View allAll Photos Tagged HappyTreeMendousTuesdays!:)
Looking up at the Blackthorn trees. The sloe berries are ripe, but since the trees had a very much needed trim, we can't reach them. :(
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites.
By the time I'd finished my walk and was in the car park opposite home this is what the weather looked like.
This is what it looked like at the beginning of my walk:
www.flickr.com/photos/44506883@N04/30356835904/in/datepos...
Better viewed large.
Thank you for your favourites. :O)
Stourhead is the best example of a garden inspired by the great landscape painters of the seveneeenth century. Ernst Gombrich suggests it should bear the signature of an Italianized French painter: Claude Lorrain (1600-82). The Stourhead garden was made by a wealthy English banker who had been buying works of art in Italy at the time he inherited the Stourhead estate. Henry Hoare II's 'Claudian' garden was made in an unusually well-proportioned valley behind the house. The Temple of Flora at Stourhead was made in 1745 and the grotto in 1748. But the key date was 1754, when the lake and the Pantheon were made. It is based on the Pantheon in Rome and the planned walk through the estate is based on the journey of Rome's legendry founder, Aeneas. The five-arched bridge was made in 1762 and the Temple of Apollo in 1765. Gothic features were added later in the century: Alfred's Tower, a Rustic Cottage and a Hermitage.The Stourhead woods were underplanted with Rhododendron ponticum after 1791 and with more exotic species in the twentieth century.
Lying in secluded privacy in its own valley, Stourhead in Wiltshire features one of the world’s finest landscape gardens making it perfect for a fantastic day out.
A magnificent lake is central to the design at Stourhead, with the lakes edge being adorned with classical temples, enchanting grottos and rare and exotic trees to discover.
The Hoare family history can be uncovered in Stourhead House, a majestic Palladian mansion housing a unique Regency library with fabulous collections of Chippendale furniture and paintings, all set amid delightful lawns and parkland.
Stourhead is at the heart of a 1,072-hectare (2,650 acre) estate where chalk downs, ancient woods and farmland are managed for nature conservation and perfect to explore.
The woods around Shearwater Lake have public rights of way through them, so that you can extend your walk for several miles, or stay to the tarmac path around two sides of the lake. If you want to extend your walk, but not by too much, then if you head out of the far end of the lake, around the white barrier, and take the left hand of the second fork of the path, then keep going left until you meet back up with the path you started on, near the barrier, you will see enchanting woods. This takes about an extra 20-30 minutes
Extending to some 37 acres, Shear Water Lake offers some of the finest fishing available in Britain, at a site of outstanding beauty. Completely surrounded by mature trees and bushes, Shear Water is without doubt one of the most scenic fishing spots in the country and its massive head of quality fish makes it extremely popular.
The Longleat Estate took Shear Water back in hand in the late 1980’s and the fishery has now developed into one of the country’s top venues. The Lake holds a big head of carp from 2lb to 26lb providing excellent sport for the specimen and pleasure anglers. The lake also boasts a huge head of bream which produce bags regularly over 50lb. Quality roach, perch, tench and rudd are in profusion making Shear Water a truly mixed fishery. In 2002, 15 new carp were introduced to the lake, weighing in at 15-18lbs. A yearly stocking programme of young, fast growing carp is also in place.
We are going back to Beaulieu today so Bith Sue & myself will catch up on comments later today:
Longleat is a vast estate with many paths. An excellent walk is from Nockatt car park (on the road to Horningsham past the main entrances) up to Heavens Gate. This provides a superb vantage point to a panorama across the estate. From there take a path leading down to the left through woodland with bluebells through an open field and past a lake. This brings you to an exit road leading from the house. A few years ago it was possible to enter the arboretum (or pleasure walk) by going through a large wooden door (but access has now been stopped & all visitors have to go through the pay booths to enter the estate) This used to take you to the house and attractions or you can head into High Wood. There is a cafe around the side of the house or have picnic by the lake and watch the hippos and sea lions. Take the main road out of Longleat and turn right at the top of the hill, with views over the safari park. Excellent birdwatching with garden warblers, ravens and spotted flycatchers along the way.
visitwoods.org.uk/en/visit-woods/Pages/wood-details.aspx?...
Fuengirola, in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a large town and municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located on the central coast of the province and integrated into the region of the Costa del Sol and the Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol Occidental.
It is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km of beaches and a mediaeval Moorish fortress. In common with much of this coast, it has been the subject of considerable urban development.
The area has a subtropical Mediterranean climate, with annual average temperatures of 18°C and average summer temperatures of over 30°C
The town has its origins in Phoenician, Roman, and Arab civilisations.
