khassandraA Stately home visit
December 11th 2006 10:44
A Stately home visit….
During an extended stay in England, I decided to enjoy the delights of times past. If you like antiquities of any kind, be it furniture, artwork, tapestries, silverware, china, sculpture, resplendent gardens and utterly fascinating houses- then this post is for you.
Many stately homes are part of the National Trust. For a smallish membership fee – you will have your entry ticket to visit as many properties as you wish.
A word of advice, if you have time, reserve a few days, rent a car and get a map to plot the route you wish to take to visit your stately homes of choice.
Here are some I visited: first of all my all time favourite – Polesden Lacey in Surrey. It is a beautiful Edwardian house with wonderful gardens. I could quite easily have moved in then and there!
* Knole House, Kent: a large estate with a great Deer Park.
* Chartwell, Kent- former home of Sir Winston Churchill- Britain’s Prime
Minister during the second world war, famous for his uplifting oratories.
This rather small cosy house contains so many of his belongings and
gives you a better insight on the man.
* Ham House, Surrey: a seventeenth century house with much of the
original interior.
* Osterley Park and House in Middlesex, a house of the neo-Classical
period, it has a lovely park and grounds.
* Sutton house, London: an example of a Tudor house.
* The Vyne, Basingstoke in Hampshire: an example of sixteenth century
house, it also has a park, lake and woods. Owned by the same family for
over three centuries, you can see many family heirlooms. It also has a
Tudor chapel.
Many of these properties now provide through the National Trust stewardship,
refreshment areas so you can take a relaxing break, then go back to admiring the wonderful treasures inside the houses.
I have to admit that I rushed a few trips trying to ‘take in’ as many properties as I could in one day, but that does not do them justice.
There are so many beautiful things to see that each house has to have its full share of your time.
In addition to the National Trust properties, there is a wealth of palaces and homes available for visits that are run by their owners.
One of these is Apsley House- the former home of the Duke of Wellington or ‘the Iron Duke’ as he was known. Situated on Hyde Park corner this 16th century house was purchased by the Duke in the 17th century apparently just after his famous victory. You will be able to admire many of personal gifts that were presented to him after the event at the house.
Just outside of London in Kew, Surrey is Hampton Court Palace. The oldest surviving Tudor castle, It is famous for its owner Henry the Eighth- who confiscated it from Cardinal Wolsey.
Amongst the many exhibits inside, are suits of armour once belonging to the King. There is a small suit of armour worn by the King as a youth, and gradually larger sizes.
The gardens are spectacular and are famous for the maze.
Now I digress. Some years back I was invited to a business function at a stately home. I heard that after entertaining two groups, any subsequent functions were refused! However a coach in which were stewards dressed in periwigs complete with satin costumes collected a group of around fifty people. For the hour plus journey we were served champagne and smoked salmon.
On arrival, we were ushered into a morning room where we were formerly greeted and presented with more champagne. We were finally settled in the dining room that was resplendent with individual tables atop which were smart long tablecloths, candlesticks, fine china and cutlery. Wine was served with the splendid meal during which a play was held. Several players vied for the attentions of a young lady who like the male players, was dressed of the age.
After dinner the choice was brandy in the library, blackjack or clay pidgeon shooting by the lake. I joined the (by then) merrymakers who staggered out for clay pidgeon shooting. We were given instructions on how to handle the ‘over and under’ ( shotgun with barrel in a vertical position rather than side by side).
A commotion behind us saw a few ‘stewards’ making their way from the house with a collapsible table and a basket containing bottles of brandy and glasses for our refreshment!
While a poor chap quivered under bushes and proceeded to load the ‘clays’, we in turn (to a one) shot the rifle, THEN yelled ‘pull’ as the grateful clay was released into the air and dropped unscathed into the lake. In the meantime the unfortunately low branches overhanging the lake were shot to smithereens!
After a time, we were ‘herded’ back into the house for coffees and brandy! Before being loaded back onto the coaches for the journey home.
All in all a wonderful way to experience life in the stately homes wot!
