Saturday 11 August 2018

Four go to Attingham Park

We're well into August now, and it is beginning to feel a bit strange blogging about our holiday back in June. With the passing of time, those early Summer days have taken on that dreamlike quality, and looking back at these halcyon days feels like looking through a pair of inverted binoculars, shrinking them into rose-tinted, feel-good memories.

But I haven't finished my story yet, so once more I'm climbing into my Time Machine, this time setting the controls for the Wednesday of our second week.

The date had been pencilled into our diaries for over a week: a visit to another National Trust property, called Attingham Park, an 18th-century mansion and estate.


But I said date because that's exactly what it was! It wasn't just the two of us visiting Attingham Park, you know! Well, some of you know already, having read all about it in Vix's blog post back in June.


Indeed, our partners in crime for the day were these two lovely people: Vix and her partner, Jon!


But back to Attingham Park. It was just over half an hour's drive from where we were staying, but typically our journey got just that little bit longer as, in spite of our satnav's excellent instructions, we managed to drive past the entrance. This meant we had to keep on driving along the retaining wall of the estate until we finally arrived at a road leading off to the right, where we were able to turn around.

Then, there were some stubborn cows blocking our way in the middle of the driveway. These are part of the herd of heritage and rare breed cattle who graze the lawns of Attingham Park, and who belong to the tenant farmer of the estate's home farm.

Having finally made it to the car park, we waited at its entrance until a couple of minutes later Vix and Jon's van came trundling along.


As Vix had already blogged about the estate, which she visited on her birthday last year, we were kind of expecting to get a guided tour, but they both kept insisting that this was their first visit until they saw the gorgeous Grade II listed Regency bee house (top right).

That settled, we set off for a walk through the grounds, starting with the beautiful Georgian walled gardens which, apart from extensive kitchen gardens with original glasshouses, contain colourfully planted borders, the ones lining the main path hedged with the purplest of lavenders.



The walled gardens were established in 1780 to provide food for the estate and, in fact, the gardens as well as the apple orchard containing 160 trees and over 37 varieties of apple, still produce flowers for the mansion, as well as the fruit and vegetables used in the café and tearoom. You can even buy some of the freshly harvested produce in the Stables Shop.



Now, you are probably wondering what we're all staring at here? It's something that's making us smile, that's for sure!

Well, no longer keeping you in suspense, it's a tree sculpture in the orchard, carved from a tree stump and possibly representing James and the Giant Peach.


Surrounded by acres of parkland, there’s plenty of space to stretch your legs, as there are miles of walks around the estate.

The landscape you see at Attingham today was designed by Humphry Repton, the great landscape designer of the late 1700s and early 1800s, who was commissioned by Thomas, 2nd Lord Berwick, in 1797 to work on proposals for his land at Attingham.

We decided on a leisurely walk around the estate, which at first took us along a path through the woodland, the quiet only pierced by the non-stop chattering of us girls, the boys following quite a few paces behind us!



Coming out of the woodland, an unusual rope bridge awaited us. This took us over the river Tern and to the entrance of the Deer Park.

Fallow deer roam the deer park and have been doing so for over 200 years, but we didn't spot any.

But wait: both Jon and Jos thought they detected some movement in the far distance among the ferns and bracken on our left: one of the deer raising its head, perhaps. Having no binoculars on us, it was hard to be sure.



Now and then, we were treated with a tantalizing glimpse of the house on our right.

The many ponds are a haven for wildlife of all sorts, from ducks, swans and otters to dragonflies, at the same time serving as watering holes for the freely roaming herd of cows.


Eventually we ended up crossing a lovely stone bridge with a weir while we were heading back towards the mansion for a spot of lunch.

Afterwards, we made our way to the mansion to explore its three floors at our own pace.

Only five generations of the Berwick family lived at Attingham, but they left an impressive and enduring legacy of love and neglect, as their fortunes rose and fell.



