Interesting Places and Scenic Enchantment
Churchill is both a celebrated and contested figure, known for his leadership during the Second World War. Chartwell was the much-loved Churchill family home from 1922. It’s hillside gardens reflect Sir Winston’s love of landscape and nature. They include the lakes he created and the kitchen garden. Beyond the gardens, there is an expanse of … Read more
Polesden Lacey is an Edwardian house and estate, located on the North Downs at Great Bookham, near Dorking, Surrey, England. It is owned and run by the National Trust and is one of the Trust’s most popular properties. The gardens offer something for every season, including climbing roses which are at their best in June, … Read more
Anglesey Abbey consists of colourful flower gardens, extensive parkland with tree-lined avenues, and wooded areas, covering 114 acres. There is a Jacobean-style house and a working watermill. During our visit, the rose garden, dahlia garden, herbaceous garden, and formal garden were full of vibrant colour and delicious scents. Some stills from the video. Filmed with … Read more
The extensive gardens at Ascott Manor in Buckinghamshire, are an attractive mix of the formal and natural with specimen trees, shrubs, and beautiful herbaceous borders. The ‘Old English’ manor house is a black and white half-timber building. The property is owned by the National Trust. Some stills from the video. Filmed with a DJI Osmo … Read more
Cliveden has glorious gardens and woodlands overlooking the River Thames. Even on a rainy day, the estate is beautiful. For more than 300 years Cliveden was home to dukes, earls, viscounts and for a while a prince. The manor house is now a hotel but the extensive grounds are a National Trust property open to … Read more
Hughenden Manor was the country home to Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister. The walled garden was built in 1749. It is still productive with fruit trees, vegetable beds, and colourful flower borders. Today it is much more for pleasure than purpose. An ideal place to take a seat and soak up the serene … Read more
We visit Moggerhanger Park, Bedfordshire and stroll through the flower carpeted woodland during their incredibly popular Snowdrop Walk season. Entry to the Park and parking are free. Dogs on a lead are welcome. Visitors can enjoy a coffee, cake or light lunch in the Garden Rooms Cafe before taking a stroll through the Snowdrops. Some … Read more
The Temperate House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, was recently restored at the cost of £41 million. It contains some of the rarest and most threatened species of plants on the planet. Following a major five-year renovation process, the Temperate House re-opened in 2018 to showcase the magnificence of the world’s temperate zones. … Read more
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London offer a host of springtime attractions, even on a showery day like the one of our visit. My top ten Springtime attractions are the Rhododendron Dell, Baby Geese, the Palm House, the Waterlilly House, the Treetop Walkway, the Temperate House, the Great Pagoda, the Mediterranean Garden, the Princess of … Read more
The fabulous Princess of Wales Conservatory replaced a group of 26 smaller buildings, including a fernery and a cactus house. Princess Diana opened the conservatory in 1987 but the glasshouse is actually named after Princess Augusta, mother of George III, who founded the Gardens in 1759. With a floor space of 4,500 square meters, the … Read more
We take a walk through the treetop canopy to discover magical views of Kew Gardens in London. The Treetop Walkway is 18 meters above the ground, giving a chance to get closer to Kew’s trees. It takes around 15 minutes to do the circuit of the walkway at a casual pace. It is reached by … Read more
We stroll around the parterre garden with its colourful display of tulips and bedding plants. Beyond the garden are views of the parkland designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. We walk to the large walled Victorian kitchen garden and our visit ends with a display of falconry from horseback. Audley End in Saffron Walden, Essex, was … Read more
Enjoy the rich colours and textures of the magnificent rhododendron at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Sir Joseph Hooker brought back many new specimens of rhododendron from his travels to the Himalaya in the mid-19th century. Today, 150 years later, dense clusters of rhododendrons flower in the dell, including unique hybrids not found elsewhere in the … Read more
We visit the field where the spectacular and famous dahlias are grown. The festival was 8th to 16th September 2018 at Aylett Garden Centre, North Orbital Rd, St Albans, Herts. There was row upon row of colourful dhalia plants in a large field. There was also a scarecrow competition in the Celebration Garden. Watch the … Read more
This National Trust property in Grantham, Lincolnshire is often cited as being the perfect example of an English country house estate. Much of the justification for such a claim lies in the quality, completeness and sheer panache of its aristocratic collections. Watch the video: The following stills are from the above video. Camera: Sony RX100 … Read more