Berrington Hall, Nr Leominster, Herefordshire (October 2023)

[lugg]

So many posts to make that I have failed to do over the last few months but with some time on my hands finally here is one ...
I did wonder about whether I should really include this in the public gardens thread but decided that I wanted to place it in the Herefordshire gardens section, so you will have to forgive me for giving the house some attention too.

Last week I decided to make use of the National Trust’s generous offer of a free Autumn pass to one of its properties. Although Berrington is quite close to where I have lived for nearly 30 years I have never visited it before .
The house is Georgian , the grounds and gardens designed by Lancelot “Capability” Brown. In fact it was the last project that he completed.
Here is a link to the history of the house and the 3 families that lived there from the time it was built until it passed to the care of the NT.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/worcestershire-herefordshire/berrington-hall/history-of-berrington-hall

The house is typical of this Georgian period , fairly austere on the outside , contrasted by an ornate interior . I am not sure who got the job first but maybe some nepotism played its part, as the house was designed by Henry Holland, son in law of Capability Brown.
Anyway the weather was glorious, entry from the car park offers a view of some of the grounds and is via a gate house

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Walking up to the house – its not a huge building and I could see restoration work was being done on some of the surrounding service buildings .

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I walked around the side of the house to the front – passing this room on the way – no idea what it was

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… damn the persons who left their pushchairs out the front which were a pain to avoid as I took my photos!

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I suspect that the views from this part of the house have not changed much in the last 260 years since Capability planned the grounds

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Anyway inside . The house is manned by volunteers …it may have just been the day I visited but generally they were all women , all over 70 years, some a lot older and ( I don’t mean it in a derogatory way) all of a certain type . They all had a passion for this house and knew quite a lot about it and its history so it was a pleasure to talk to them. The NT had tried to make it interesting for all so there was also a trail of clues throughout the house and gardens encouraging visitors to solve a murder mystery. Children had to find apples and pears ( of the croqueted variety) in the house, ( the apple / fruits harvest was a big part of what was happening at this time…, more later)

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I am going to skip through most of the house and just show a few random shots . but also some of my fave parts too.
So after entering and glancing up

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I moved on to this room,

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Moving on , these garments took my eye
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Regency personified maybe ?
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Lady Crawley possibly chose somewhere less colourful ( ? ostentatious) to spend her days

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Living with memories of times gone past,?

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More to follow … it may be slow

[bixaorellana]

It's good if this will be slow, as there are so many marvelous details to take in. For instance, on a homely note, it's nice that they found such a nice-looking tv set for Lady Cawley's sitting room. I am fascinated by the really quite soothing and pleasant color schemes used in the rooms.

Outside of course is not only a delight, but such an important piece of landscape history. Very much looking forward to more!

[bjd]

In the vista from the house, I could just imagine Capability Brown standing there are pointing, "I want a tree there, and there, and there... And all with the same rounded shape."

[kerouac2]

I like the relative emptiness of the grounds. They clearly need those sheep to keep the grass under control.
I wonder who decided that those coloured penants were a good idea to decorate the walkway.
I'm trying to imagine how much the television set breathed a bit of life into a house like that where normally you are only allowed to read dusty books and do embroidery during the day.

[lugg]

Thank you all for looking and commenting

Oct 14, 2023 6:07:06 GMT bjd said:

In the vista from the house, I could just imagine Capability Brown standing there are pointing, "I want a tree there, and there, and there... And all with the same rounded shape."

So much of what you said echos my thoughts - and of course its only now ( or only in the last 100 years that his visions came to life as the trees mature.

Oct 14, 2023 14:06:01 GMT kerouac2 said:

I'm trying to imagine how much the television set breathed a bit of life into a house like that where normally you are only allowed to read dusty books and do embroidery during the day.

Have you predicted the next post K2 which kind of links to what you said

Oct 13, 2023 23:54:17 GMT bixaorellana said:

For instance, on a homely note, it's nice that they found such a nice-looking tv set for Lady Cawley's sitting room. I am fascinated by the really quite soothing and pleasant color schemes used in the rooms.