The foothills of the mountain range behind the town to the south are the site of Sohail Castle, which contains remains of an early Phoenician settlement, later occupied by the Romans, which became a town known in antiquity as Suel. Suel was identified by the Roman historian Pomponius Mela as one of the towns of the coast, and was cited by Pliny in the 1st century AD as a fortified town or oppidum. A later historian, Ptolemy, identified it during the 2nd century as being located in the region of the bastulo-penos or Phoenicians.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Step into what remains of a secret wartime air base, now our Visitor Centre, where thousands of people lived and worked in the 1940s. Walk through a masterpiece in landscape design, which is 'Capability' Brown's very first. Over the last 17 years we have painstakingly restored what was once a lost and overgrown 18th century parkland and we’re continuing this work today.
Find Croome Court, the home of the Earls of Coventry, at the heart of the park, which has been patiently waiting for its revival. Its time has come in 2014 as Croome Redefined starts to pull this glorious yet faded house back from the brink. Explore un-restored spaces and the intricate repair works which will see the house change forever.
Croome Park has a man made lake and river, statues, temples and other buildings with the Court as the central focus. The other buildings around the park include Gatehouses, a Grotto, a Church and buildings termed "eye-catchers". These are Pirton Tower, Panorama Tower, Dunstall Castle and Park Seat. They are set away from the core of the Park and are intended to draw the eye into the wider landscape. Croome and Hagley Hall have more follies and other similar features than any estate in the England
Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the English Lake District. It is long and narrow, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 3⁄4-mile (1.2 km) wide, but is also extremely shallow, with a maximum depth of about 70 ft (21 m).
It is the only body of water in the Lake District to be technically defined as a "lake" and to use the word "lake" in its name, all the others being "waters" (for example, Derwent Water), "meres" (for example, Windermere) or "tarns" (for example, Dock Tarn). It is fed by, and drains into, the River Derwent. The lake lies at the foot of Skiddaw, near the town of Keswick. Some maps dating from the 18th century do in fact mark this lake with the name Bassenwater, and the use of the name Broadwater for this lake is also attested.
The A66 dual carriageway runs roughly north/south along the western side of the lake. The lay-bys are popular spots for photographers and bird watchers looking for osprey. The section running south towards Keswick was built
along the course of the
former Cockermouth,
Keswick and Penrith railway
line.
Like the other Lake District lakes, Bassenthwaite Lake lies in a glacially eroded valley, left after the last glaciation. Bassenthwaite Lake is linked to Derwent Water by the River Derwent, which crosses the 3-mile (4.8 km) alluvial plain between the two lakes. There has been speculation that Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite Lake were once one larger lake with the alluvial flats now separating them formed from partial infill of the original basin.
The lake's catchment is the largest of any lake in the Lake District. This, along with a large percentage of cultivable land within this drainage area, makes Bassenthwaite Lake a fertile habitat.
The lake contains salmon, trout, pike, perch, minnow, dace, ruffe and eel, though the predominant species is roach, which is believed to have been introduced in the form of discarded live-baits by visiting pike anglers. Also present was the vendace, until it was declared extinct within the lake in 2001.
Cormorants have been known to fish the lake and herons can also be seen; at the turn of the 19th century there was a report of 60 nests in a heronry in nearby Wythop Woods. In 2001, ospreys returned to nest in the Lake District after more than a hundred years. They nested by the lake, and have done so regularly since. The Osprey family can be watched from viewpoints at Dodd Wood and by CTV from Whinlatter Forest Visitor Centre.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lord Armstrong's garden Cragside:
This tree is in the formal garden which is a magnificent example of a Victorian garden. Laid out in three terraces it covers over three acres and is an idyllic, colourful spot to take in views of Northumberland.
Cragside is a country house in the civil parish of Cartington in Northumberland, England. It was the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. Built into a rocky hillside above a 4 km² forest garden, it was the country home of armaments manufacturer, Lord Armstrong, and has been in the care of the National Trust since 1977. The property was eventually opened to the public in 1979.
Cragside, named after Cragend Hill above the house, was built in 1863 as a modest two-storey country lodge, but was subsequently extended to designs by Richard Norman Shaw, transforming it into an elaborate mansion in the Free Tudor style. At one point, the building included an astronomical observatory and a scientific laboratory.
The Grade I listed house is surrounded by one of Europe's largest rock gardens, a large number of rhododendrons and a large collection of mostly coniferous trees. One variety of rhododendron is named after Lady Armstrong.
In 2007, Cragside reopened after undergoing "total refurbishment.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside/things-to-see-and-do/ga...
