October 2011 – Page 4 – My Days Out Blog

Chiswick House and Gardens, London

English Heritage.
This Roman-style Palladian villa was built for the third Earl of Burlington in the 18th century, and designed as a grand pavilion for entertaining friends and displaying art. It is considered an outstanding example of an early Palladian villa in England. Inside, it has some sumptuous interiors in the central hall and upstairs, and a collection of art. The house as seen today is stripped of any service rooms. The original ones were in the old Jacobean house, long demolished, and the replacements, attached at each side, were in use after the house was gifted to the public, but demolished sometime after WWII.
The extensive gardens are also considered of national importance. They contain walkways and vistas, and features such as a long lake, a cascade, a conservatory, walled gardens, Ionic temple, etc.

The house is well worth a visit. Externally it is an attractive building, and inside there are some impressive restored interiors, some fine paintings, and some exhibitions to look at. It is notable that there are no service rooms at all, apart from a cellar. While the surviving part was lived in at one time, it was built as a pavilion. The gardens are vast, and one can tramp around for some time finding fresh things to look at. I travelled by train.

Buscot Park, Oxfordshire

National Trust.
The house is a late eighteenth-century Neo-classical building. The pavilions to each side, and the imposing flight of steps leading up to the entrance front, were added in the 1930’s. The interiors are lavish, with extravagant chandeliers, inlaid and painted Regency and Empire furniture, and mahogany doors. Many noteworthy paintings hang in the house. The more prized contents form part of the Faringdon Collection. A cycle of Burne-Jones paintings, Legend of the Briar Rose, runs around the walls of the saloon.

Outside are extensive gardens and grounds. The entrance, ticket office, walled garden and tea-room lie to the west of the house, and the Pleasure Grounds, with the larger lake and various garden features of interest lie to the east. There is a notable water garden with features leading down to the lake. Frescoes can be found in the archway leading to the (private) outdoor swimming pool, and in the tea-room.

The house interior and Faringdon Collection are well worth seeing, and the gardens provide plenty of scope for sightseeing and walking.
Opening days and dates are somewhat restricted.

Burghley House, Cambs

Regarded by many as the finest Elizabethan House in England, Burghley House was built in the 16th Century by William Cecil, the first Lord Burghley, Queen Elizabeth’s Lord High Treasurer. This was one of the Elizabethan “prodigy houses”. The main part of the House has 35 major rooms on the ground and first floors. There are more than 80 lesser rooms and numerous halls, corridors, bathrooms and service areas. The lead roof extends to three quarters of an acre. The historic parkland was laid out by Capability Brown. Now there are some modern visitor attractions in the grounds, including the Gardens of Surprise.

When one arrives in the car park, through the trees one has a quite impressive view of the house. However this is just the stables and the side of the service wing! The house itself as befits one of the Elizabethan “prodigy houses” is very big, on 4 floors, with scores of windows, turrets, chimneys, spires etc. It’s very impressive. Inside there is lots to see, with approx 18 principal rooms on the first floor all equipped with paintings, furniture and a cornucopia of treasures. There are also exhibitions of treasures by the ticket office which are worth a look.

Outside there is a park, and gardens. The “Gardens of Surprise” has quirky water fountains and other features (great for children). I particularly liked the Fire/Air/Water/Earth sculptures where one presses a button and they change shape or (for Fire) emit smoke. Next to that is the Sculpture garden – a large wooded area with exhibits of modern sculpture dispersed through it. The lake had orange things floating in it which I’m almost sure were sculptures. For refreshments, the Orangery restaurant looked expensive but the garden cafe is cheaper.

There is much to see and do at Burghley, so that one could make it an all-day visit.
Access to the house is via the main street of the old town of Stamford, where the Classical and Georgian townscape has survived almost unscathed. (Visited 17/07/11)

Buildongs seen through trees — Just the service buildings!

Buildings with corner tower — Service wing

Street with Georgian stone buildings — Stamford

The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley, Bucks

The National Museum of Computing is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its broadest sense, from the pioneering wartime efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. Exhibits include the Colossus replica, and some big-iron commercial computers e.g Elliot 803B, ICL 2966, that formerly filled the computer rooms of large companies from the 1960s to the 1980s, and a multitude of personal computers and calculators, including Sinclair, BBC Micro, and Amstrad.
There should be something here to interest everyone who has used computers. Older visitors can go around exclaiming “I used to use one of those!” while younger ones can try out the computer games on the personal computers.
TNMOC is on the same site as Bletchley Park, in block H. Please note that TNMOC now levies an admission charge of £5, and if you only want to visit TNMOC, you don’t need to pay the Bletchley Park admission as well. Currently TNMOC has restricted opening hours.

