My Days Out Blog – Page 22 – Author Kim J Cowie's travel blog

Tatton Park, Cheshire

National Trust.
Tatton Park is a complete historic estate with the Neo-Classical mansion, a Tudor Old hall, 50 acres of landscaped gardens, a working farm and over 1000 acres of deer park. It was owned for hundreds of years by the Egerton family. The core of the present mansion was completed around 1716. The mansion was then extensively altered in the fashionable Neo-Classical style in two stages between 1780 and 1813, by the architects Samuel Wyatt and his nephew Lewis Wyatt.
The Mansion is richly furnished and has a valuable collection of paintings and books. In the Library, facsimiles are displayed of one or two of the more interesting volumes, including the Wallington Manuscript facsimile (a diary of the Civil War period which makes very interesting reading with its enthusiastic descriptions of executions and civil warfare).

The Gardens have many areas with flowering trees etc, several large ponds, a Japanese garden (seen from perimeter), Italian Garden, 6 acre kitchen garden, tropical and temperate conservatories.

When I visited, I enjoyed an interesting special tour conducted by two “servants” which started at 10.30 am. Then I visited the gardens (large and impressive) then made a free-flow visit to house. Total 4.5 hours. (Click on images below to enlarge)

Tatton Japanese Garden — Japanese Garden

Stairwell ceiling, Tatton — Stairwell ceiling

Maurice Egerton Exhibition Room — Exhibition Room

Lyme Park, Cheshire

National Trust.
Lyme Park has been gradually developed since the Middle Ages. It was largely rebuilt during the reign of Elizabeth I, and the centre of the north front dates from this period. The Palladian courtyard, South front and West front date from the 18th century, and further alterations, mainly affecting the interiors, were carried out by the architect Lewis Wyatt in the 19th century. Wyatt altered floor levels, access routes and the functions of many of the principal rooms as well as changing the decor.
Internally, the house has a generally Jacobean aspect. Some rooms, like the Drawing Room, have survived from the Jacobean period with minor alterations, while others have been reworked, while still being fitted out in a Jacobean style.
The house was owned by the Legh family from the Middle Ages till 1946.
On the first floor, many of the principal rooms are on display, while on the second floor, the Long Gallery and some other rooms can be seen. A tour can take around 2 hours.
The gardens, mostly to the south, are very fine, with a lake and large changes of level. The Dutch formal garden seen from far above is particularly impressive. There is also a substantial park (not seen).
Photography of the interior of the house is not permitted, but I took some pictures of the gardens (click on images to enlarge).

South Front from gardens across lake — South front

Informal garden with lake & house — Informal gardens

Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire

National Trust.
The Mill was started in the 18th century and remained in the ownership of the Greg family for five generations. The business closed in the 1950’s. The workers, housed nearby, included children as young as nine, and unpaid pauper apprentices. The cotton was cheap because it was produced by slaves in the southern United States. The mill was powered by water-wheels, and later by steam.
The original mill building contains exhibitions and representative old spinning and weaving machines, which can be seen running (noisy!). The machines were originally powered by water or steam power (latterly electricity), and in the lower levels a working restored water wheel and some working steam engines can be seen. It’s interesting to see what impact the production of cotton cloth had (social change, industrialisation, riots) and what ingenuity went into producing a piece of cloth.
Beyond the mill, the Quarry Bank garden and kitchen garden can be seen. Further afield are the Apprentice House and the Styal Village (not seen).
This is an interesting site, and a proper visit will occupy about half a day.

Quarry Bank spinning machine — Spinning machine

Wightwick Manor, Wolverhampton

National Trust
Wightwick Manor is one of the finest surviving examples of a house furnished under the influence of the Victorian Arts and Crafts Movement. Thought built in the late nineteenth century, it is designed to look like a late medieval house, with its external black-and-white timbering and small-paned leaded windows. The eastern half, which was built later, is the more richly decorated, with stripes, swirls and quatrefoils, said to be in the style of Tudor buildings of the Welsh Marches.
Inside, the house has a more or less medieval-style interior, with all the latest 19th century conveniences. The contents, collected at various periods in the house’s history, include Pre-Raphaelite art and other collectibles from the Victorian period.
The formal gardens and grounds of 19 acres include two lakes, a vegetable garden and woodland.
Wightwick Manor (pronounced “Wittick”), inside and out, is a must-see for fans of Victorian art, design and architecture.