Happy Tree-Mendous Tuesday:
Just a quick shot taken from our house yesterday evening looking east following one of the thunderstorms.
The picturesque Beaulieu village sits on the southern bank of the Beaulieu River, at the head of the tidal section of the river.
It's one of the New Forest's smallest but busiest villages, and is home to the National Park's most popular attraction, the National Motor Museum, Palace House and Beaulieu Abbey. Collectively this trio is just called Beaulieu.
Beaulieu village is little more than a single street of red brick houses, some tiny boutiques and village shops, and the Montagu Arms Hotel and pub, but its charm attracts many visitors.
The village is also home to the British National Motor Museum.
The museum was opened in 1952 as the Montagu Motor Museum and became a charitable trust in 1972. It contains an important collection of historic motor vehicles, including four world land speed record holders:
Sir Malcolm Campbell's 1924 Blue-Bird and
His son Donald Campbell's 1964 Bluebird CN7,
The 1927 Sunbeam 1000HP (the first motor car to reach 200 miles per hour (322 km/h))
The 1929 Irving-Napier Special 'Golden Arrow'.
The last two were both driven by Major Henry Segrave.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of 127 miles (204 km), it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line. It has several small branches, and in the early 21st century a new link was constructed into the Liverpool docks system.
In the mid-18th century the growing towns of Yorkshire including Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford, were trading increasingly. While the Aire and Calder Navigation improved links to the east for Leeds, links to the west were limited. Bradford merchants wanted to increase the supply of limestone to make lime for mortar and agriculture using coal from Bradford's collieries and to transport textiles to the Port of Liverpool. On the west coast, traders in the busy port of Liverpool wanted a cheap supply of coal for their shipping and manufacturing businesses and to tap the output from the industrial regions of Lancashire. Inspired by the effectiveness of the wholly artificial navigation, the Bridgewater Canal opened in 1759–60. A canal across the Pennines linking Liverpool and Hull (by means of the Aire and Calder Navigation) would have obvious trade benefits.
A public meeting took place at the Sun Inn in Bradford on 2 July 1766 to promote the building of such a canal. John Longbotham was engaged to survey a route. Two groups were set up to promote the scheme, one in Liverpool and one in Bradford. The Liverpool committee was unhappy with the route originally proposed, following the Ribble valley through Preston, considering that it ran too far to the north, missing key towns and the Wigan coalfield. A counter-proposal was produced by John Eyes and Richard Melling, improved by P.P. Burdett, which was rejected by the Bradford committee as too expensive, mainly because of the valley crossing at Burnley. James Brindley was called in to arbitrate, and ruled in favour of Longbotham's more northerly route, though with a branch towards Wigan, a decision which caused some of the Lancashire backers to withdraw their support, and which was subsequently amended over the course of development.
An Act was passed in May 1770 authorising construction, and Brindley was appointed chief engineer and John Longbotham clerk of works; following Brindley's death in 1772, Longbotham carried out both roles
Full of variety, this charming garden shows the English country style at its best.
Peaceful water gardens and herbaceous borders, with organically shaped topiary, demonstrate an imaginative use of colour and planting, creating unexpected vistas.
Stroll through the arboretum with its wonderful species of trees and naturally planted spring bulbs.
Lord Armstrong's garden Cragside:
This tree is in the formal garden which is a magnificent example of a Victorian garden. Laid out in three terraces it covers over three acres and is an idyllic, colourful spot to take in views of Northumberland.
Cragside is a country house in the civil parish of Cartington in Northumberland, England. It was the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. Built into a rocky hillside above a 4 km² forest garden, it was the country home of armaments manufacturer, Lord Armstrong, and has been in the care of the National Trust since 1977. The property was eventually opened to the public in 1979.
Cragside, named after Cragend Hill above the house, was built in 1863 as a modest two-storey country lodge, but was subsequently extended to designs by Richard Norman Shaw, transforming it into an elaborate mansion in the Free Tudor style. At one point, the building included an astronomical observatory and a scientific laboratory.
The Grade I listed house is surrounded by one of Europe's largest rock gardens, a large number of rhododendrons and a large collection of mostly coniferous trees. One variety of rhododendron is named after Lady Armstrong.
In 2007, Cragside reopened after undergoing "total refurbishment.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside/things-to-see-and-do/ga...
The causeway park isn't too far from my dentist, and even though the day was scorching hot, my husband was kind enough to drive me there to get a few shots. And a few shots it was...after 15 minutes or so, I was dripping wet. I really wanted to just jump in, but I was wearing a favorite outfit :-)
Happy TREE-mendous Tuesday!
