The shadow of a Victorian stuffed bird in a glass case, cast on the wall of Calke Abbey, an English stately home in Derbyshire, now owned by the National Trust.Calke Abbey, an English stately home in Derbyshire, now owned by the National Trust. With peeling paintwork and overgrown courtyards Calke Abbey tells the story of the dramatic decline of a grand country-house estate. Set on the site of an Augustinian priory, Calke Abbey was never actually an Abbey. Founded in the early 12th century, Calke Abbey was established by Richard, 2nd Earl of Chester, a wealthy landowner.