We say “au revoir” to the Cotswolds, very happy that we will return, as we have many times, for another fix of the Swan and glorious walks though unspoilt villages and countryside.
Destination Hambleton is a easy drive so we plan not just one but two National Trusts, none a massive detour. The car is demanding neither of the expected routes, so a little Googling soon reveals massive problems with both the Fosse Way and the alternative, so again we let it direct us through a convoluted array of single lanes, tiny villages and hairpins, which make for a hair-raising rollercoaster hour, but ironically only five minutes behind the time we expected has there been no broken lorries and whatever the other problem was.
Upton House is exactly as we remember it from Easter 2010, although we soon learn that’s not really the case. The upstairs is not open, so we see less than expected but what we can is good to see. Built in 1695, the house was owned since 1927 by Lord and Lady Bearsted, the son of the co-founder of Shell Oil. An art connoisseur, he filled the house with interesting work, even built a gallery in what was the squash court previously.
We remember the extensive gardens, designed by Britain’s first female celebrity gardener Kitty Lloyd Jones, as being spectacular, but this visit they are quite sad, possibly because NT has had mixed success with volunteers during Covid, hopefully they will repair and rejuvenate over time.
Our next visit has faired better however, and the stunning gardens greet us at Canons Ashby with lots of colour. The house is much older, being built about 1550, and is arguably much more interesting, although again much is not currently open.
The poacher’s pistol looked especially interesting - depending on which end of the barrel one found oneself! It is spiked in the ground then a tripwire attached - does one point it away to scare the poacher, or a towards the wire to stop him more permanently?
An amazing fireplace, and heavy plaster ceiling above, was making the house unstable, and NT, whilst shoring it up after acquiring it in the 1980s, unearthed fabulous C17 plaster paintings which might not otherwise have ever been rediscovered.
The gardens, particularly a well stocked and vibrant kitchen garden are delightful to wander round.
Then it’s an easy one-and-a-half hour drive to Hambleton, we unpack then take a half-circuit of the peninsula. On our return we have vodka and gin on the terrace overlooking Rutland Water for half an hour before showering and dressing for dinner.
Then we return to the terrace for champagne and canapés before commencing dinner.
Tonight’s dinner is every bit as amazing as we’d expect from Hambleton - scallops and sweetbreads, pork and ginea-fowl, finally banana and passion fruit souffle.
We take the remainder of the red to the terrace to conclude our evening.
Comments
Post a Comment