The Holy Trinity Church of England at Woolloongabba was constructed in 1930 to the design of Brisbane architect Eric Ford of the partnership, Chambers and Ford. The building was the third church on the site and replaced a timber church constructed in 1875.

Woolloongabba grew from a small settlement in the early 1860s to a major centre in the late nineteenth century. In the early 1860s Woolloongabba was known as One-Mile Swamp and was developing following diversion of the Toowoomba mail from South Brisbane to Kangaroo Point, the formation of the New Ipswich Road and the opening of Brisbane's first cross river bridge at South Brisbane in June 1865. These developments stimulated land investment at One-mile Swamp, and in 1864 the Clarence Town Estate was offered for sale. This parcel of land was sold to publican Thomas Hayselden in 1863, and the first Clarence Hotel, at the corner of Stanley Street and Boggo Road, was opened by him in January 1864. When Hayselden's Clarence Estate and neighbouring One-mile Swamp or Woolloongabba allotments were being advertised for auction or sale in 1864 - 1865, the potential of the area for both small business and residential purposes was emphasised. Suddenly, in the mid-1860s, an area which previously had been defined by little other than hotels acquired a string of small businesses fronting the new Ipswich Road beyond Boggo Road.

The population of Woolloongabba, which had grown steadily between the 1860s and 1880s, increased rapidly following the expansion of the railway line to Woolloongabba in 1884, and the extension of the electric tramway to Woolloongabba/East Brisbane in 1897. During the 1880s and 1890s Woolloongabba developed as Brisbane's fourth major shopping centre, the others being central Brisbane, Fortitude Valley and Stanley Street at South Brisbane. By the turn of the century, most of the allotments facing Stanley Street, Logan Road and Ipswich Road at the Fiveways were fully developed commercial sites.

As the population grew, a Church of England congregation was formed and a church was constructed on land in Hawthorne Street, Woolloongabba. This land was acquired in March 1864 by Robert Creyke from Mary Ann Peterson who was granted the original Deed in 1861. Robert Creyke was the son of a Church of England Minister and following Robert's death in 1869, Reverend Creyke donated the land to the Diocese for the newly formed Holy Trinity congregation for construction of a church. The congregation was formed in 1869 and meetings and services were held in local buildings. In 1870 a simple church was designed by prolific architect, Richard Gailey and this remained the parish church for about four years before being destroyed in a wind storm in October 1874. Another church was dedicated for service on the 23rd of May 1875 and photographs of this second building indicate that it was a rudimentary timber framed and clad structure with a rectangular plan and a steeply pitched gabled roof clad with shingles.

At the construction of their first church the Holy Trinity congregation were part of the South Brisbane parish, and after 1886 when Reverend HT Molesworth was appointed Curate-in-charge of the church a movement started toward the formation of a separate Holy Trinity parish. The parish was constituted by the Diocesan Council on the 19th of January 1888 and Reverend D Ruddock was appointed as the first Rector. In the following year, Brisbane architect, John Henry Burley designed a substantial church hall for the Parish which remained in use until 1998 when it was demolished. By 1890 a rectory also was constructed on the site to the design of diocesan architect, John Hingestone Buckeridge. This was in use until destroyed by fire in 1956.

In 1915 the rector of Holy Trinity Parish, CH Edwards, temporarily left the parish to serve in World War I and after a brief return in 1916 did not return to the parish until 1920, where he remained until 1925. It is thought that he instigated a movement to construct another church because the timber church, despite the premier hilltop site, remained relatively inconspicuous, particularly compared with those Roman Catholic churches being constructed on elevated Brisbane sites by Archbishop Duhig. In about 1916 a subscription scheme was devised to allow parishioners to donate a sum of money over a lengthy period which finally contributed to the construction of a substantial church in 1930. The 1920s was a period of expansion for the Church of England in Queensland and during this time many older churches were rebuilt and new churches constructed. Typically these new buildings were unpretentious, retaining influence from the nineteenth century Gothic revival but with more awareness of the Queensland sub tropical climate. In the late 1920s experimentation with derivatives of a hybrid of Romanesque and Spanish Mission architecture are apparent in both the Holy Trinity Church at Woolloongabba and at another Holy Trinity Church in Mackay designed by Lange Powell. Earlier in 1924, a Roman Catholic Church at Bowen Hills was constructed using Spanish Mission influences but few other churches display the hybrid style developed by the architect Eric Ford at Woolloongabba.

