Glendurgan Garden, Cornwall

Situated next to the Trebah Estate are the, probably, even better gardens of Glendurgan. Created in much the same style of typical Cornish valley garden by the same Fox family, it takes full advantage of the mild climate to grow nearly sub tropical plants. It has been looked after by the National Trust since 1962 although the house is still owned by the family.

The famous Glendurgan Maze

Click here to view more pictures from the visit

Levant Mine, Cornwall

Since retiring we have spent quite a lot of our new free time wandering around some of the many stately homes and gardens that are to be found all around the country. I have not been a great one for mechanical things, and have generally preferred to ignore steam fairs, motor shows and the like, never really being able to get excited by gleaming metal, piston rods and spurts of smoke and steam.

Back in the Spring whilst holidaying in Cornwall we decided that we would have a look at some of our industrial heritage and so set off to visit Levant Mine near to St. Just, perhaps one of the most famous of the many tin mines. Although renowned for tin production, actually most of the production was copper, tin appearing towards the end of its life. Although many of the buildings are now in ruins, careful restoration by the National Trust of some of them helps to give a clear indication of how impressive the mine was in its prime. And the scenery along the coast is stunning.

We joined a guided tour and I have to admit that I found the guide's enthusiasm for his subject quite infectious and did actually enjoy the moment when we went into the engine house to see the restored beam engine come to life. What was really interesting was the constant stream of facts relating to the lives of the miners in bygone days which really bring home the need for some of the Health and Safety matters that we sometimes find so irksome in our lives today. The excellent Levant Mine web site gives much more information.

Click here for more views from the visit.

St Michael's Mount, Cornwall

Situated at the South-eastern tip of Cornwall is probably one of the most evocative of all the properties owned by the National Trust. It is an island at all but low tide conditions, and access is by a short boat ride, and whilst it is possible to walk over the causeway when the tide is out, it feels more like you have taken a journey if you use the boats.
One requirement of a visit is that you are reasonably fit as the climb up to the castle is steep and can be slippery in wet weather. A wonderful garden has been created by the St. Auben family on the slopes all around the castle. The effort required just to walk around them makes you realise what it must have taken create them.

For more pictures, click here

Painted Lady

The recent hot spell has brought a sudden welcome rush of visitors to the garden. It had seemed that the decline of the butterfly was becoming terminal, but the last few days has seen much interest in our oregano in particular by the Painted Ladies.

More butterflies

Hardwick Hall, Nottinghamshire

We had a very hot but enjoyable day out visiting Hardwick Hall recently. The house, now managed by the National Trust, is one of the finest Elizabethan properties to be seen and reflects the wealth of Bess of Hardwick for whom it was built in the 16th century.

The gardens are largely formal, and there is a restored herb garden which it is well worth making the effort to see.

For more pictures of the visit, click here

Logan's Rock, Cornwall

Many years ago, too many in fact, I went to Logan's Rock in Cornwall and distinctly remember seeing a "rocking" stone balanced precariously on the cliff top. This year I relived my childhood memories and went back there, or at least tried to. Parking up at the car park in Treen we set off to walk across the fields to see Logan's Rock, and whilst we saw what everyone tells me was indeed Logan's Rock, it was not as I recalled it. There was no "rocking" stone, just lots of magnificent views, and lots of rocks, but not the one I wanted.
Maybe it has been pushed back off its perch, back onto the beach as it was in 1824. After this incident it had to be hauled back up the cliffs, all 80 or so tons of it, and re-sited. Never mind, it was a glorious walk, although some of the scrambling over the rocks made me more aware of the differences between the two visits. Maybe the French are right. Vive la difference!

For more pictures of the visit, click here

Kiftsgate Court Gardens

A recent day out took us to one of our favourite areas, the Cotswolds, to visit an old favourite, and a new. Kiftsgate Court Gardens was new to us, but I am sure we will be back there as it is simply a garden lovers delight. It is situated in Gloucestershire has some wonderful gardens created on the top of, and down the side of the Cotswold escarpment just south of Mickleton and was built in 1887-91 by Sydney Graves Hamilton who owned Mickleton Manor, on to which one of his ancestors, Walwyn Graves (1744-1813), had built a Georgian front with a high portico. This facade was moved, with the help of a specially constructed light railway, up to a new site on Glyde Hill and become Kiftsgate Court.

There were peonies in abundance during our visit where I think they must have relished the sunny sheltered spot in the Four Squares garden on the upper terrace.

