My favourite place

Why Vicky Mcclure loves Wollaton Hall in Nottingham

I probably first visited Wollaton Hall in Nottingham when I was in my mother’s womb – my mum and dad live about five minutes away from the park, right on its edge. It’s an Elizabethan country house and has been important to my family for ever; I have so many fond memories of it from when I was a child. There’s a famous stuffed gorilla, George, who lives in the Hall, among other taxidermy. I remember going in and having a right giggle because he was naked.

And now my fiancé Jonny [Owen, a producer and actor] and I have become really connected to the area, particularly after getting engaged last Christmas. It was Christmas morning when Jonny got down on one knee at home in Toton. I always make tea in the mornings (he gets it ready before bed) and he’d hidden the ring among the teabags. I fished it out and went, ‘What’s this…?’ I was delighted.

We told our families right away, but a few days later we

went for a walk in Wollaton Park and thought it was the perfect spot for the ‘official’ announcement. Walking around the lake, with the hall in the background, we took a couple of selfies for Instagram and got the ring in there too. We don’t have a wedding venue as yet, and obviously Wollaton is beautiful… so who knows?

In the winter, we go sledging there. There’s an amazing hill that attracts so many families – it looks beautiful in the snow. And if it’s a misty day, the park is stunning. We’ve actually got a couple of photos of it up in our own home – you just can’t get a bad picture of it. The deer are gorgeous to watch, too. But on the only jog round there I’ve ever taken, my mum and I ended up getting chased by one! It ran straight for us, then – luckily – shot past. We thought we might be for it.

We were there recently for the Robin Hood Half Marathon, which starts from Victoria embankment and runs around Wollaton Park and then through most of the city. Jonny and I went down to cheer everybody on.

I only lived in London for just under a year, in 2012, to be with Jonny, but we’re settled in Nottingham now. I don’t think I’ve spent long enough away from the city to ever feel like I’d been too far from it. Having friends and family here has been a big reason as to why I haven’t left. I’m very close to my family, so it’s so great having my nephews and my grandparents – who are now in their 90s – so nearby.

Above The Nottingham estate dates from the 1580s. Below Mcclure and Jonny Owen announced their engagement with this picture in the park

Mcclure and Owen