The architectural firm, Chambers and Ford who designed the Woolloongabba Church of England, was a partnership of Claude William Chambers and Eric Marshall Ford. Chambers and Ford remained in practise in Brisbane from 1920 until 1951, although Chambers was largely not involved and moved permanently to Sydney in about 1935. Chambers was a highly experienced and notable architect, who worked for a number of prominent Brisbane firms during the nineteenth century and formed several partnerships in the twentieth century, including Chambers and Powell (where EM Ford was office manager); Chambers and Ford and Chambers and Hutton. The partnership of Chambers and Ford designed several Brisbane churches notably Saint Margaret's Church of England, Sandgate (1927) and Saint James' Church, Kelvin Grove (1943).

Plans, prepared by Ford, for the erection of a new church at Woolloongabba were ready by the end of the 1920s and it is thought that the design was chosen from a limited competition. The parish was saved the expense of the demolition of the earlier church which was blazed to the ground in a fire on the 11th of December 1929.

The foundation stone was laid on the 3rd of March 1930 by Archbishop Gerald Sharp. A description rendered by the Buildings and Real Estate writer of the Brisbane Courier, talked of the building designed in the Italian Romanesque style of the eleventh century, "slightly modified to suit local conditions". The plan comprised a prominent tower, vestry, entrance porch and nave with side aisles and octagonal chancel. A basement was to provide access for a further two vestries. Finishes throughout the church included face brick internal walls with black tuckpointing, timber panelled ceilings and external roughcast render. A red tiled roof was to provide a contrast with the whitewashed external walls.

Tenders were called by Chambers and Ford for the Holy Trinity Church in the February edition of the Architects and Builder's Journal of Queensland and in the May edition of the journal the tender of JH Davis was accepted. The final cost of the church was about £9800.

The Holy Trinity Church was dedicated on the 4th of October 1930 by the Coadjutor Bishop of Brisbane, the Right Reverend Francis de Witt Batty. Most of the descriptions of the building on the day of its dedication focussed on its extraordinary site which crowned the highest part of Hawthorne Street and commanded a view of the entire parish. The completed building housed an organ by Messrs Whitehouse costing £560, electric lighting installed by Mr Dudley Winterford, plasterwork by James Bain & Son, glazing by Decorative Art Company and leadlights by Exton & Company. The garden and landscaping was set out by Mr H Stokes. Many of the internal fittings were donated by parishioners and much of the fitted and loose furniture, including the altar furniture and pews was designed by the architect, Eric Ford.

The church has remained as it was constructed with very few apparent alterations. The organ pipes have been painted, carpet runners and squares have been laid, commemorative stained glass windows have been added to the side aisles and work appears to have been undertaken on the reredos screen which is now concealed by a heavy curtain. The exterior of the church has been painted but retains a whitewashed appearance.

Alterations to the site include the 1938 renovation of an sub-basement area in the church for a Columbarium, or a place to hold funerary vases and the erection of a freestanding bell tower in 1949 to commemorate those soldiers who were killed during WWII. Landscaping around the building has been continually upgraded and many established trees remain on the site. In 1956 after the original rectory was destroyed the church acquired an adjoining property with an early house from the Sawyer family. This building became the rectory. In 1971 a freestanding crucifix was erected on the southern side of the church commemorating Eric Johnstone. The most substantial changes to the church complex occurred in late 1997 to early 1998 when the church hall and rectory were demolished.

Source: Queensland Heritage Register.

Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, is a magnificent late Victorian country house with extensive servants quarters, gardens and a wooded estate.

It is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home. The kitchens, nurseries and servants' quarters offer a thrilling glimpse into life 'below stairs', while the spacious dining room and bedrooms are truly and deeply elegant.

The house is set in wooded parkland of 1,000 acres and encircled by a garden of rare shrubs and trees.

Follow in the footsteps of generations of the Robartes family, walking in the 17th-century Long Gallery among the rare book collection under the remarkable plasterwork ceiling. After a devastating fire in 1881 the house was refurbished in the high-Victorian style, with the latest mod cons.