Red Cedar: Tall evergreen tree, up to 65m, with a pyramidal crown.
The bark is reddish and shredding.
The foliage is in flattened, rather stiff sprays, the leaves 2–3mm with faint white marks beneath.
The cones are 12mm long, the scales appear rather leafy and have a hook on the inner side at the tip.
Red Cedar 1 shows the trunk after being cut dowm by Longleat Forestry
Red Cedar 2 is some of the logs which are waiting to be stacked.
Stourhead is the best example of a garden inspired by the great landscape painters of the seveneeenth century. Ernst Gombrich suggests it should bear the signature of an Italianized French painter: Claude Lorrain (1600-82). The Stourhead garden was made by a wealthy English banker who had been buying works of art in Italy at the time he inherited the Stourhead estate. Henry Hoare II's 'Claudian' garden was made in an unusually well-proportioned valley behind the house. The Temple of Flora at Stourhead was made in 1745 and the grotto in 1748. But the key date was 1754, when the lake and the Pantheon were made. It is based on the Pantheon in Rome and the planned walk through the estate is based on the journey of Rome's legendry founder, Aeneas. The five-arched bridge was made in 1762 and the Temple of Apollo in 1765. Gothic features were added later in the century: Alfred's Tower, a Rustic Cottage and a Hermitage.The Stourhead woods were underplanted with Rhododendron ponticum after 1791 and with more exotic species in the twentieth century.
Lying in secluded privacy in its own valley, Stourhead in Wiltshire features one of the world’s finest landscape gardens making it perfect for a fantastic day out.
A magnificent lake is central to the design at Stourhead, with the lakes edge being adorned with classical temples, enchanting grottos and rare and exotic trees to discover.
The Hoare family history can be uncovered in Stourhead House, a majestic Palladian mansion housing a unique Regency library with fabulous collections of Chippendale furniture and paintings, all set amid delightful lawns and parkland.
Stourhead is at the heart of a 1,072-hectare (2,650 acre) estate where chalk downs, ancient woods and farmland are managed for nature conservation and perfect to explore.
Longleat is a vast estate with many public paths. An excellent walk is from Nockatt car park (on the road to Horningsham past the main entrances) up to Heavens Gate. This provides a superb vantage point to a panorama across the estate. From there take a path leading down to the left through woodland with bluebells through an open field and past a lake. This brings you to an exit road leading from the house. Enter the arboretum (or pleasure walk) through a large wooden door. This takes to the house and attractions or you can head into High Wood. There is a cafe around the side of the house or have picnic by the lake and watch the hippos and sea lions. Take the main road out of Longleat and turn right at the top of the hill, with views over the safari park. Excellent birdwatching with garden warblers, ravens and spotted flycatchers along the way.
visitwoods.org.uk/en/visit-woods/Pages/wood-details.aspx?...
I will probably not be able to get back on today to comment as I'm having a "Retinal scan" done later.
Home to England’s highest waterfall, descending a staggering 220 ft, Canonteign Falls is a breathtaking Devon attraction, and a wonderful day out for all the family.
Water rushing over Canonteign falls in Devon
Situated within Dartmoor National Park, in the heart of Devon’s Teign Valley, the waterfalls tumble down ancient rock formations to meet the tranquil lakes below, offering some of the most spectacular waterfall and woodland scenery in Devon.
The lakes and walks, now very well established, provide a combination of traditional English wetland vegetation along with selected exotic water plants.
A haven for wildlife, we are working together with the Devon Wildlife Trust to manage our lakes sustainably. Our Devon Wildlife Trust information boards examine the extraordinary dragonflies and damselflies that have made our lakes in Devon their natural habitat.
In the early 1990s the current Lord Exmouth constructed a further four lakes, and here, particularly in spring and early summer, carpets of yellow buttercups and orchids adorn the grassland. Taking the path alongside Lily lake leading to the wetlands and lower lakes, is one of the most fascinating nature walks in Devon, giving you the opportunity to spot kingfishers, bats, butterflies, wildfowl, dragonflies and otter; and the ancient wetland area close to the Elizabethan walled garden provides a habitat for swathes of yellow flag irises.
There are seven interconnecting lakes. The main Lily Lake has a central island with beautiful purple flowering rhododendrons in spring time and a provides safe cover for the many Mallard ducks and their ducklings in spring. Clearing of trees has been undertaken at the Falls end of the lake and the visitor can now enjoy a much enhanced view whilst walking around the Lake.
The six lower lakes are linked up with grassy walks and bridges. Planting combinations fo dogwood, acers, gunnera and pampas grass provide year round texture and colour.
