Worcestershire All photos by Hetty
10th August 2017 Spetchley Park Gardens website Historic Houses Association – free to friends
There are lots of gardens to wander around, with herbaceous borders, follies, statues, lakes and many unusual plants and trees. The free audio-guides are very good.
The estate has been owned by the Berkeley family since 1605. The current mansion was built in 1811 in Palladian style
This church is near the mansion. It originated in the 13th century, the nave and chancel are 14th century, and the the south chapel and the tower were added in the 17th century
Monument to Sir Rowland Berkeley, who died in 1611, and his wife Katherine. They had 15 children
Tomb chest of Sir Robert Berkeley (died in 1656)
One of two ancient chests
The stableyard
The Cart Sheds
The Sovereign Coach
Some herbaceous borders have unusual plants
The horse pool
One of the gardeners?
Heron Pond
Dahlias
Stag in the kitchen garden
Multicoloured hydrangeas
Lovely reflections in the lake
Fungi
The Root House- the uprights are tree roots
Inside the Root House
In the rose garden is a heliochronometer – a sundial that tells standard mean time (by computing a correction from local real time, via a mechanical mechanism).
Grapes outside
Grapes in a greenhouse
All images on the website copyright of HettyHikes.co.uk