Don't miss

* There are 50 rooms to explore – allow plenty of time!

* Play the Steinway piano in the Long Gallery

* Look out for the museum and second-hand bookshop

The gardens

The historical garden with its 30-acres of woodland was laid out back in 1857, but its present format was actually established later on in the Victorian period, and many of the plants are no more than 70 years old. However, a grand atmosphere permeates the entire setting and compliments the brilliant planting of more modern times.

Explore formal parterres of dazzling bedding plants and wander along paths that wind through a woodland landscape planted in a semi-formal Cornish fashion - rhododendrons and Himalayan magnolias lurching to their full-size in the fresh Cornish air. Because the grounds lie inland and rise up to 130-metres above sea level, the plants have to cope with harsher climates than the lush valley gardens of the south coast. In spite of this, Lanhydrock still puts on one of the county's most colourful spring shows, with over 120 species of cream and white magnolias featuring amongst a flurry of wild blooms that carpet the woodland.

Learn more about the history and the work involved to keep the magnificent gardens maintained via the new interpretation on permanent display in the garden's thatched cottage.

Take-in the sweeping views over the gardens and the valley landscape, and it's pretty obvious that this is prime garden for walkers. Not only is there 30-acres of formal and informal woodland to explore, but the garden opens onto an extensive network of footpaths zig-zagging through 900-acres of beautiful countryside.

And with so much space to roam, Lanhydrock makes a very family friendly day out. Whilst the fresh air and colourful surroundings will captivate the kids' imaginations and wear them out, the restaurant has a fantastic children's menu and there are excellent baby-changing facilities on-site.

(visitcornwall.com)

Lanhydrock House (kornisch Lannhydrek) ist ein Herrenhaus nahe der englischen Stadt Bodmin in Cornwall. Es liegt fast 13 Kilometer von der Südküste Cornwalls entfernt im waldreichen Tal des Flusses River Fowey, inmitten eines 367 Hektar großen Anwesens, das bis zu 130 Metern Höhe ansteigt.

Lanhydrock House ist von einem attraktiven formalen Garten und einem Landschaftspark umgeben. Der angrenzende Hügel ist mit ausgewählten Bäumen und Sträuchern bepflanzt. Viele Teile des heutigen Hauses sind viktorianischen Ursprungs, einige sind jedoch mehr als 200 Jahre älter, sie datieren etwa um das Jahr 1620.

Fünfzig Jahre nach dem Bau von Lanhydrock House wurde im Jahr 1690 der erste geometrische Garten neben dem Haus angelegt, er wird erstmals im Lanhydrock-Atlas von 1694 bis 1697 erwähnt. Der Garten bestand aus einer Rasenfläche für Kegel- oder Ballspiele, dem Bowling Green, einem Blumengarten, der von einem Weg entlang der Baumlinie umsäumt war, einer Fasanerie, einem Küchengarten, einem Birnen- und Obstgarten sowie einem an der Nordseite des Hauses angrenzenden Natur- oder Wildgarten. Mit dem Abriss des Ostflügels des Hauses 1780 durch George Hunt wurde auch diese Gartenanlage beseitigt, so dass das Parkgelände bis an das Gebäude reichte.

Um das Jahr 1860 legte man oberhalb des Hauses einen Staudengarten an, den „Oberen Garten“ oder „Hochgarten“. Nach 1858 erstellte Richard Coad basierend auf Plänen des Architekten George Truefitt, die dieser ab 1854 entworfen hatte, einen neuen, heute noch zu besichtigenden geometrischen Garten an der Ost- und Nordseite von Lanhydrock House. Er ist umgeben von niedrigen zinnenbewehrten Brüstungen und Obelisken im Stil des Hauses. Truefitt sah für Lanhydrock Wasserspiele, Terrassen, Kieswege und eine Promenade zum Torhaus vor, die Coad um eigene Ideen, wie die Granitstufen zur Kirche und eine Sitzgelegenheit, ergänzte. Etwa 1933 erfolgte eine Vereinfachung der viktorianischen Beetaufteilung und die Anpflanzung erster Magnolien.

