When we first arrived
in the UK, one of our trips into the unknown countryside around
London, took us to Chenies. It seemed like a world away from NZ, with
the lovely homes, flint church full of wonderful marble monuments, a
village well and very handsome manor house.
This memory has always
stayed with us, and today, Chenies is just a couple of miles away
from us, and the manor house had an open day.
Despite the misty
weather, we braved the muddy carpark and muddy lane to visit the
house and garden. The garden has won an award, and despite the
dismal conditions, it looked vibrant with an array of different
brightly coloured tulips.
The house is very old,
visited by Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. Today was cold, and the
house seemed no warmer than the outside temperature, it gave a
glimpse into times before the heating we expect today.
The afternoon started
to improve, with the sun trying to come out, so we took the bank
holiday opportunity to visit another nearby house from a slightly
more modern era, the 18th century West Wycombe House features
regularly in TV dramas, probably a mixture of it's proximity to
London, wonderful sweeping views, garden follies overlooking a lake
(currently dry due to the drought) and luxurious interiors.
The village of West
Wycombe is protected by the National Trust, and probably another
reason for the attraction to film crews, a stately home beside a
truly period village is a winning combination.
From the village we did
a four mile walk to another NT village – Bradenham. There were some
bluebells in the woods, it was a pleasure to be outside after all the
rain recently, a relaxing end to the long weekend.
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