Category Archives: South East

Half an hour after leaving Owletts, I arrived at Stoneacre, the second leg of my Kentish architectural adventure. Stoneacre is another small, satellite property – this time coming under the auspices of Sissinghurst Castle Gardens (which was described by the … Continue reading →

As already mentioned in the blog, I am finding it harder to organise my visits as opening times at the smaller NT properties are becoming ever more limited. Owletts is one such example as it is only open on the … Continue reading →

For the second day, I found myself visiting a Buckinghamshire mansion, which required such heavy investment that it drove its owners into bankruptcy. While much of Stowe House has been saved, however, only a part of Claydon House remains, with … Continue reading →

They say that size isn’t everything, but when it comes to Stowe, its size is certainly a thing, if not all things. The house – now a school – is the largest private Neo-Classical building in Europe, while the landscape … Continue reading →

For many years, I have planned to visit Ashdown House on the way to or from my aunt’s house in the Cotswolds. The property is only open for tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays, however, and my trips to Chipping Campden … Continue reading →

The first thing to say about Hinton Ampner is that it’s not in Northumberland. Now that might seem an odd thing to point out, but it makes more sense if I tell you that I was supposed to be in … Continue reading →

It has been more than 18 months since I ticked off my last National Trust visit, so it was a joy to be back in the saddle, even if it is perhaps a one-off for the foreseeable future. The lack … Continue reading →

Every year since I started this challenge, I have planned to visit Emmetts Garden during the bluebell season but each year the two- to three-week window of opportunity (or blueportunity?) passed me by. But I have done it at last … Continue reading →

Knole is one of the largest properties in the National Trust’s portfolio, with seven separate courtyards and a reported room count that numbers over 300! It certainly feels more intimate to the visitor though as only a limited number of … Continue reading →

The mills just keep on coming. It is virtually a year to the day since I visited Shalford Mill in Surrey but I have since been to a textile mill in Essex and stumbled across a sawmill on a country … Continue reading →