..although I did suffer from ‘ricochet shoulder’ for the next few days…….
During an extended stay in England, I decided to enjoy the delights of times past. If you like antiquities of any kind, be it furniture, artwork, tapestries, silverware, china, sculpture, resplendent gardens and utterly fascinating houses- then this post is for you.
Many stately homes are part of the National Trust. For a smallish membership fee – you will have your entry ticket to visit as many properties as you wish.
A word of advice, if you have time, reserve a few days, rent a car and get a map to plot the route you wish to take to visit your stately homes of choice.
Here are some I visited: first of all my all time favourite – Polesden Lacey in Surrey. It is a beautiful Edwardian house with wonderful gardens. I could quite easily have moved in then and there!
* Knole House, Kent: a large estate with a great Deer Park.
* Chartwell, Kent- former home of Sir Winston Churchill- Britain’s Prime
Minister during the second world war, famous for his uplifting oratories.
This rather small cosy house contains so many of his belongings and
gives you a better insight on the man.
* Ham House, Surrey: a seventeenth century house with much of the
original interior.
* Osterley Park and House in Middlesex, a house of the neo-Classical
period, it has a lovely park and grounds.
* Sutton house, London: an example of a Tudor house.
* The Vyne, Basingstoke in Hampshire: an example of sixteenth century
house, it also has a park, lake and woods. Owned by the same family for
over three centuries, you can see many family heirlooms. It also has a
Many of these properties now provide through the National Trust stewardship,
refreshment areas so you can take a relaxing break, then go back to admiring the wonderful treasures inside the houses.
I have to admit that I rushed a few trips trying to ‘take in’ as many properties as I could in one day, but that does not do them justice.
There are so many beautiful things to see that each house has to have its full share of your time.
In addition to the National Trust properties, there is a wealth of palaces and homes available for visits that are run by their owners.
One of these is Apsley House- the former home of the Duke of Wellington or ‘the Iron Duke’ as he was known. Situated on Hyde Park corner this 16th century house was purchased by the Duke in the 17th century apparently just after his famous victory. You will be able to admire many of personal gifts that were presented to him after the event at the house.
Just outside of London in Kew, Surrey is Hampton Court Palace. The oldest surviving Tudor castle, It is famous for its owner Henry the Eighth- who confiscated it from Cardinal Wolsey.
Amongst the many exhibits inside, are suits of armour once belonging to the King. There is a small suit of armour worn by the King as a youth, and gradually larger sizes.
The gardens are spectacular and are famous for the maze.
Now I digress. Some years back I was invited to a business function at a stately home. I heard that after entertaining two groups, any subsequent functions were refused! However a coach in which were stewards dressed in periwigs complete with satin costumes collected a group of around fifty people. For the hour plus journey we were served champagne and smoked salmon.
On arrival, we were ushered into a morning room where we were formerly greeted and presented with more champagne. We were finally settled in the dining room that was resplendent with individual tables atop which were smart long tablecloths, candlesticks, fine china and cutlery. Wine was served with the splendid meal during which a play was held. Several players vied for the attentions of a young lady who like the male players, was dressed of the age.
After dinner the choice was brandy in the library, blackjack or clay pidgeon shooting by the lake. I joined the (by then) merrymakers who staggered out for clay pidgeon shooting. We were given instructions on how to handle the ‘over and under’ ( shotgun with barrel in a vertical position rather than side by side).
A commotion behind us saw a few ‘stewards’ making their way from the house with a collapsible table and a basket containing bottles of brandy and glasses for our refreshment!
While a poor chap quivered under bushes and proceeded to load the ‘clays’, we in turn (to a one) shot the rifle, THEN yelled ‘pull’ as the grateful clay was released into the air and dropped unscathed into the lake. In the meantime the unfortunately low branches overhanging the lake were shot to smithereens!
After a time, we were ‘herded’ back into the house for coffees and brandy! Before being loaded back onto the coaches for the journey home.
All in all a wonderful way to experience life in the stately homes wot!
..although I did suffer from ‘ricochet shoulder’ for the next few days…….
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