Today has been too miserable for work or just sitting in the garden. I thought I would improve the (not so
) shining hour by assembling a few of the many photos I took at Ascott.
Ascott, near Wing in Buckinghamshire belongs to The National Trust. We have visited about four times at different times of the year. This time we went on May 7th when a friend was visiting. It was a little bit betwixt and between. Earlier we would have caught the Spring bulbs when they have swathes of daffodils and narcissi. Later the herbaceous borders would have come into their own. There is still a lot of interest however, especially the topiary,
Here is an extract from Wikipedia: -
Ascott House, sometimes referred to as simply Ascott, is situated in the hamlet of Ascott near Wing in Buckinghamshire, England. It is set in a 3,200-acre (13 km2) estate.
Ascott House was originally a farm house, built in the reign of James I and known as "Ascott Hall". In 1873 it was acquired by Baron Mayer de Rothschild (of the neighbouring Mentmore Towers estate). The Rothschild family had begun to acquire vast tracts of land in Buckinghamshire earlier in the century, on which they built a series of large mansions from 1852 onwards. Baron Mayer gave the house at Ascott to his nephew Leopold de Rothschild, who transformed it over the following decades into the substantial, but informal, country house it is today.
The extensive manicured gardens were laid out on the advice of the garden designer Sir Harry Veitch circa 1902 by Leopold de Rothschild as a wedding present to his wife. A sundial made entirely of topiary complete with Latin numerals proclaims in clipped yew: "Light and shade by turn, but love always".
The topiary sun dial.
Here are some more of the topiary. Any distant views you get are of the Chilterns round about Dunstable. The Whipsnade lion cut in the chalk is visible from here.
A few tulips
The Venus Fountain by Thomas Waldo Story c.1890
More general shots
Here are a couple of panoramas taken with my iPhone
Two shots taken near the entrance to the house with my iPhone again, but on a different and duller day
Finally, the canopy to the entrance taken with my Canon.
I hope you enjoyed the visit.
Eric H
