Autumn at The Vyne

My First Brush with Jane Austen and J.R.R.Tolkien

The Vyne

With a beautiful Sunday in front of us, we hopped in the car and took a 30-minute drive south to visit our third National Trust estate, The Vyne. Over a 500-year span, The Vyne was home to just two families before it was given to the Trust in 1956. The Vyne has seen its share of history  including at least three visits from King Henry VIII, and is said to have influenced the writings of both Jane Austen and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Originally owned by William Sandys, the estate is 1,120 acres of formal gardens, ornamental lakes, woods, parks, farmland and a stunning house complete with its own chapel. The decor ranges from Tudor to Victorian as fashion came and went over the centuries.  Alongside beautiful renaissance paintings and Egyptian sculpture is a wall of trudgeons used to subdue an unruly mob during the 19th century Corn Law riots. (I didn't make that up and am sorry I didn't get a picture.)

Entry way inside The Vyne

  The second owners, the Chutes, did not have children, but their adopted daughter, Caroline, is likely the basis for Jane Austen’s character Fanny Price in Mansfield Park. Certainly Austen would have known Caroline since her brother, James Austen, was the local rector and dined at The Vyne on several occasions along with sister Jane. 

 

The gold ring that possibly influenced J.R.R. Tolkien's writing.

Legend has it that a 4^th century Roman soldier lost a gold ring near where The Vyne stands today. On a “curse tablet” he pleaded with the god Nodens to help him recover the ring and wished ill to whomever stole it.

In 1929, when Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, he helped discern the tablet and ring's inscription.

Could this ring have influenced his 1937 classic, The Hobbit? Quite possibly. But since there’s no absolute connection, visitors can vote yea or nay on whether this truly is the one ring. 

The Gardens

The gardens and parks are breathtaking with layouts that encourage visitors  to stroll the grounds at their leisure. And when it comes to strolling, I can certainly hold my own.

Stunning lakes, parks and woodlands cover most  of the 1,120 acre estate.

Beautiful garden beds.

Near the house stands a 600-year old oak tree that a timber merchant once offered to buy for 100 guineas during the time of Trafalgar. The owner, John Chute, declined and this beauty stands today. 

100 Guinea Oak tree, over 600 years old.

The weekend we visited, The Vyne was hosting an autumn festival complete with falconry, apple pressing, and food booths. For an extra pound or two, visitors could make a besom broom or faery hat. (I had to look up 'besom.')

For more pictures of our visit to The Vyne, click here.

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It's the little things . . .

While the live falcrony display did not grab my attention, this fellow certainly did.

Great Grey Owl