In early October, we took a day trip to Ickworth House & Gardens, which is near the town of Bury St. Edmunds and just about an hour from our house. It was built in the late 18th/early 19th century with some Italian influences, and is now a National Trust site. Half of the building is used as a hotel, with the other half open to visitors and housing a cafe (of course, where else would visitors take tea?!). We enjoyed walking the grounds, seeing the unusual Victorian era "stumpery" in the gardens, and touring the house itself. The downstairs area was particularly well-done, with a very Downton Abbey below-stairs feel. It felt as though the servant staff had left for an afternoon out, with nice details here and there to make it feel like you were back in time.
Charlotte also enjoyed the playground for awhile, which was quite a good size, but we had to leave when she announced "I'm gonna hit that little boy!" loudly enough for everyone to hear. Much to her disappointment, we parented and left the playground with her. Oh, two year olds!
 |
| The Rotunda of Ickworth House |
 |
| Manicured gardens |
 |
| Charlotte and I enter the "Stumpery" -- Victorian period type garden where old tree stumps were turned upside down to expose the roots as decoration. (*shrugs*) |
 |
| Example of a stump in the Stumpery |
 |
| Investigating the autumn berries in the garden |
 |
| Downstairs details of the servants' quarters |
 |
| View into the Rotunda of the house from the staircase |
 |
| Playing on the large lichen-covered columns outside |
We enjoyed a lunch outside at some tables between touring the gardens and seeing the house's interior. Charlotte and Paul got in an unstructured game of croquet on the lawn while I got the food. It was a little windy outside, but sunny and a nice spot between some potted lemon trees. An older man stopped to adore Charlotte and told us all about his lemon trees at home. Very sweet. After touring the house, we headed back home.
No comments:
Post a Comment