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| Heritage roses in the rain at Greys Court |
On this perfectly overcast day, we took a short drive up to Oxfordshire and visited our first National Trust site, Greys Court. Having
recently joined the Trust, we were eager to begin touring some of the stately
homes that dot the English countryside, and Greys Court was a charming start.
Since
we were not allowed to take photos inside the home, my pictures are limited to
the exterior and – surprise – the gardens. (If you're interested in the homey interior, however, you can go directly to their website here.)
Grays Court dates back to the
Normans but currently belongs to the Brunner family. After 1,000 years, the
home has only changed hands five times and for a short period belonged to Evelyn Fleming, mother to author Ian Fleming of James Bond fame. And for
those who watch Downton Abbey, this is the home the Crawley family once visited
and considered moving into. It was referred to then as Downton Place.
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| Greys Court in Oxfordshire |
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| Shaggy headed Dahlia |
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| A garden fountain |
After a 40-minute guided
tour of the downstairs we were free to explore the exterior grounds and wander through the woods if we didn't mind the wet. [Note to self: next time wear hiking boots.] Despite the rain, the grounds were lovely and we made it through most of the beautiful walled gardens, each one a secret until we turned the corner or opened its gate.
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| Part of the extensive kitchen garden that includes herbs and vegetables as well as fruit orchards. |
We dried off over a
warm lunch in the Tea Room that once served as the estate’s cow shed,
then headed back to the main house where we could explore the cozy upper floors at our leisure.
On our way out, we took in the estate's 16th century donkey wheel that had pulled up water for the household until 1914.
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A walk among the cosmos:
The shy but adorable welcoming committee:
Blue morning glories reclaiming the wall:
Lunch in the cowshed:
One of the many hidden gardens: 
And lastly, somebody put baby in the corner.
I am glad you enjoyed your first National Trust visit. There are certainly a lot to explore. The beauty is that once your membership is paid you have a free day out. If you like gardens Hidcote is well worth a visit and Stourhead in Wiltshire is a MUST particularly in the autumn or in the late spring
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maggie, I will add both Hidcote and Stourhead to my list. I love gardens and sorely miss mine in Virginia. This is the first time in 32 years that I don't have a garden -- or at least a place to plant a bulb. I'll have to get one of those little window pots and start something soon.
ReplyDeleteGreys Court is on my list now for my return, despite the weather it looks as if you had a lovely day and the flowers, especially the old roses look great for October. Lovely to see so many Morning Glory flowers too - we saw some growing wild in Hawaii but I am not sure if they are truly native to the islands or whether, like many species, they have been introduced either accidentally or on purpose.
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