Belton House and Park.

 May 13th 2025.

We visited the National Trust owned Belton Estate.

Apart from the Mr Colins (BBC Pride and Prejudice) connection there are two other points that interested me.

Family history link with my Great Uncle Albert Groves.

During WW1 the park became the training camp for the newly formed Machine Gun Corps. So Albert would have been there for his training.

The photo shows part of the camp barracks and the temporary branch line from the East Coast mainline.

Also there was a skirmish there during the ECW. It took place on, wait for it, 13th May 1643. This was a significant action as it was Cromwell's first cavalry victory, from which he developed his future battle winning tactics.

The photo of the park shows on the left the area of the MGC camp (now an off limits deer park) and to the right the probable area of the ECW action.

All in all a good day out.