Bletchley Park, Bucks

The WWII code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park was a well-kept secret for years. When the fact of its existence was de-classified, the buildings on the site became the object of attention, and eventually a Trust was set up to preserve the more noteworthy buildings, establish a museum of codebreaking and explain the significance of what went on at the site. Here, the German Enigma code was broken. During the war, thousands of people were employed here, and there was cutting-edge work in developing machine aids for decryption. The electromechanical “Bombe” was invented to help crack Enigma and the electronic computer “Colossus” was invented to help crack the more difficult “Tunny” teleprinter code.
If you visit, there is a lot to see, and one day might not be enough. Guided tours of the various buildings are available, taking in the Mansion, (an opulent if rather mongrel Edwardian mansion), various brick out-buildings of the mansion, some near-indestructible bomb-proofed concrete huts, and some decaying wooden huts with famous numbers, as well as Bombe and Colossus reconstructions.
Then there is the Museum of Codebreaking, where you can try to get your head around how decrypting Enigma actually worked, and other huts with displays about spies, daily life at Bletchley Park during the war, and so forth. Did you know that British military planes used to carry a pigeon so that the bird could carry a message back if the plane came down? I didn’t.
In addition there are other historic displays that share the Bletchley Park site, from TNMOC – the National Museum of Computing, the cine projector museum with mini cinema and newsreel shows, the display of ship models, and others. These ‘other’ groups have their own opening times – check websites.
There is also a series of lectures, which explore war and codebreaking topics in some depth.
Also, there is a miscellany of Events, seemingly ranging from parades of military vehicles to almost anything else.
If you are interested in history, war, or codebreaking, you should find something to interest you here.

Bletchley Park is open daily, but this does not apply to associates such as TNMOC, so check before travelling. Parts of the mansion may be in use for commercial activities on any day except Sundays.
Bletchley Park admission is not expensive considering the amount to be seen, and permits repeated re-admission for 12 months.
Please note that there is a £3 charge for parking in the grounds. Bletchley Park entrance is about 100 yards from Bletchley railway station.

Apsley House, London

English Heritage.
Apsley House was originally designed and built by Robert Adam between 1771 and 1778 for Baron Apsley. Later, it was owned by Richard Wellesley and then by his younger brother Arthur Wellesley – the Duke of Wellington. Wellington is best known for defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, but he was also a major politician, who rose to become Prime Minister in 1828. Apsley House was redesigned to reflect Wellesley’s rising status, and its dazzling interiors are prime examples of British grandeur in the Regency style. Inside Apsley House are many objects relating to the Duke’s life and work, including his art collection, some of it collected on campaign, a giant statue of Napoleon, a huge silver-gilt dining table centerpiece, and a whole room full of trophies donated by grateful nations.

With all that opulence on display, there is plenty to look at inside Apsley House. It’s more of a palace than a house, in fact. The exhibitions in some of the rooms are quite informative about Wellesley’s career.

Hyde Park Corner underground station is adjacent to the house. Don’t even think of trying to go there by car. On the traffic island in front of the house is the Wellington Arch (see separate entry), and an assortment of statues and monuments which are worth a look while you’re there.
While here, I also visited the actual Marble Arch, reached by a bracing walk along the edge of Hyde Park. This three-arch white marble monument is worth a look, but you can’t go inside.

Great Chalfield Manor, Wiltshire

National Trust.
Great Chalfield Manor was built in 1467-80. Following centuries of neglect, which left it in a ruinous and partly demolished state, it was restored in 1905-12 for the Fuller family. A century later, it becomes harder to tell which bits are original and which are reconstructed. The house is furnished with period furniture collected by the Fullers. Outside are moats, lawns, and a working estate.
Inside the house are some interesting features. An ancient mural uncovered in the dining room is thought to be of the first owner, Tropnell. High up in the great hall are heads thought to be medieval caricatures. The garden has two large pieces of topiary with cross-passages, and a summerhouse in one corner.
(Picture: Trish Steel – Wikimedia)

Chenies Manor, Bucks

Parts of Chenies Manor date from the 13th century, but the long wing that provides much of the present accomodation was built in the 15th century. Further alterations were made in later centuries. The building is notable externally for the massive chimneys, with their ornamental cut-brick tops. One whole side of the 15th century wing is windowless and dominated externally by massive chimney breasts. The Parish Church is close by.

The Manor has a series of interesting historic interiors, furnished with period furniture. Outside, there are various sections of garden, including a courtyard garden, kitchen garden, Physic garden (herbs), the White garden and a maze. In the gardens is an interesting well-house.
The Manor seems to be a popular location for film shoots. While I was there a crew was setting up in one of the rooms, and also shooting a scene in the box-hedged part of the garden.
Admission to the house is by guided tour.

Newark Park, Gloucestershire

National Trust.
This unusual house stands high on a spur of the Cotswolds. It was built as a four-storey hunting lodge in c. 1550, but reworked by James Wyatt in the 1790’s. Wyatt also updated a second block added in the late 17th century.
Inside, there are interesting rooms and contents on three floors. Much of what is on display was collected by a late tenant who occupied the house for many years. Some features of the interior date from the Tudor era. There are fine views from the upper windows.
IIRC the basement floor is also partly open.
Outside, there are formal gardens laid out by the late tenant.

I visited Newark Park on a detour after finding that somewhere else at which I had intended to stop was closed that day. However I liked Newark Park and found it an interesting visit.

Osterley Park, London

National Trust.
Osterley Park stands on the site of an Elizabethan mansion which was radically reworked by Robert Adam from 1761 onwards. A grand double portico added by Adam closes the courtyard and provides an imposing entrance. Adam created many grand rooms with décor evoking the world of Greece and Rome. Noteworthy are a grand hall and the Etruscan Dressing Room.
Outside is a large park with trees and a lake.
There is quite a lot to see at Osterley Park.
When I visited, my sat-nav delivered me to a lane leading to a back entrance to the park, but I didn’t have to pay any parking charges there. Official entrance & parking are at Jersey Road. Osterley tube station is a mile from the Park.