Short Visit Herefordshire - Part 1: Hampton Court Castle Gardens and Aardvark Books Brampton Bryan

 

D and I popped to the caravan for 3 night two weeks ago just for another short break.

The Herefordshire Oak

Thursday was dry with some sunshine and not too hot. It was noticeable how much cooler and fresher it was in Herefordshire especially overnight.

We visited the gardens of Hampton Court Castle. I've been twice before but this was D's first visit.

The present gardens are located in two walled gardens designed by Simon Dorrell and David Wheeler from Chadburn Ltd of Bath in 1996/98.

The landscaped park was designed many years ago and Humphrey Repton was consulted in 1795 and 1810.

The Walled Gardens

One of the Water Pavilions

D and I decided that the sculptures scattered round the gardens and park are characters from fairy tales.  

The Dutch Garden

Due to covid the maze had been closed on my last two visits but it is open now.

We found our way to the Gothic Tower at the centre which you can enter and climb the stairs to the top but this door was locked :( Try as we might we were stuck in this section of the maze and failed to find our way to the other three quarters and the open door.  To be honest it was getting a bit hot by now and I think we had both had enough of constantly re-tracing our steps!

Fairy door in tree in the parkland

Croft Castle is a castellated country house and the older part which includes the chapel dates back to 1427.  The castle has been altered since it was built and additions made.  The most recent owner is Robert Van Kampen - an American billionnaire who bought the castle in the 1990's.

I think there are organised tours of the house interior on various days but I haven't yet been inside.

D and I did the riverside walk.

Hedge Woundwort

When I've done the walk before it was circular but this time part of the route was closed to access so we ended up re-tracing our steps.

Pleached limes back in the Walled Garden.

Rain was forecast on Friday although initially it was mainly dry with some drizzle. I suggested a visit to a village called Brampton Bryan which has a good second hand bookshop called Aardvark Books.

We spent quite a bit of time browsing and buying!

I planned to take a photo of the bookshop when we left and pay a quick visit to the church! (Always a church wherever I visit!) and see if we could see Brampton Bryan Castle from the churchyard but as we left it was tipping down with rain. We waited 20 minutes but it just got heavier and heavier and there was no sign of it stopping so we decided to leave.  The roads especially the initial B roads were awful like rivers!  A result of poor drainage and this huge deluge of biblical proportions!  By the time we had got to Wigmore it had more or less stopped and when we arrived back in Leominster the pavements and roads were completely dry so we were just unlucky. Bookshops are not B's cup of tea so hopefully I can return with D and visit the church and see the castle.  There is a legend attached to Brampton Bryan castle and Lady Brilliana Harley who lived there during the Civil War successfully, with just a handful of servants, kept the castle safe and secure when it was under siege from Royalist troops.

On Saturday we came home around lunchtime. Hopefully we will be going back fairly soon.

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate most of my photos but if anyone wishes to use one I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

Another trip to Herefordshire - Part 1: Hampton Court Castle Gardens

 

Last week B and I went back to Herefordshire. We travelled on Monday morning thinking it would be quieter but there were signs notifying of a 45 minute delay by Worcester so we left the M5 at Droitwich and then failed to remember the exact way! We got lost so many times (and yes we did try to cut across country again - bad mistake!) that it took 2 hours instead of less than 90 minutes.

We had the usual click and collect in Leominster in the afternoon.

Tuesday was hot and sunny so we decided to return to Hampton Court Castle gardens which were so lovely last summer.

Ox-eye daisies by the car park and we saw a Whitethroat in the hedgerow.

Hampton Court is a castellated country house with the oldest parts including the chapel dating back to 1427. Various additions and alterations have been made since and the castle has now been fully restored.  The most recent owner is Robert Van Kampen, an American millionaire, who bought the castle in the 1990's.

The present gardens sit in two walled gardens designed by Simon Dorrell and David Wheeler with Chadburn Ltd of Bath in 1996/8.  For the creation of the landscaped park some centuries ago Humphrey Repton was consulted in 1795 and 1810.

The Walled Gardens

There was a lovely display of oriental poppies of many shades of colour.

I love sweet williams as they always remind me of my father and grandfather's gardens. The perfume was incredible and foxgloves had been planted among them.

Part of the vegetable garden

and a lovely spiral herb garden - I would love one of these!

The Rose Garden

The Dutch Garden

Island Pavilions

Pleached lime trees

We passed through the most beautiful Wisteria arch to reach the grounds. This was probably the highlight of my visit - it was stunning.

By now it was getting hot so time for a Magnum!

We decided to do the River Walk again (there is a longer walk you can do but to be honest it was just too hot!)

The cows were being sensible sheltering under the trees! and it was lovely to see calves feeding having read so many horror stories of calves being removed from their mothers very quickly in  intensively reared herds on other farms.

Dinmore Hill in the distance (Queenswood Arboretum is on this hill about 5 minutes drive away).

We saw a Kingfisher dart along the river and there were many holes in the bank that looked very much as though they could belong to water voles.

Elderflower

Back to the castle - it is open for visitors  and one day I would love to see it but as I have mentioned before B doesn't really like house interiors and if I am honest I am still wary of going indoors.

B had a walk round the Sunken Garden which still had a one way system in operation. I didn't go this time as exciting as the walk behind the waterfall was I didn't really wish to repeat it.

Back into the Walled Gardens

This is the Gothic Tower in a separate garden with a maze which is still closed to visitors.  

The gardens are very lovely and you can buy a season ticket which is something we might consider in future years if the threat of lockdowns ever completely recedes.  It is only 20 minutes from the caravan so easy to visit.

Part 2 will include a visit to a National Trust Property which we haven't visited before.

Stay safe and well everyone.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera.