Ham House

The front of Ham House, Richmond

I've been wanting to visit Ham House for many years but somehow it's eluded me. This is a magnificent National Trust property, dating from 1610. It's considered to be the most intact example of 17th century architectural fashion in Europe.

Today I had an appointment in Richmond so we took the opportunity of driving just a couple of minutes from the Richmond high street to this beautiful house.

The ornate front entrance

Italianate loggia at the front of the house

It's still winter so the gardens are only just starting to burst into their spring growth. I've always taken great delight in formal gardens and Ham House with its bare plum trees espaliered against ancient brick walls, symmetrically trimmed yews and beautifully aligned urns gave me plenty to smile about. The incredible parterre garden with its geometric lavender and santolina was particularly appealing to me.

Snowdrops heralding the imminent arrival of spring

The house viewed from the parterre garden - a breathtaking sight

At the rear of the house are the 'wilderness' garden with its maze of hornbeams, the ancient kitchen garden that supplies the cafe with much of its produce and a variety of ornate gates and classical statuary. There's also a mass of cherry trees that no doubt are spectacular in spring.

Exterior of the café

The rear of the house

Most National Trust buildings are still closed for winter conservation and repairs, and will reopen towards the end of March. A few, however, have limited openings and we were lucky enough today to enjoy a 45-minute guided tour of several rooms in a small group of about 20 people. The interior of Ham House is truly beautiful. Its early Palladian style includes ornate carved cantilevered staircases, coffered ceilings and a glorious long gallery in black and gold. The artwork is incredible - a vast collection of portraits as well as a number of significant copies of Titian works. These were copied in 1623 following a visit by Charles I to the Spanish court in Madrid, and they have recently been restored at HUGE expense... but truly, it's worth it. They are magnificent.

'It's that way' - me imitating the statue on the left

We'll definitely be returning to Ham House in the next couple of months to see the garden in its full glory, and to view the house in its entirety. Lucky us - it's only a 30-minute drive from home!

Until next time,
- Maree  xo

Wonderful Westhumble

The qaint little railway station of Box Hill and Westhumble

On the weekend Kevin and I headed towards Dorking for our Saturday walk. We have passed by the village of Westhumble many times en route to Dorking and I have longed to explore it on foot, the quaint little railway station and beautiful surrounding countryside having piqued my interest on every occasion.

The station is now an unmanned one, and some enterprising party has in recent years taken over the station house and turned it into a bicycle shop and cafe - genius to take advantage of the burgeoning interest in the sport since the 2012 Olympics. 

Westhumble lies at the foot of renowned Box Hill, nestled in the beautiful North Downs of Surrey. Just up the hill from the station is a rather lovely stone gate, marking the entry to one of the most grand local properties which was recently on the market for £3.5 million. 

Immediately adjacent the gate is a sweet little brick building which was once a mere outbuilding belonging to Westhumble Church, but at some point it was converted into a 'chapel of ease' - a building within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the main parish church conveniently. 

Entry to the Chapel of Ease

Westhumble is an utterly charming village with quiet lanes and gorgeous homes - ranging from the humble cottage to the grand mansion. Every single dwelling has a quintessentially English name - Mulberry Cottage, Foxgloves, Winterberry. 

Property prices, even for fairly modest dwellings, are eye-wateringly steep. Long ago I came to terms with the fact that I'd never be able to afford a Surrey country cottage, but it doesn't stop me wishing and hoping for some kind of miracle to alter that fact! And like Andie in John Hughes' 80s masterpiece Pretty In Pink, I am compelled to wonder if the lucky inhabitants do actually appreciate how fortunate they are to live in such lovely homes, in such a beautiful area.

One of these mews houses would do me very nicely, thanks

After our ramble we forced ourselves to take lunch at the local pub, which was very nice decor-wise but the food was nothing special, and not cheap. All the same we enjoyed coming in from the cold and would happily visit again for a drink.

View over Denbies Vineyard

View towards Box Hill

What a pleasant way to spend Saturday afternoon. As much as we are enjoying living in Epsom, I do pine for the countryside and the luxury of being able to go on a ramble without having to first drive somewhere.

Until next time,
- Maree  xo

At long last... winter comes to south-east England

Winchester House in snow

In the past couple of weeks I'm happy to report it's actually been feeling - and looking - like winter. 

It's been a long time coming, and those of you who regularly read this blog or are in touch with me via Facebook etc will know I have been bemoaning the warmest winter on record. Up until the last week of January we'd only had five frosts the entire season. Pathetic! I was longing for the crisp, frosty and well-below-zero nights of Canberra.

Snow just starting to fall - view from our dining room

Our car under a light dusting

However a couple of times in the past week we've woken to snow, which was absolutely delightful. The second, heavier, snow day occurred on a weekday and I was fearful of the effect on the morning commute - the English are notoriously bad at dealing with deviations in weather, at least as far as transport is concerned. 

I can't tell you how many times during autumn I was compelled to laugh out loud at the traffic report that services had been suspended on an entire train line due to 'leaves on the tracks'....! 

I have never experienced such sensitivity to weather fluctuations anywhere else - bad weather doesn't even have to have actually occurred for grave misgivings to be expressed. The chance that it might snow, or rain heavily, or be very hot is discussed with great passion and a sense of foreboding. God love 'em! Weather really is the favourite topic of conversation in Britain.

Winchester House entry

In the end my commute was fine - it took no longer than any other day and people appeared to be driving very cautiously and sensibly. For me it was a novelty to be driving along with a roof and bonnet covered in several centimetres of snow. I had cleared as much as possible before setting off but couldn't reach a wide strip down the middle.

Setting off to work with a bonnet full of powdery stuff

View from our bedroom

The snow was gone by the time we came home, and I'm hoping this isn't the last hurrah for winter. 

Snow = lovely! :-)

Until next time,
- Maree  xo