Bixa - I tried and failed to capture the TV in a close up . But yes the colour scheme is so soothing in many of the rooms and so typical of this period .
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[lugg]

Before moving on I now think that the room that I looked at prior to entering the house is probably part of the bathroom tower that was added to the house as I remembered reading this this on the website,
Lord George Rodney inherited the estate at the age of 7 in 1864. He spent little time at the house in his early years, leaving Eton to join the army and seeing active service in Egypt and the Sudan. In 1891 he married the Honourable Corisande Evelyn Vere Guest, at St. James’s Church, Piccadilly. His bride came from a noble family and it was considered a good match.Shortly after the honeymoon, a tower in rendered brick was built in the courtyard to provide bathrooms and lavatories. Corisande refused to move to Berrington until a bathroom tower had been built, having been used to plumbed-in baths where she'd lived previously.

A hallway with a selection of random items

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It says

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Of course in this part of the world it would be cider rather than ale.

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The central staircase was just magnificent and light flooded in from the circular dome .It is such a fitting way to approach to what I think is the absolute jewel in Berrington.

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So I had a short wait here at the top of the stairs before it was my turn to enter a small room to see Berrington’s treasure

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A little about the court mantua and the woman it was made for,

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And so to the dress – my pics are not great – as you might guess the dress was kept in a controlled environment behind glass but I hope you get a sense of its beauty. The3 dress is seen from the back – the front top half can be seen in the reflection

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I had never really given much thought as to when women started to wear knickers but I did wonder how Ann managed to go to the loo in that dress – anyway the answer is here and is probably the source of our word “loo”

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I had a look out through some of the upstairs windows to get a sense of the grounds and courtyard area

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Before going downstairs I wandered into a bedroom and the “ dressing up “ room , where several small children and adults were having fun.I did not want to make anyone unconfortable by taking photos

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The descent was via the servants staircase – not quite as glamourous . Unfortunately the kitchens and servants area was closed for renovation work. Then back into a hallway which makes the contrast stark

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Last few – finishing in the library , book cleaning equipment was on display

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And back outside …a couple of views of other external aspects of the house

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This medlar prompted me to seek out the walled garden

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[lugg]

More to follow

[bixaorellana]

Corisande is a girl after my own heart: "You all have that big old house, you can afford to put in a potty!"

Speaking of which, good call on the probable root of the word loo. I looked at the photo before reading the text and was lusting after that wonderful piece of ceramic.

Not commenting in order of what you've shown, but the board stating what was distributed to the poor belonging to the estate really brings home how revolutions happen. Even so, it's wonderful these kinds of places are preserved. Really, so much of that life is hard to imagine.

The mantua is a case in point -- so showy, so impractical, but oh that utterly gorgeous fabric. The workmanship going into a garment like that is unimaginable. I'm fascinated by those textile detectives/artisans who can renovate and recreate antique clothing.

But the dome! What a glorious and unexpected jewel that is in a building that is rather severe on the outside. As you say -- just magnificent!

[htmb]

What she said!

I’m enjoying seeing these photos and your descriptions, Lugg. The ceilings are amazingly detailed, and the dome is certainly lovely.

[kerouac2]

People put up with so many uncomfortable situations in those days. I always wonder how many of them dreamed of dressing up as simply as their servants or other commoners. I know there has been plenty of "role-changing" literature over the years but I doubt that it happened all that much in reality except when the royals wanted to go slumming, because they had enough staff trained to never breathe a word of what they were up to.

I'm hoping to see more of the grounds!

[lugg]

Thank you guys

Thank you Bixa for your wizardry ... the most offending push chair is now gone

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Grounds and gardens will be following K2 but it may be a few days wait.

[lugg]

I will start with a map – really just to show the walled gardens in relation to their position to the house and to show where the curved wall garden sits. The house is No 12 on the map below.