Lanhydrock Gardens besteht heute aus mehreren, unterschiedlich stark voneinander abgetrennten Bereichen. Im Innenenhof oder Vorhof von Lanhydrock House ist eine durch einen Kiesweg begrenzte runde Rasenfläche angelegt. An den Hauswänden neben dem Weg stehen Immergrüne Magnolien (Magnolia grandiflora) und im Juli und August blühende Hortensiengewächse der Sorte Schizophragma integrifolium. Östlich in Richtung Torhaus schließt sich der „Geometrische Garten“ an, der durch 23 beschnittene Säuleneiben (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’) dominiert wird. Zwischen ihnen sind Rosenbeete angelegt, die vornehmlich mit den Sorten ‘Octavia Hill’, ‘Bright Smile’, ‘Escapade’, ‘Wheelhorse Classic’ und ‘Margaret Merril’ bepflanzt sind.

Im Norden des geometrischen Gartens, und hinter der niedrigen Nordmauer außerhalb der eigentlichen Gartenanlage gelegen, befindet sich eine bepflanzte Freifläche, die vormals als Krocket- und Tennisplatz genutzt wurde. Der Tennisplatz nahm dabei die östliche Seite der Freifläche ein. Neben einigen Büschen, wie Gwillimia (Magnolia delavayi), stehen hier zwei Blutbuchen und eine jüngere Korkeiche. Die Blutbuchen wurden von prominenter Seite gepflanzt, die größere 1889 durch den ehemaligen britischen Premierminister William Ewart Gladstone, die kleinere 1905 durch Archibald Philip Primrose, dem 5. Earl of Rosebery. Auf dem westlich angrenzenden ehemaligen Krocketrasen stehen Rhododendren der Sorten ‘Mother of Pearl’, ‘Hugh Koster’ und ‘Pink Pearl’.

Nordwestlich des geometrischen Gartens, nördlich der Gebäude von Lanhydrock House, geht die Gartenanlage ins „Parterre“ über. Hier werden im Frühling und im Sommer verschiedene Blumen innerhalb von Buchsbaumhecken gepflanzt, die in einem komplizierten Muster auf ebener Fläche angelegt sind. Südlich und östlich davon stehen sechs den Bäumen im geometrischen Garten im Schnitt gleiche Säuleneiben. Eine Terrassenstufe höher in Richtung der kleinen Kirche sind die Blumenrabatten als Muster direkt in die Rasenfläche gesetzt.

Beide Bereiche, deren Höhenunterschied keinen Meter ausmacht, haben je eine Bronze-Urne als Mittelpunkt. Diese Urnen, von denen auch einige den geometrischen Garten schmücken, sind Erwerbungen Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes’, des 7. Viscount Clifden, aus der Sammlung von Lord Hertford im Pariser Château de Bagatelle. Sie wurden vom Goldschmied Ludwigs des XIV., Louis Ballin, geschaffen. Nach Westen wird das „Parterre“ durch die Umfassungsmauer begrenzt, in der zwei Durchgänge ausgespart sind. Neben dem Herrenhaus erreicht man über eine Treppe die Kirche St Hydroc, daneben führt ein Weg an der Kirche vorbei in Richtung „Hochgarten“. Unterhalb der Mauer ist ein erhobenes Beet mit Schmucklilien-Hybriden der Sorte ‘Headbourne’, Fuchsien und Waldreben angelegt.

Der Weg zum Hochgarten kreuzt den in Nord-Süd-Richtung verlaufenden Kirchweg, neben dem Fächer-Ahorn (Sorte ‘Sango-kaku’) und laubabwerfende Hybriden der Westlichen Azalee stehen. Direkt vor der Kirche sind verschiedene Kamelien-Sorten, Rhododendren (Rhododendron arboreum var. roseum) und Stern-Magnolien-Hybriden (Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’) gepflanzt, in der Ecke des Kirchhofs eine baumartige Magnolia hypoleuca (obovata). Den nördlichen Abschnitt des Kirchwegs flankieren einige Hortensien, dahinter Magnolia campbellii ‘Charles Raffill’, Rhododendron fictolacteum und Rhododendron rex.

