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The University of Oxford Botanic Garden (founded 1621) is the oldest botanic garden in Britain. A square walled space, the Walled Garden, contains rectangular beds with the scientific collection of plants from many countries, and beyond the walls are the Lower Garden housing the ornamental plants, and glasshouses.
Two of the formal plots in the Walled Garden contain plants of use in medicine.
The most interesting section of the Lower Garden is the Merton Borders, a sustainable and diverse planting, from seed and unfertilised, of plants from three dry grassland areas of the world. Intensive care and seasonal replanting is avoided. As well as being an interesting concept, it looks very pretty.
One of the glass houses contains cacti.
The Gardens have literary associations including Tolkien and “His Dark Materials.”
(Visit date: July 2014)
The Garden is opposite Magdalen College. Admission fees apply.
If travelling by car, note that there is very limited parking other than the Oxford Park & Ride.

National Trust for Scotland
Pollok House was built on an estate near Glasgow for the 2nd Baronet, Sir John Maxwell, in the 18th century. The architect is unknown. The 10th Baronet commenced alterations, completed in the early 20th century, which added a new entrance hall and two side wings in a matching 18th century style. In 1966 the house, the Stirling Maxwell Collection and 146 hectares (361 acres) of the estate were gifted by the family to the City of Glasgow. In 1998 management of Pollok House was transferred to the National Trust for Scotland.
Inside, the house and its extensions are finished in an 18th century style, with ornate plaster ceilings and much light-coloured walls and white-painted woodwork. The Trust has restored the furniture and contents as far as possible to their appearance in the 1930’s when the 10th Baronet was in residence. The house contains some notable paintings, including an important collection of Spanish art.
Notable rooms include the Library, in the eastern extension, which contains two paintings by El Greco, and the Dining Room.
Upstairs some bedrooms can be seen, while in the basement much of the extensive Basement Corridor laid out in 1900, service rooms and servants’ quarters can be seen.
The house and gardens are well worth a visit. The paintings and other contents are of interest. (The house looks more impressive from the gardens side.) There are walled gardens and an old stable block in the grounds.

The house is in Pollok Country Park. It is accessible by bus, and by train. Pollokshaws West station is 200 yards from the park entrance.
If arriving by car, note that you can drive through the park, though the roads are quite narrow. Visitors to Pollok House may park in the courtyard in front of the house. There is another free car park about 150 yards away on the edge of the Country Park. Parking is also available in the middle of the Park adjacent to the Burrell Collection building, but this car park has parking meters.

Private
I visited this in Aug 2010, but there was no entry in the blog and I appear to have taken no photographs.
The house does not look interesting from the road, but on the other side one can see the pointed windows of the ancient hall, an old barn (with museum), dovecote, grounds, and an Elizabethan herb garden. Inside the house are some interesting old rooms.
The property was part of a cathedral estate until 1847.

There is a website.

Private
(Visited as part of “Open House London.”)
A former royal residence hidden behind Pall Mall. It was originally designed by Sir Christopher Wren for the Duchess of Marlborough, who dismissed her architect in 1710 and supervised the work herself. It was finished in 1711. In the nineteenth century the house was substantially altered and extended, with added wings and two more floors. The Crown bought back the lease in 1817, and the last royal resident was Queen Mary (died 1954, widow of George V). It became a Commonwealth centre in 1962.
The double-height Blenheim Saloon has ceiling paintings originally made for the Queen’s House at Greenwich, wall paintings depicting the battle of Blenheim, and other art. Downstairs are a series of finely decorated staterooms, with art. There are two stairwells with wall-paintings.
There is a large and attractive garden at the rear, but as it is largely laid out as lawn you need not allow much time for looking around it. Keep off the grass!
Not normally open to the public (except by pre-booked group tour).
Exterior photos only.

Open House London 2013
Get into great architecture for free 21-22 Sept.

Heritage Open Days (England) 2013
Historic buildings opened for free + events 12-15 Sept.

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.

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