The lake at Stourhead is artificially created. Following a path around the lake is meant to evoke a journey similar to that of Aeneas’s descent in to the underworld. In addition to Greek mythology, the layout is evocative of the “genius of the place,” a concept made famous by Alexander Pope. Buildings and monuments are erected in remembrance of family and local history. Henry Hoare was a collector of art- one of his pieces was Nicolas Poussin’s Aeneas at Delos, which is thought to have inspired the pictorial design of the gardens. Passages telling of Aeneas’s journey are quoted in the temples surrounding the lake. Monuments are used to frame one another; for example the Pantheon designed by Flitcroft entices the visitor over, but once reached, views from the opposite shore of the lake beckon. The use of the sunken path allows the landscape to continue on into neighboring landscapes, allowing the viewer to contemplate all the surrounding panorama. The Pantheon was thought to be the most important visual feature of the gardens. It appears in many pieces of artwork owned by Hoare, depicting Aeneas’s travels. The plantings in the garden were arranged in a manner that would evoke different moods, drawing visitors through realms of thought. According to Henry Hoare, ‘The greens should be ranged together in large masses as the shades are in painting: to contrast the dark masses with the light ones, and to relieve each dark mass itself with little sprinklings of lighter greens here and there.
View taken from the Grotto, of the lake in Autumn colours.
Stourhead's lake and foliage as seen from a high hill vantage point.
The gardens were designed by Henry Hoare II and laid out between 1741 and 1780 in a classical 18th-century design set around a large lake, achieved by damming a small stream. The inspiration behind their creation were the painters Claude Lorrain, Poussin, and, in particular, Gaspar Dughet, who painted Utopian-type views of Italian landscapes. It is similar in style to the landscape gardens at Stowe.
Included in the garden are a number of temples inspired by scenes of the Grand Tour of Europe. On one hill overlooking the gardens there stands an obelisk and King Alfred's Tower, a 50-metre-tall, brick folly designed by Henry Flitcroft in 1772; on another hill the temple of Apollo provides a vantage point to survey the magnificent rhododendrons, water, cascades and temples. The large medieval Bristol High Cross was moved from Bristol to the gardens. Amongst the hills surrounding the site there are also two Iron Age hill forts: Whitesheet Hill and Park Hill Camp. The gardens are home to a large collection of trees and shrubs from around the world.
Richard Colt Hoare, the grandson of Henry Hoare II, inherited Stourhead in 1783. He added the library wing to the mansion, and in the garden was responsible for the building of the boathouse and the removal of several features that were not in keeping with the classical and gothic styles (including a Turkish Tent). He also considerably enhanced the planting - the Temple of Apollo rises from a wooded slope that was planted in Colt Hoare's time. With the antiquarian passion of the times, he had 400 ancient burial mounds dug up in order to inform his pioneering History of Ancient Wiltshire.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The lake at Stourhead is artificially created. Following a path around the lake is meant to evoke a journey similar to that of Aeneas’s descent in to the underworld. In addition to Greek mythology, the layout is evocative of the “genius of the place,” a concept made famous by Alexander Pope. Buildings and monuments are erected in remembrance of family and local history. Henry Hoare was a collector of art- one of his pieces was Nicolas Poussin’s Aeneas at Delos, which is thought to have inspired the pictorial design of the gardens. Passages telling of Aeneas’s journey are quoted in the temples surrounding the lake. Monuments are used to frame one another; for example the Pantheon designed by Flitcroft entices the visitor over, but once reached, views from the opposite shore of the lake beckon. The use of the sunken path allows the landscape to continue on into neighboring landscapes, allowing the viewer to contemplate all the surrounding panorama. The Pantheon was thought to be the most important visual feature of the gardens. It appears in many pieces of artwork owned by Hoare, depicting Aeneas’s travels. The plantings in the garden were arranged in a manner that would evoke different moods, drawing visitors through realms of thought. According to Henry Hoare, ‘The greens should be ranged together in large masses as the shades are in painting: to contrast the dark masses with the light ones, and to relieve each dark mass itself with little sprinklings of lighter greens here and there.
View taken from the Grotto, of the lake in Autumn colours.
Stourhead's lake and foliage as seen from a high hill vantage point.
The gardens were designed by Henry Hoare II and laid out between 1741 and 1780 in a classical 18th-century design set around a large lake, achieved by damming a small stream. The inspiration behind their creation were the painters Claude Lorrain, Poussin, and, in particular, Gaspar Dughet, who painted Utopian-type views of Italian landscapes. It is similar in style to the landscape gardens at Stowe.
