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Monday: Claremont Landscape Garden
Esher, Surrey KT10 9JG
Claremont's creation and development involved some of the great names in garden history, including Sir John Vanbrugh, Charles Bridgeman, William Kent and 'Capability' Brown. The first gardens were begun c.1715 and later the delights of Claremont were famed throughout Europe. Since 1975 the Trust has been restoring this layout. The many features include a lake, island with pavilion, grotto, turf amphitheatre, viewpoints and vistas.
Tuesday: in London
Spent the day with Rozzie visiting the RFH briefly (see new statue pics) then the V&A. Bach Prom at RAH with Jane and Ian in the evening.
Wednesday: Waddesdon Manor
Aylesbury, Bucks HP18 0JH
Built between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to entertain his guests and display his vast collection of 18th-century French art. The furniture, Savonnerie carpets and Sèvres porcelain rank in importance with the Met in NY and the Louvre. Waddesdon has one of the finest Victorian gardens in Britain, renowned for its seasonal displays, colourful shrubs, giant tree ferns, parterre, statuary and restored pleasure garden. There is a rose garden, and the rococo-style aviary, newly painted and gilded, houses a splendid collection of exotic birds.
Thursday: Old Gables, Kingston Lacy, and Montacute
Kingston Lacy, Wimborne Minster: Home of the Bankes family for over 300 years, having replaced the ruined family seat at Corfe Castle. Famous for its dramatic Spanish Room, with walls hung in magnificent gilded leather, and collection of Egyptian artefacts. Set in a wooded park - waymarked walks & fine herd of North Devon cattle.
Montactute, Somerset TA15 6XP:
* Renaissance manor house filled with historic treasures
* Fantastic exhibition of 17th-century textile samplers
* Long Gallery boasts Elizabethan artwork from the National Portrait Gallery
* Film location for Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Friday:
Lanhydrock, Bodmin, Cornwall PL30 5AD
* Stunning seventeenth-century gatehouse and long gallery * The ultimate 19th-century 'Upstairs/Downstairs' experience * Fabulous collection of spring-flowering magnolias and bluebell woods * Film location for The Three Musketeers (1993) and Twelfth Night (1996). Evening spent at the Kates for first event of the weekend - a barbecue.
Saturday: Party day!
Kate's 40th birthday party - tea party and another meal in the evening. Had to fix the flat tyre on the rental car during the day.
Sunday: Trerice
Kestle Mill, nr Newquay, Cornwall TR8 4PG
* A 'hidden gem', tucked away in the Cornish countryside * Elizabethan manor famed for its 'barrel-roofed' Great Chamber * Charming flowering gardens and old Cornish apple orchard * Unique lawnmower collection - woohoo! * Award-winning Tudor garden education project Had tea at AP's back in Landrake with 18 people in the house - the most ever!
Monday: St Michael's Mount
Marazion, nr Penzance, Cornwall TR17 OHS
* One of England's most famous and dramatic coastal attractions * Enchanting medieval castle and church perched upon a craggy island * Victorian underground railway travels from the village to top of the hill * Visit by causeway at low tide or take a boat trip * Lovely sub-tropical hanging gardens * Film location for Orsino's castle in Twelfth Night (1996) Then we had a lovely dinner with AP and Mum back in Landrake later.
Tuesday: Tyntesfield
Wraxall, North Somerset BS48 1NT
* 19th-century estate for the 21st century, bringing alive the conservation process * Recently saved for the nation by public generosity * Working kitchen garden that has been brought back to life * Home to four generations of the Gibbs family containing grand Victorian designs to 20th-century objects. Then we tried to visit Dyrham Park near Bath, but traffic, running down the hill and that darn cattle grid scotched those plans. RUH A&E very helpful and we made the B&B in the Cotswolds at about 8:30.
Wednesday: Hidcote Manor Garden and Upton House
Hidcote is one of England's greatest gardens, an Arts & Crafts masterpiece. It has a series of outdoor rooms each with its own unique character. Many old roses, unusual plants and trees from around the world. Nestled in the Cotswolds with stunning panoramas across the Vale of Evesham. Then Upton House which has an outstanding collection of English and Continental Old Master paintings and important collections of English and French 18th-century porcelain. Also a fascinating exhibition of Shell advertising posters from 1920s and 30s and a dramatic Art Deco bathroom.
Thursday: Chastleton - home of modern croquet
One of England's finest and most complete Jacobean houses it is a unique 400-year-old time capsule with rare tapestries, portraits and personal belongings and a classic Elizabethan topiary garden. Here too is the lawn where Walter Whitmore Jones laid the rules of modern croquet.
Friday: Charlecote
Superb Tudor house and landscaped deer park in which Shakespeare was rumoured to be caught poaching. 700 years of the Lucy family, with a uniquely extensive portrait collection. Colourful landscaped gardens by the River Avon - bit muddy after the recent floods which closed Coughton Court - we had been hoping to visit that too. Great walking and picnic opportunities in the 'Capability' Brown deer park. |