturesque to boot. The estate is close to the villages of Great Haywood (1) and Little Haywood.

The whole area is a favorite mooring spot for boaters, especially when there is a concert or fireworks display: Shugborough Information Link

Open Mid March to late October - The entrance ticket price includes full access to all of Shugborough including Shugborough (Mansion) House, The Shugborough Farm Museum (and working farm) area, Staffordshire Life Museum, Gardens and the Working Servants’ Quarters The entrance ticket price includes full access to all of Shugborough including Shugborough (Mansion) House, The Shugborough Farm Museum (and working farm) area, Staffordshire Life Museum, Gardens and the Working Servants’ Quarters; Shugborough Hall Estate is controlled by the National Trust so if you're a member the ticket price is waived.

A public right of way passes through the estate if you just want to walk through Shugborough's fine parklands.

The 'Essex' Bridge, a site of historic note and picturesque to boot In the grounds sits an 18th-century Shugborough Monument that shows a woman watching three shepherds pointing to a tomb was commissioned by Admiral George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, a wealthy aristocrat, noted for his circumnavigation of the globe. The Shugborough Monument bears an uncracked cipher text inscription.

Shugborough Hall on the Shugborough Estate, Staffordshire "Et in Arcadia ego" (I too was an Arcadian) is the main inscription on the 'Shepherd's Monument' depicting idealized shepherds from classical antiquity, clustering around an austere tomb. at Shugborough and is also a Latin phrase that most famously appears as the title of two pastoral paintings by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665). The latin script has been highly influential in the history of art and more recently has been associated with the pseudohistory the books Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code. The monument adds to the mystery by an additional two row inscription on the base the first row is a series of letters (presumed to be initials) O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V + the second row D.and M. - Crack the code yourself.

By road: Shugborough House is close to Birmingham, Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wolverhampton, just off the main A51 north of Rugeley

There is a traditional working brewery at Shugborough; a 'micro' brewery producing the 'Titanic' range of beers (Goes down well on ice?)

There is a shooting school locally too; a short walk from Bridge 70 (Wolseley Bridge): Shugborough Shooting School, Oakedge Park, Bishton, Staffordshire, ST17 0XS - Phone: 01889 881391 for more details.

(1) Trent and Mersey at Lock 22 ( Haywood Lock) and Bridge 73: Post Office, Spa Shop, Clifford Arms Pub and Fishing tackle and bait at the 'Pet Shop'