Included in the garden are a number of temples inspired by scenes of the Grand Tour of Europe. On one hill overlooking the gardens there stands an obelisk and King Alfred's Tower, a 50-metre-tall, brick folly designed by Henry Flitcroft in 1772; on another hill the temple of Apollo provides a vantage point to survey the magnificent rhododendrons, water, cascades and temples. The large medieval Bristol High Cross was moved from Bristol to the gardens. Amongst the hills surrounding the site there are also two Iron Age hill forts: Whitesheet Hill and Park Hill Camp. The gardens are home to a large collection of trees and shrubs from around the world.
Richard Colt Hoare, the grandson of Henry Hoare II, inherited Stourhead in 1783. He added the library wing to the mansion, and in the garden was responsible for the building of the boathouse and the removal of several features that were not in keeping with the classical and gothic styles (including a Turkish Tent). He also considerably enhanced the planting - the Temple of Apollo rises from a wooded slope that was planted in Colt Hoare's time. With the antiquarian passion of the times, he had 400 ancient burial mounds dug up in order to inform his pioneering History of Ancient Wiltshire.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Courts is an early Georgian mansion built in the baroque style. It was described as newly-built in 1731 when it and adjacent dyehouse and workshops belonged to the clothier John Phelps. At the end of the 18th century a woollen cloth factory was built there, but all the industrial works were demolished a century later..
The Courts Garden, HoltThe Courts Gardens were initially designed by Dr [later Sir] George Hastings 1902-1905. Much of what can be seen today was planted by Major Clarence and Lady Cecilie Goff between 1921 and 1943, when he gave it and the house to the National Trust.
Harnham consists of two wards: West and East Harnham, which currently have a combined population of around 7,300 West Harnham, formerly a countrified civil parish adjacent to New Salisbury was absorbed into the administration of one civil parish of Salisbury following the lead of East Harnham in 1903 [3]itself joining the city of Salisbury in 1927 at the same time as parts of Laverstock, Stratford and Bemerton.
Harnham lies to the south of Salisbury and is linked to the city by road via the Ayleswade bridge in East Harnham, originally constructed across the River Avon in 1244, and by foot via the Town Path across the "historic and important landscape" of the Harnham Water Meadows in West Harnham. The meadows lie between two branches of the River Nadder and extend into the outskirts of the city itself. They are part of an extensive irrigation system of floated water meadows, dating from the mid-seventeenth century. Now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (see East Harnham Meadows) they are still used for grazing and were voted the Best View in Britain by Country Life magazine in 2002. The meadows were made famous in John Constable's painting ‘Salisbury Cathedral - A View from the Water Meadow’. The meadows are managed by the Harnham Water Meadows Trust and owned by the Trust jointly with the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral.
Harnham is the suburb of the city with the largest areas of housing valued at more than £400,000.
In the 13th century Salisbury sited its new Cathedral on the flat fertile plain encircled by the River Avon and protected by Harnham Hill; a chalk escarpment which rises steeply to the south. Harnham Slope comprises an area of woodland on the northern slope of Harnham Hill, including the West Harnham Chalk Pit a 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Harnham Slope, its upper slope, is now managed as a public amenity space which, from its highest point, gives fine views across Harnham to the city including Salisbury Cathedral's highest current spire in the United Kingdom.
Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Nature reserve:
Most of the reserve is fairly flat but for the rocky sandstone knoll crowned with Scots pine known as the Devil's Spittleful rock. A ‘spit’ was a spade’s depth and the area may have got its name from a digging diablo – although what he was seeking is not known! The entrance to a cave in the rock has become unstable and sadly, it is no longer safe to view.
This impressive reserve, situated between Kidderminster and Bewdley, covers more than 150 acres. It is jointly managed by the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust (which owns the Devil's Spittleful), and Wyre Forest District Council (which owns the Rifle Range), both of which have been designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The site is one of the few extensive areas of heathland remaining in Worcestershire. It is estimated that nine tenths of heathland has been lost to the county over the last two centuries. In 2007 the Trust acquired a number of fields adjacent to the reserve, which will be restored to create additional habitat.
When Stourhead first opened in the 1740s, a magazine described it as ‘a living work of art’. The world-famous landscape garden has at its centrepiece a magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, and rare and exotic trees, and offers a day of fresh air and discovery.