Although the gardens are not huge, they do pack an awful lot into a relatively small and difficult place to work. This White Sunk Garden does now have some other colours introduced which give it a greater variety.

The Water Garden was created on what was once the tennis court, and the surrounding yew hedges add to the feeling of serenity created by the flat reflective surface of the water.

For more pictures, click here

After a very pleasant visit here we took a trip just up the road to Hidcot Manor Gardens, to complete a heavenly day.

Trebah Gardens, Cornwall

A wonderful example of what can be done by the determined retiree. 26 acres of ravine garden restored by the Hibbert family after 40 years of neglect, before handing it over to a Trust.

View to the house from the Mallard Pond

Trebah Valley

Gunnera

Day Lily

Looking across the valley

For more pictures, click here

Hidcote Manor Gardens

Situated on the northern edge of the escarpment of the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire is a magnificent Arts & Crafts garden, created by Major Lawrence Johnston. The position creates considerable climatic problems that have to be overcome, but you would never know it when you see the results.

The house is not open to the public apart from parts of it used for its tea-room and shop. 
Lawrence Johnston was born in Paris and came to England to study at Cambridge. His mother bought Hidcote Manor in 1907 and he started to develop it soon after.

Each room or compartment is themed, and this photograph in October maintains the colours from earlier in the year.

Here we can see the red border in the autumn.

I just love lilies.

For more pictures of the whole garden gathered over a number of visits, click here.

Shugborough Hall

Last weekend, we took a trip to Shugborough Hall in the Trent Valley, Staffordshire. This is another National Trust property, although the estate is wholly financed, administered and maintained by Staffordshire County Council. Our main interest was the house and its gardens, but there is a great deal more to do there in the form of museums, exhibits and working farms, much of which would have appeal for the younger visitor. The house was until recently the home of the late Earl of Lichfield, whose photography was of particular interest to me, and there was a wonderful exhibition of some of his photographs which make me realise I have a long way yet to go!

The original house was built in 1693 but greatly added to during the mid part of the 18th century by the Anson family.

The house sits beside the River Sow some few miles upstream of its joining with the River Trent. It is a very pleasant setting for the house and its gardens, although the formal gardens will require a few weeks yet before the roses are all in bloom, when I am sure they will be magnificent.

Away from the house there are some very fine walks alongside the river which at this time were splendid for their rhododendrons and azaleas. In the grounds are several neo-classical monuments, one of which is "The Shepherd's Monument" which takes its name from the marble relief depicting two lovers listening to an ancient shepherd, and is based on a painting by Nicholas Poussin.
If you look more closely at the base you can see an inscription.
This is said by some to be a "Da Vinci" code as Poussin was thought to be a Grand Master of Knights Templar and the original painting is housed in the Louvre, although the code was actually added by Thomas Anson. The dots after the letters are believed to indicate that these are only the first letters of words and in 2004, Bletchley Park code breakers were invited to try to crack the code. I think they are probably still working on it.

For more information see Shugborough Hall, and for more pictures of my visit see my Shugborough Album .

Packwood House again

We took a trip to Packwood House again last week, mainly to see what was going on the gardens. We were not dissapointed by the plants, but, it being a Bank Holiday, and not wishing to be too snobby, there were one or two less desirables in attendance. One couple, although obviously not unintelligent, were encouraging there beloved offspring to try to jump across the ornamental pool in the sunken garden without falling in. Unfortunately they didn't (fall in that is), but the otherwise serene atmosphere was greatly disturbed.
Should I, or someone have said something to them? They certainly had plenty of disapproving looks, but to little effect, so I think that they would have been truely amazed that they might be causing offense.
Otherwise the gardens were magnificent as I hope these photos show:

More photos from previous visits to Packwood.

St Ives, Cornwall

A mild climate is how the tourist information describes this famous Cornish fishing village. Actually it was decidedly cold and grey on the day we went to visit, but this was not really a problem as the main purpose of the trip was to see what all the fuss was about at the Tate St. Ives gallery.
The new building has been squeezed onto the seafront opposite the Porthmeor surfing beach, and in spite of, or perhaps because of, its striking dissimilarity with the surroundings, it actually fits rather well. I must say that inside there is a lot of space and not a huge amount of art so that the building does tend to dominate somewhat. Whilst we were there, there was an exhibition of paintings by J W M Turner covering his tours in the South West. Some years ago we saw another Turner exhibition at the Birmingham Art Gallery of his more usual paintings and we were particularly interested in seeing his work from a rather earlier period.
More information can be found at Light into Colour Turner in the South West.