A few miles away I stumbled on the “Tudor House” at Histons Hill, Oaken, by the side of a busy road. It looks as if it has been crumbling there since the Tudor period, but in fact was built during the 20th century by the architect KH Smith, using timbers from several ancient buildings.

Rollright Stones, Oxfordshire

Rollright 'Whispering Knights' — Whispering Knights

English Heritage associate.
The Rollright Stones are three groups of prehistoric standing stones in rural Oxfordshire. Next to the lay-by is the King’s Men stone circle, around the edge of the field are the stones of the Whispering Knights burial chamber, and across the road from the lay-by is the single King’s Stone. All the stones look heavily eroded.
The large stone circle, restored in the 19th century, is thought to be a ritual circle, and the Knights are the remains of a funeral barrow. The stones represent 2000 years of Neolithic and Bronze Age development. There are other relics, not visible to the untrained eye, in the area.
The site is owned by the Rollright Trust, and there is a charge of £1 for admission. Refreshments, toilet, guidebook and postcards are available at Wyatts Farm Shop, about a mile away by car in the direction of Great Rollright.

Click on image to enlarge

Daylesford Organic Farm, Gloucestershire

I visited Daylesford Organic Farm on the occasion of their recent summer Open day, mainly because my sister wanted to go and my nephew works there. The farm has a fairly high publicity profile, being featured on the ITV “Saturday Farm” cookery series. Daylesford farms several thousand acres in Gloucestershire and had herds of cattle and sheep including rare breeds. There is also a market garden. At the farm site are several retail outlets including a delicatessen, cafe and other onsite facilities such as a health spa and couture shop. One has only to glance at the buildings to see that a lot of money has been invested here (Daylesford is backed by the Bamford (JCB) empire). Don’t come here if you are looking for BOGOF bargains – the food is priced for people who have loads of money, or want to give themselves a pesticide-free treat.
For details of what they do, and the various associated companies and outlets, check their website.

Arbury Hall, Warwickshire

Private.
Arbury Hall was originally built on the site of a 12th century Augustinian Priory. The Elizabethan house was remodelled in Gothic style for Sir Roger Newdigate during the second half of the 18th century. The exterior of the old hall was entirely encased in stone. The fine gardens also date from the 18th Century.
The Newdigate family has owned the house and estate since 1586.
The author George Eliot was born on the estate, and a fictionalized version of the house and estate appears in her work.

The house is a splendid example of Gothic Revival style, a style which later influenced much of Victorian architecture. The ceilings in the principal rooms are fan vaulted in plaster in a manner apparently inspired by Westminster Abbey. In the principal sitting-room the ceiling is more ornate and more high-relief than one could believe possible if one had not seen it with one’s own eyes. Above the present entrance front is a long gallery with many curios on display, including a collection of antique firearms and native weapons.
Views of the house interiors can be found on the estate website.
The house and gardens are infrequently open to the public (Bank Holiday Sunday/Mondays only in 2013).

The entrance to the house is via a gateway in Stockingford village (B4012/B4112). A very long driveway follows; beware the ill-marked speed bumps!
Admission to the house is by guided tour only. The Spring Bank Holiday opening proved popular, and visitors had to queue for half an hour or more for a tour. (Other establishments would have issued timed tickets). The gardens, which (in spring) feature many flowering trees, are well worth seeing. There are several lakes.