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From the house I set out down the Western Avenue , although it was sunny and warm ,signs of Autumn could be seen in places but a few flowers here were still in bloom and had enough pollen for the hoverflies to enjoy.

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This Glory Flower was still hanging on

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From there I cut through onto the Laurel Walk and then entered the walled gardens
Some info here ,

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/worcestershire-herefordshire/berrington-hall/garden-at-berrington-hall

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First of all …I went to have a nose inside this greenhouse

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and found these. A sign stated that the auricular were not for sale

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Moving on around the square shape walled garden,
To give an idea of the walls; I think the brackets on the walls once held something that offered even more shelter

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Part of the walled garden was given over to vegetable plots which were still producing goodies , some very unexpected for this time of year

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I wandered into the curved walled garden which I had been looking forward too immensely and this is what I found … I guess that the wildflower area had been much more impressive a while back. The garden had until recently been rented to a farmer so there were numerous animal pens and corrugated barns/ sheds that had to be removed, leaving this area to work on in the future.

Info here
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/worcestershire-herefordshire/berrington-hall/projects-at-berrington-hall

Some splashes of colour remained
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To get a photo to really show the curve I snuck around the back into a private area

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Back into the square walled garden. There was a surprising amount of colour from flowers which were still blooming , which highlights just how sheltered and well positioned this garden is, although I doubt the banana gives worthwhile fruit even so.

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I had to look up the below …. Ipomoea lobata …Spanish Flag
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A little gardening history ;
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Into the potting shed , a kind of mini museum and a place to store apples etc .
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is this one of the first ride on mowers I wonder?
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Just a little more to show you.

[kerouac2]

I really like the plant display cupboard... and the flower portraits of course.

[bixaorellana]

I failed to comment on the beautifully curved brickwork from your first part of this wonderful report, and certainly had no idea of what glories you had in store for us in the curved brickwork department/ Usually I'm all about the garden, but boy do I covet that wall! Also belatedly mentioning how lovely your picture of the medlar tree is. But you have surpassed yourself in this section with your gorgeous flower portraits -- and the jewel-like berry closeup.

That house had an enormous garden, and must have been feeding themselves and servants from it. Do you know if that was because they were too far from a town or market, so needed to grown their own food, or there was some other reason? Also, you wrote: the apple / fruits harvest was a big part of what was happening at this time…, more later -- I want to know all about it!

Thanks for the great maps, which really help with imagining the place.

[bjd]

Lovely flower portraits. When were these taken? If recently, I'm surprised at the poppy in bloom at this time of year.

You are lucky, Lugg, to have all those beautiful gardens to visit not too far away.

[lugg]

Nov 3, 2023 7:28:55 GMT bjd said:

When were these taken? If recently, I'm surprised at the poppy in bloom at this time of year.

Just recently - mid oct - what really surprised me most was the strawberry - yes it will not ripen but how on earth did it get to fruit ?

Nov 3, 2023 6:05:58 GMT kerouac2 said:

I really like the plant display cupboard... and the flower portraits of course.

Thank you

Nov 3, 2023 6:33:16 GMT bixaorellana said:

That house had an enormous garden, and must have been feeding themselves and servants from it. Do you know if that was because they were too far from a town or market, so needed to grown their own food, or there was some other reason? Also, you wrote: the apple / fruits harvest was a big part of what was happening at this time…, more later -- I want to know all about it!

Nov 3, 2023 6:33:16 GMT bixaorellana said:

That house had an enormous garden, and must have been feeding themselves and servants from it. Do you know if that was because they were too far from a town or market, so needed to grown their own food, or there was some other reason? Also, you wrote: the apple / fruits harvest was a big part of what was happening at this time…, more later -- I want to know all about it!

I think it was the norm Bixa ,in this part of the world at that time , the estates / houses no matter how grand or how poor had gardens which were given over to food. And ...Yes I must remember to post a little of the orchards.

[whatagain]

Really nice of you to take us there !
A very beautiful place.

[fumobici]

This is a really evocative portrait of a garden in the transition into Fall.

[lugg]

Thank you both