Stourhead is the best example of a garden inspired by the great landscape painters of the seveneeenth century. Ernst Gombrich suggests it should bear the signature of an Italianized French painter: Claude Lorrain (1600-82). The Stourhead garden was made by a wealthy English banker who had been buying works of art in Italy at the time he inherited the Stourhead estate. Henry Hoare II's 'Claudian' garden was made in an unusually well-proportioned valley behind the house. The Temple of Flora at Stourhead was made in 1745 and the grotto in 1748. But the key date was 1754, when the lake and the Pantheon were made. It is based on the Pantheon in Rome and the planned walk through the estate is based on the journey of Rome's legendry founder, Aeneas. The five-arched bridge was made in 1762 and the Temple of Apollo in 1765. Gothic features were added later in the century: Alfred's Tower, a Rustic Cottage and a Hermitage.The Stourhead woods were underplanted with Rhododendron ponticum after 1791 and with more exotic species in the twentieth century.
Taken in the car park over the road from home.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
You've seen them before, but they are lovely.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
The Cherry Orchard - the largest of its kind in the world - is one of The Garden's most tranquil areas, with winding pathways and over 300 graceful Japanese Tai Haku cherry trees.
Lying on a peaceful slope beyond the Grand Cascade, the Cherry Orchard is planted with over 300 Tai Haku cherry trees.
The Tai Haku is also known as 'the great white cherry' because of its large white blossom, and The Alnwick Garden is the only place in the UK to see the Tai Haku planted in such numbers. Each April or May, the Orchard becomes a beautiful cloud of white, with the petals falling like snow.
The trees are underplanted with 50,000 Purple Sensation Alliums, and pathways meander amongst them, with colourful azalea borders planted at the Orchard’s edge.
The Town Bridge and Chapel is a grade I listed building. It was originally a packhorse bridge, but widened in the 17th century by rebuilding the western side.On 2 July 1643 the town was the site of a skirmish in the English Civil War, between Royalists who seized control of the bridge on their way to the Battle of Lansdowne.
On the bridge stands a small building which was originally a chapel but later used as a town lockup. The weather vane on top takes the form of a gudgeon (an early Christian symbol), hence the local saying "under the fish and over the water".
The lake at Stourhead is artificially created. Following a path around the lake is meant to evoke a journey similar to that of Aeneas’s descent in to the underworld. In addition to Greek mythology, the layout is evocative of the “genius of the place,” a concept made famous by Alexander Pope. Buildings and monuments are erected in remembrance of family and local history. Henry Hoare was a collector of art- one of his pieces was Nicolas Poussin’s Aeneas at Delos, which is thought to have inspired the pictorial design of the gardens. Passages telling of Aeneas’s journey are quoted in the temples surrounding the lake. Monuments are used to frame one another; for example the Pantheon designed by Flitcroft entices the visitor over, but once reached, views from the opposite shore of the lake beckon. The use of the sunken path allows the landscape to continue on into neighboring landscapes, allowing the viewer to contemplate all the surrounding panorama. The Pantheon was thought to be the most important visual feature of the gardens. It appears in many pieces of artwork owned by Hoare, depicting Aeneas’s travels. The plantings in the garden were arranged in a manner that would evoke different moods, drawing visitors through realms of thought. According to Henry Hoare, ‘The greens should be ranged together in large masses as the shades are in painting: to contrast the dark masses with the light ones, and to relieve each dark mass itself with little sprinklings of lighter greens here and there.
View taken from the Grotto, of the lake in Autumn colours.
Stourhead's lake and foliage as seen from a high hill vantage point.
The gardens were designed by Henry Hoare II and laid out between 1741 and 1780 in a classical 18th-century design set around a large lake, achieved by damming a small stream. The inspiration behind their creation were the painters Claude Lorrain, Poussin, and, in particular, Gaspar Dughet, who painted Utopian-type views of Italian landscapes. It is similar in style to the landscape gardens at Stowe.
Included in the garden are a number of temples inspired by scenes of the Grand Tour of Europe. On one hill overlooking the gardens there stands an obelisk and King Alfred's Tower, a 50-metre-tall, brick folly designed by Henry Flitcroft in 1772; on another hill the temple of Apollo provides a vantage point to survey the magnificent rhododendrons, water, cascades and temples. The large medieval Bristol High Cross was moved from Bristol to the gardens. Amongst the hills surrounding the site there are also two Iron Age hill forts: Whitesheet Hill and Park Hill Camp. The gardens are home to a large collection of trees and shrubs from around the world.
