On the Saturday we decided to go for a walk at Kyre Park as we haven't visited for a few years and it is only about 15 minutes drive away.
(Sadly, we didn't see any peacocks!)
Kyre Park was home to the Pytts family from 1756 until the early C20th. The parkland was once a medieval deer park. In the late C18th pleasure grounds were developed with a chain of five pools, winding paths and shrubberies. The park also contains follies, waterfalls, bridges and a summer house. There is a suggestion that Capability Brown played a part in designing the grounds as he had just finished designing Croome Park for the Earl of Coventry. He may have been introduced to the Pytts by the Dowager Countess.
In the C16th the original house became a ruin destroyed either by fire or neglect. Today's house has a surviving medieval wing and the rest of the architecture is a mix of Elizabethan, Jacobean and Georgian styles.
In the cellar at the western end of the house are the remains of a border castle once the home of the Wyards and Mortimers who successively lived at Kyre in the C15th.
I didn't remember until after the visit but at this point I think we should have followed the path to the right where there is an ancient 2000 year old yew.
Yellow Wood Anemone (Anemonoides ranunculoides)
There seemed to be a mix of garden plants and wild flowers throughout the park.
The first of the follies by a large pool.
Tufted Duck
The summer house with a superb weather vane shaped liked a ship.
I hadn't noticed on previous visits but the floor of the summer house is made up of old gravestones, the oldest bearing the date 1698, which I assume came from the churchyard of nearby St Mary's.
Primroses, Lesser Celandine and Hellebores (Lenten Roses).
Primroses and Violets
Kyre House and St Mary's Church. The house is a private residence but we will visit the church in the next post.
In the past you could cut through via the churchyard and return to the car park that way but on this visit access wasn't possible so we had to retrace our steps.
Oontitoomps!
This tree looks a bit sorry for itself - in the past the grey branches have been a glorious russet red.
Also on the site are a tithe barn and medieval dovecote which I didn't get chance to photograph during this visit.
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).