The mansion was built in 1782–85 by Noel Hill, 1st Baron Berwick, and designed by architect George Steuart. Inside, the mansion is divided into ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ sides, with rooms decorated accordingly in different styles.

The elegant Georgian drawing room is furnished with 18th century Italian furniture, some of which is said to have belonged to Napoleon's sister (above, bottom right).

The Boudoir, decorated with gilded cupids and other symbols of love, was created for the 1st Lady Berwick, as her own intimate space in the feminine wing of Attingham (above, top left and below, bottom left).


In some of the rooms, several items of vintage clothing were on display; These were of course greatly admired by the girls! I could definitely see myself in the blue 1960s number on the bottom right.

The 2nd Lord Berwick and his wife were big spenders, so much so that two bankruptcy auctions had to be held to clear their debt. Part of their extravagance was the picture gallery, a flamboyant room designed by John Nash, with its glass roof, which apparently is always leaking.



A magnificent circular staircase off the picture gallery, also designed by John Nash, leads to the upper floors of the mansion, the huge mirror on the landing inviting some creative photography on Jos's part. Such a pity Vix had just stepped out of the frame, as we would all have been in the photo on the top left. 


The rooms on the first floor are left unfurnished. In fact, they are still being renovated: a slow and painstaking process which, as part of the Attingham Re-discovered project began in 2006, focuses on carrying out conservation-in-action, in full view of the public, rather than behind closed doors. Some of the rooms have exhibits about the history of the family or offer glimpses into the archives.


Our tour of the house completed, we were in need of some refreshments, after which, alas, it was time to say goodbye.

But not before Jon had persuaded one of the National Trust staff to take a photo of all four of us together. I'm sure Vix won't mind me pinching that photo from her blog ...

But the day wasn't over for us yet! We were all set for the drive back to our cottage and started following our satnav's instructions, even though we were a bit mystified that it made us drive in the opposite direction. It was only when we had literally driven around the block that we realized we'd forgotten to enter our destination, so it was trying to take us back to Attingham Park!

We stopped in a lay-by, rectified our mistake, and drove on, when suddenly we passed Wroxeter Roman City on our right.  It would have been silly not to stop for a visit, so we did.



Once the fourth largest city in Roman Britain, today the most impressive features of its fascinating ruins are the 2nd century municipal baths and the remains of the huge wall dividing them from the exercise hall in the heart of the city. 

Over the road, which is the final stretch of Watling Street Roman road, is the new Roman Town House, constructed as part of Channel 4’s "Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day".



What better place for a close-up of my frock? This was the maxi I'd picked up in a charity shop two days before. I was happy to find it, as I hadn't packed nearly enough summer frocks, and was running out of things to wear. Who'd have thought we would have such marvellous weather, anyway?

I'm taking my maxi dress to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style!

34 comments:

  1. What a wonderful day you had, Ann! What a beautiful place to visit and how great that you could meet up with friends. Your dress is so pretty! I love the colours and print. Very stylish and summery! That's so great that you had such lovely weather too! Hope you are having a relaxing weekend, Ann. XXX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sasha! What a lucky find that dress was, and to think I almost left it behind as I thought it would be too small ... xxx

      Delete
  2. That's what I love about the UK-you get a bit off the path and you stumble on a Roman ruin! What a fantastic, fun day that must have been for all of you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess that's exactly why we keep returning ... xxx

      Delete
  3. Ann you look stunning in thix maxi! Luckily you found it. this summer is a great dress eater :))
    Thank you do much for this trip with you an Vix and these wonderful trip.
    A very huge hug, Tina

    ReplyDelete
  4. I enjoyed Vix's post and I love to jump into the time machine with you! Such a beautiful stroll and four gorgeous people! The new frock looks awesome on you, dear Ann! What a lucky find, and so on time too. Jos did a wonderful job with the mirror photography, and all of the pictures are just such a joy to revisit again and again!! I'd love to have enough space for all, feminine and masculine, and teenage... :)