Richard Colt Hoare, the grandson of Henry Hoare II, inherited Stourhead in 1783. He added the library wing to the mansion, and in the garden was responsible for the building of the boathouse and the removal of several features that were not in keeping with the classical and gothic styles (including a Turkish Tent). He also considerably enhanced the planting - the Temple of Apollo rises from a wooded slope that was planted in Colt Hoare's time. With the antiquarian passion of the times, he had 400 ancient burial mounds dug up in order to inform his pioneering History of Ancient Wiltshire.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Another photo taken in Méréville in 2012 that never got uploaded at the time.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
Lord Armstrong's garden Cragside:
This tree is in the formal garden which is a magnificent example of a Victorian garden. Laid out in three terraces it covers over three acres and is an idyllic, colourful spot to take in views of Northumberland.
Cragside is a country house in the civil parish of Cartington in Northumberland, England. It was the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. Built into a rocky hillside above a 4 km² forest garden, it was the country home of armaments manufacturer, Lord Armstrong, and has been in the care of the National Trust since 1977. The property was eventually opened to the public in 1979.
Cragside, named after Cragend Hill above the house, was built in 1863 as a modest two-storey country lodge, but was subsequently extended to designs by Richard Norman Shaw, transforming it into an elaborate mansion in the Free Tudor style. At one point, the building included an astronomical observatory and a scientific laboratory.
The Grade I listed house is surrounded by one of Europe's largest rock gardens, a large number of rhododendrons and a large collection of mostly coniferous trees. One variety of rhododendron is named after Lady Armstrong.
In 2007, Cragside reopened after undergoing "total refurbishment.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside/things-to-see-and-do/ga...
The River Nadder is one of the chalk stream rivers of southern England, much sought after by fly fishermen because of its clear waters and abundance of brown trout. It is one of the main tributaries of the River Avon, rising from a number of springs and small streams at Donhead St. Mary in south Wiltshire. The river winds its way east-northeast, heading towards the medieval cathedral city of Salisbury.
During the course of its 32 kilometre journey the Nadder meanders and widens gradually until it flows through the park of Wilton House to the west of Salisbury after which the river joins the River Wylye, another tributary of the Avon. For its last few kilometres it passes through the unspoilt water meadows at Harnham on the outskirts of the city, and finally into the River Avon beneath a backdrop of the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral spire.
We may be a little Slow / Late / Miss comments this week as we have a young Grandson visiting.
Especially enjoyable for bird-lovers, the Lakes have a relaxing atmosphere that appeals to all. The Reserve lies in the heart of the Wylye valley in south Wiltshire, half way between Salisbury and Warminster.
The Reserve consists of three lakes and a half-mile stretch of the river Wylye, and covers more than 20 hectares. There are four bird-watching hides overlooking the lakes, providing good close views of the regular species of wildfowl. There are chances of rarities too, especially during the spring and autumn migrations.
17 mins of video at:
HTMT
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Established in 1765 by the first Countess of Ilchester as a kitchen garden for her nearby castle. Developed since then into a magnificent 20 acre garden filled with rare and exotic plants from all over the world. Many of these plants were first introductions to this country, discovered by the plant hunting descendants of the Countess.
After the great storm of 1990, a major restoration project has been underway. many new exotic and unusual flowers have been introduced to this fabulous Dorset Garden.
The Garden is a mixture of formal and informal flowers, world famous for it's Camellia groves and magnolias. Noted in Dorset for its Rhododendron and Hydrangea collections and the charming Victorian
Garden.
The gardens were well established by 1633, and by 1667 several walled gardens and courts had been added with established orchards. They were accompanied by stone gate lodges, which were removed in the 18th century.[56]
The garden planting, laid out within the former forecourt and in the slightly sunken grassed parterre square, was the work of Mrs Ellen Phelips, who lived at Montacute from the 1840s to her death in 1911, and her gardener, Mr Pridham, who had worked for her at Coker Court.[57] The avenue of clipped yews that reinforces the slightly gappy mature avenue of trees stretching away from the outer walls of the former forecourt to end in fields, and the clipped yews that outline the grassed parterre date from that time, though the famous "melted" shape of the giant hedge was inspired by the effects of a freak snowfall in 1947. The sunken parterre garden design, with its Jacobean-style central fountain, designed by Robert Shekelton Balfour (1869–1942), is of 1894; Balfour's dated design is conserved in the library of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Mixed borders in the East court were replanted by Phyllis Reiss of Tintinhull in powerful hot colours when the earlier tender colour scheme laid down by Vita Sackville-West proved insipid to modern taste.
There are around 106 hectares (260 acres) of parkland and 4 hectares (9.9 acres) of more formally laid out gardens. These are the remains of the 121 hectares (300 acres) of parkland that previously surrounded the house.
The close up shot is not a crop of the original, one was taken at 17mm & the second was taken at 56mm