Tuesday 24 May 2016

More photos from our recent trip...


With a visit to

another National Trust property

(Hey...there are a number of photos in this post,
you might want to make a cuppa and sit back to read it,
just sayin' )












(now how did these two sneak into this blog post)


 





Looking from an upstairs room to the statues outside 



 what a lovely light and comfy room


 perhaps a little over the top with the decorations on the ceiling and walls though







 then outside and a look around the gardens....



The gardens were lovely by the way, and one part had a series of different gates,
described as being made to create 'different rooms in the garden' - these went
through to a wisteria that took over a large 'room' of its own, it was beautiful...








and you should have heard all the bees,
they were loving it




Then another area had a Tudor donkey wheel....










Following the path across the back of the house
over the Japanese inspired bridge 






I didn't find out why it had this saying though....

and this lead to the Ice House -
Believe me it went down deep inside the building
- no ice these days though -





The Ice House: Since the dawn of history man has harvested the fruits of winter - ice and snow.  They were stored in Ice Houses until the summer months when they were used to cool food and drink.  

The ice to fill the Ice Houses came from ponds, lakes, streams and flood plains of rivers.  When deep enough it was broken into chunks and then carted to the Ice House and dumped into it.  When the Ice House was full the ice would be covered with draw bales for insulation, and the door shut tight until the ice was required in the summer.  The most successful wells could keep ice stored for up to two years.  Some winters were not cold enough to collect a good store of ice.

The Ice Houses of Britain gradually disappeared in the 20th century as mechanical refrigeration took over first in large public stores and later in homes.  The last recorded use of an Ice House in Britain was in Scotland in the 1950's.



It all got a bit too much for one visitor,
I hoped he wouldn't mind, but I just had to take a photo of him  -
this gentleman had obviously had a busy time looking around
and fell asleep in the shade - he chose a perfect place to rest a while...


(although he may have known this was going to be a long blog post)


 Yes, I think I can say this will be another National Trust property to add to our

Revisit List


20 comments:

Eileen H said...

What an interesting place and beautiful gardens. Interesting to read about the donkey wheel, I feel sorry for them having to walk round and round drawing the water! I like the Japanese bridge, I googled the "Moongate of the adopted daughter" and can only find photos with no explanation of the phrase. I'm glad William and Dad sneaked into your blog post :)

CJ Kennedy said...

Loved the secret gardens. What a beautiful place to sit and sketch. With our water woes the past few weeks, I could have used the help of the donkey wheel. That is just too clever.

ann @ studiohyde said...

Next time I'll ask about that quote :-)

ann @ studiohyde said...

I just hope they didn't make the donkey work for too long on the wheel :-)

Marie Smith said...

The ceiling decoration is wonderful. How did they do that?

The donkey wheel and the ice house are fascinating. Thank you for sharing.

Shammickite said...

Another national Trust property to add to your list. Looks wonderful. and that wisteria is beautiful, I have always loved that lilacy pinky purple.

ann @ studiohyde said...

I'm not sure how they managed to get the design into it, but in one of the houses we visited I heard a room guide saying it was made from 'plaster of paris', so I'm guessing when I say that's what it is here. Anyway, that's yet another question I can ask when I go back there :-)

ann @ studiohyde said...

It was a lovely wisteria, I didn't know it had a scent either, until I stood under it - very nice.

Christine said...

Thanks for the tour, much enjoyed!

Dartford Warbler said...

Another beautiful NT house and gardens. The varied greens of May are so lovely and the wisterias look stunning.

ann @ studiohyde said...

Thanks Christine, I think that if people can't be there personally, then at least I can take pictures to share the journey with them - so it is gratifying that these blog posts are enjoyed :-)

ann @ studiohyde said...

This one did surprise me actually. For some reason I wasn't expecting much, having got there I think the gardens were the best part.

robin cox walsh said...

Lovely photos! Thanks for sharing! We do love these virtual trips. (but I feel sorry for the poor donkeys.)

ann @ studiohyde said...

So do I, I'm glad they don't use the donkey wheel nowadays.

Judy said...

That was a most enjoyable tour with a nice cuppa! :) Wow, that wisteria.....

ann @ studiohyde said...

Really pleased you enjoyed the visit Judy. Yes, that wisteria was the best I have Ever seen and it smelt good too :-)

rusty duck said...

Another one for my list too, fascinating place.

ann @ studiohyde said...

It definitely had a family home feel about it :-)

Sadami said...

Aw...! The photos are all beautiful!! Wisteria is so eye pleasant. I did not know about a donkey wheel. Your posts make me smarter than before. Cheers, Sadami

ann @ studiohyde said...

I didn't know about the donkey wheel either, so glad to have seen such a large structure as was used years ago!