    Lots of love!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed it, Natalia! Wouldn't it be lovely to have all that space? xxx

      Delete
  5. loved that estate right from vix´ first post about it (the b-day post) and i get not tired to look at in the 3. report - wich is yours....
    your new dress is very chic - what a lucky strike! and your nav know something to direct you to the roman ruins ;-D
    huge hugs!!! xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our satnav can be quite stubborn, but all is forgiven when it takes us to fabulous places like that! xxx

      Delete
  6. That looks like you had a lovely time. It's so fab to see you and Vix hanging out together.

    That Roman city looks fascinating. I'm a sucker for Roman remains, though my husband's not such a fan...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a fabulous time, Mim, and stumbling upon that Roman city was serendipity, as it was on our list of things to do anyway. xxx

      Delete
  7. so lovely to come back to this beautiful day!, the building, the furniture, the garden and the fabulous people! it's so amazing to see you with the lovely Vix and looking so gorgeous in your maxi dresses!
    And this Roman city looks really interesting (these things are just my cup of tea!)
    besos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Monica, it was indeed lovely to relive that wonderful day! xxx

      Delete
  8. Ann this looks like a wonderful day.
    THe park looks amaziing, so lovely. Thank you for sharing your impressions.

    take a look at my BLOG and my INSTAGRAM

    ReplyDelete
  9. The sky looks so blue, a nice reminder on a grey day like today!
    You had a lovely day out and all photographed to perfection.
    I love the tree stump carving, I really want on in my garden, a friend of mine had a stump carved into a hedgehog.
    I'm still enjoying your holiday journal! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sally, I'm glad you've been enjoying my travelogue. A tree stump carved into a hedgehog sounds lovely! xxx

      Delete
  10. What a lovely day you had! How nice to meet up with Vix and her partner. I agree you look lovely in the new maxi dress, lovely colours!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Linda, it was such an amazing day! xxx

      Delete
  11. Looks like the most enchanting day, Ann, complete with wonderful tree sculptures. And how great to hang out with Vix and Jon - i am happy-jealous of you all! xox



    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Patti, and enchanting is the right word! xxx

      Delete
  12. It was so fun you got to spend a full day with Vix and Jon.

    You are both look magnificent in your vintage maxis.

    That stump was cool! All of these heritage sites look like so much fun to visit. I'm also delighted that they offer food as well.

    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Suzanne! Most of the bigger sites have on site cafés or restaurants, so that you can spend a whole day there, although you can always take a picnic ... xxx

      Delete
  13. That Roman city is amazing - I love that history in the UK is so DEEP. Wonderful pictures, and great to see all of you. I'd hang out with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd hang out with you too, Sheila! Wouldn't that be fun? xxx

      Delete
  14. Looks like you had a brilliant day and your maxi dress looks fabulous - and cool!
    Xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Veronica, that maxi dress was such a timely find! xxx

      Delete
  15. Fantastic! The outfits and the scenery!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ho lovely to tune in and be reminded of that wonderful day we spent in Attingham together, how time flies! It won't be long before we meet you next year at this rate!
    You and Jos ending up at Wroxeter made me giggle, those evil sat navs, eh? it looks fantastic though, Jon & I ought to have a cultural day out there when the summer madness is over! xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can't believe it's almost two months now! And yes, satnavs really are evil, trying to trick innocent people like us. Although in this case, it wasn't such a bad thing ... Oh, and if you decide to visit Wroxeter, there are one or two other EH sites nearby. xxx

      Delete
  17. Looks like a lovely day in beautiful surroundings. How interesting that they're doing the conservation-in-action. That must be fascinating to see, especially if you can keep returning to see the progress.
    The dress is perfect, love it.
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Hazel. I think the conservation scheme is interesting too, but I hear that a lot of people complain that some rooms aren't finished ... xxx

      Delete