The view from the rooftop restaurant is excellent, as was the meal that we ate there. I suspect that the beach is not usually so deserted, but there were certainly no hardy souls in evidence at all. The huddle of houses which comprises much of the town are mostly former fishing community residences, although today they are either art galleries or else holiday lets.

St Ives is notable for its more recent history as a centre for artists and a fascinating hour or so can be spent at the Barbara Hepworth Museum in the town, where many of the works she created there are on display in the garden. One of the nice features there is that all the works of art are accessible and touchable, so that getting up close and personal are actually encouraged. Seeing these pieces does bring home the scale of the work involved, although some do defy my definition of art.

No visit to Cornwall is complete without a picture of one of the residents.

More pictures from the day can be seen in my galleries.

May Blossom

Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is out! I'm not sure who came up with this particular old saying, but I have always understood it to mean the May blossom, and not the month of May. This year our May blossom has been in bloom for some time, but any clouts cast have been pretty soon put back on again.

Perhaps it is the month that is refered to after all. It's nearly the end of the month and the sun is actually shining today, so maybe now is the time!

Mousehole, Cornwall

We recently spent a very pleasant week in the West Country, basing ourselves in Mousehole, a small, former fishing village situated about 3 miles beyond Penzance along Mounts Bay in a westerly direction. Our home for the week was a bungalow at the top of the village with fine views across the bay. Although it was not particularly warm, the weather was mostly dry and perfect for the type of things that we like doing.

Pronounced “Mowzel”, the name for the village is believed, by some, to have originated from the very large cave to be found a few hundred yards along the coast from the harbour. This may or may not be the case, but there is, nevertheless, still much interest in the origin of the name. Looking down over the village we had a good view of the rocky outcrop of St Clement's Isle where it is said that a hermit used to live.

The harbour is almost circular, and is protected from the rough seas by two sturdy breakwaters. The entrance is sometimes closed by wooden beams to keep the force of the sea at bay and to protect the village. There are still a few fishing boats working from here, but mostly you will find pleasure craft.

The view across the bay gives a fine sighting of the castle of St Michael’s Mount. Differing weather conditions create quite different moods, but always there is an air of mystery.

It was in Mousehole that Dolly Pentreath lived some 200 years ago, and said to be the last person to speak the Cornish language as her natural tongue. There is a memorial to her in the churchyard at Paul, a small village just above Mousehole. Although we went through this village most days, I confess to having not seen it. Although it is reckoned that the Cornish language is making a comeback, I can’t say I heard anything of it. Not like being in Wales!

The way down to the harbour took you through narrow winding streets past the many small former fishing family cottages. Many now seem to be holiday lets, or else second homes to wealthy town dwellers. Thomas Dylan (1930) described Mousehole as “the loveliest village in England”, a title that remains true to the present day.

More pictures of Mousehole can be viewed in my galleries.

Killerton House

We recently took a trip down to the West Country, and to break up the journey to the southern tip of Cornwall we stopped off at Killerton House in Devon, close to Exeter which has been in the hands of the National Trust since 1944 when it was given to them by Sir Richard Ackland. The house itself dates back to 1779 when it was built for Sir Thomas Ackland by the acrcitect John Johnson. Ther have been several additions over the years, the latest being the entrance hall in 1924.

As you walk through the woods around the southern boundary you come to the Memorial erected to commemorate Sir Thomas Dyke Ackland in 1873 by 40 of his friends from the all party political dining club, the Grillion, which still exists today.

There are extensive grounds including both parkland and formal gardens, and the somewhat late spring this year, has given rise to better than usual displays.

This is the Bear's Hut, built by John Veitch, for Lydia Ackland as a honeymoon surprise in 1808. It was first called the Hermit's House until the 1860's when it was used to house a pet black bear brought back from a trip to Canada. The was no mention of whether the poor creature was ever allowed out.

To see pictures click here..

The National Trust site gives more information.

More Spain

Casares, perhaps one of the lesser known of Andalucia's "White Towns"



The "Puente Nuevo" - New Bridge spanning the gorge in Ronda.



The view from the bridge, with iron railings to keep you from the 300 feet drop.



A view from the Mirador, Ronda, to the encircling mountains beyond.