From garden towards lake — From formal garden

Click on images to enlarge

Kew Bridge Steam Museum, London

Kew Bridge Standpipe Tower — Museum landmark

Museum
The Kew Bridge Steam Museum dubs itself ‘London’s Museum of Water Supply’. It is housed in the historic premises of the former Grand Junction Water Works Company. Several of the Company’s beam pumping engines are in their original positions. As the number of engines was increased over the years to meet demand, the engines are diverse, rather than being a matched set, as at, e.g. Crossness. The Museum also houses several collected steam pumping engines from elsewhere, and one original and several collected diesel pump engines.
The 90 inch and 100 inch engines (original) are so big that the visitor is obliged to stand inside the engine mechanism rather than beside it.
The tower is not a chimney, but contains a pressure-balancing water standpipe.
Most of the engines are in working order, and a selection of them can be seen running on ‘steam’ weekends. It’s worth going on a weekend when the engines are being run in turn, if you can. I spent over four hours at the site on my visit.
If you are interested in steam power and industrial archaeology this is well worth a visit.
The Museum is a few minutes’ walk from Kew Bridge railway station. On-site parking is limited.

Kew Bridge Triple Expansion Engine — Triple Expansion eng.

Kew Bridge- James Kay 'Dancers End' eng. — James Kay eng.

Kew Bridge, 100" engine cylinder top view — 100" eng.

Kew bridge, 100" engine beam — 100" eng. beam

Kew bridge Boulton & Watt engine cylinder top view — Boulton & Watt

Knole, Kent

National Trust
One’s first impression of Knole is that it’s big. The frontage is very long, and is exceeded by the depth, and there are seven courtyards. On the approach one can also see part of the massive wall of Lord Sackville’s walled garden.
Passing through the arched main entrance, one enters the Green Court, with some fine frontages. Visitor reception and the garden are to the right. Note that after checking in (or paying) at the visitor reception, one is expected to present one’s ticket at the garden entrance (if open) and at the Great Hall.

It’s worth making the effort to come on a Tuesday, when Lord Sackville’s walled garden is open. The walled garden is the size of a municipal park and features trees rather than flowerbeds in a variety of differing areas. It wraps around two sides of the house, (SW & SE) and these exteriors can not be seen from outside the garden. (Actually when I visited, the south end of the house was wrapped in scaffolding and plastic, and not visible anyway.) The wider park (huge) is rather bare and brown by comparison.

The Stone Court has some fine frontages. The Great Hall is an impressive room with a fine carved screen. Beyond it, only a fraction of Knole is open to visitors, mostly in areas behind the SW and SE frontages. There is a large collection of paintings, and some very old furniture collected from Royal palaces, and a collection of fine china. There is a room with furniture made of silver. The house dates from the Tudor period, and has not been radically remodelled since, so expect everything to look … old. At least one area is alarmed, so don’t let your brat run around unchecked 🙂

Be aware that the interior of the house is unheated and draughty, so if you visit on a chilly, breezy spring day, dress as for outdoors, as it will be as cold as the park! The old ‘Estate Office’ is the only visitor room that is properly heated.

If you have time, walk around the outside towards the tea-room to look at the north exterior and peer into the Stable Court (private).

Knole is a healthy 1.5 mile walk from Sevenoaks railway station, mostly uphill. Parking at the house is £4 (NT members free).

Marsh plant in walled garden, Knole — Garden, Marsh plant

(click on images to enlarge)

Carlyle’s House

National Trust
The house in Chelsea was rented for over 40 years by the Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane. They were visited there by many of the famous literary names of the Victorian era. Nowadays, Jane Carlyle’s lively letters are probably more widely read than Thomas Carlyle’s multi-volume histories.
Not long after Carlyle died, the freehold of the property was acquired for a museum to commemorate Carlyle. The National Trust took over the property in 1936 and over the years many of the Carlyles’ possessions have been returned to the house. The house is largely unaltered and is presented much as it would have looked when the Carlyles lived there. On the top floor is a study, windowless except for a skylight, where Carlyle did much of his writing. It was designed to be soundproof, but it seems this was not a success.
In each room there are several cards with information about the Carlyles and their famous friends and visitors.
In the basement is the kitchen, and there is access to the rear garden. Even if you don’t know much about Carlyle, it is interesting as a Victorian middle-class house.

Nearest tube stations are South Kensington and Sloane Square (1 mile) and there are buses to Carlyle Square on the King’s Road (1/4 mile)
On foot it is easiest to find Cheyne Walk at the river, then the Carlyle statue and Cheyne Row.