Den Eingang zum Hochgarten markiert ein durch eine Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ verdecktes gewölbtes Tor. Der hinter dem Tor liegende Gartenbereich wurde ab 1933 durch den 7. Viscount Clifden mit verschiedensten Arten von Magnolien bepflanzt, die heute eine Höhe bis zu 25 Metern erreichen. Durch den Hochgarten fließt der Borlase stream („Bach von Borlase“), der die Wasserversorgung für Lanhydrock House sichert. In und an ihm gedeihen Kandelaberprimeln, Astelia, Aronstab, Schaublatt und Kirengeshoma

Im Norden des Hochgartens gelangt man über die „Magnolienlichtung“ zum „Staudenkreis“. Dieser bildet erst seit 1972 einen Vollkreis, nachdem auf der nördlichen Hälfte die Ruinen eines Gewächshauses und eines Schuppens abgerissen wurden. Den südlichen Halbkreis hatte Lady Clifden schon vor 1914 gestaltet. Die hier gepflanzten Stauden blühen vom Ende des Sommers bis in den Herbst. An der Nordwestecke des Hochgartens wurden nach dem zerstörerischen Sturm von 1979 zum Schutz des Gartens Eichen und Edelkastanien angepflanzt.

Lanhydrock war 1996 der Hauptdrehort für den Film Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Regie führte Trevor Nunn, Hauptdarstellerin war Helena Bonham Carter als Olivia. Weiterhin dienten Haus und Garten als Drehort für die Rosamunde-Pilcher-Verfilmungen Klippen der Liebe (1999) und Im Zweifel für die Liebe (2009).

(Wikipedia)

Model railway project: tunnel - fun with plaster & newspaper today!

Sudbury Hall, was the country home of the Lords Vernon, containing 17th-century craftsmanship, featuring plasterwork, wood carvings and classical story-based murals.

The Museum of Childhood within the Hall is a delight for all ages with something for everyone. Watch your children discovering something new, or relive nostalgic memories by exploring the childhoods of times gone by.

The Parish Church of All Saints,which is adjacent to the house, was restored for the 6th Lord Vernon by George Devey.

It was used by the BBC to film "Pride & Prejudice".

Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, is a magnificent late Victorian country house with extensive servants quarters, gardens and a wooded estate.

It is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home. The kitchens, nurseries and servants' quarters offer a thrilling glimpse into life 'below stairs', while the spacious dining room and bedrooms are truly and deeply elegant.

The house is set in wooded parkland of 1,000 acres and encircled by a garden of rare shrubs and trees.

Follow in the footsteps of generations of the Robartes family, walking in the 17th-century Long Gallery among the rare book collection under the remarkable plasterwork ceiling. After a devastating fire in 1881 the house was refurbished in the high-Victorian style, with the latest mod cons.

Don't miss

* There are 50 rooms to explore – allow plenty of time!

* Play the Steinway piano in the Long Gallery

* Look out for the museum and second-hand bookshop

The gardens

The historical garden with its 30-acres of woodland was laid out back in 1857, but its present format was actually established later on in the Victorian period, and many of the plants are no more than 70 years old. However, a grand atmosphere permeates the entire setting and compliments the brilliant planting of more modern times.

Explore formal parterres of dazzling bedding plants and wander along paths that wind through a woodland landscape planted in a semi-formal Cornish fashion - rhododendrons and Himalayan magnolias lurching to their full-size in the fresh Cornish air. Because the grounds lie inland and rise up to 130-metres above sea level, the plants have to cope with harsher climates than the lush valley gardens of the south coast. In spite of this, Lanhydrock still puts on one of the county's most colourful spring shows, with over 120 species of cream and white magnolias featuring amongst a flurry of wild blooms that carpet the woodland.

Learn more about the history and the work involved to keep the magnificent gardens maintained via the new interpretation on permanent display in the garden's thatched cottage.

Take-in the sweeping views over the gardens and the valley landscape, and it's pretty obvious that this is prime garden for walkers. Not only is there 30-acres of formal and informal woodland to explore, but the garden opens onto an extensive network of footpaths zig-zagging through 900-acres of beautiful countryside.

And with so much space to roam, Lanhydrock makes a very family friendly day out. Whilst the fresh air and colourful surroundings will captivate the kids' imaginations and wear them out, the restaurant has a fantastic children's menu and there are excellent baby-changing facilities on-site.

(visitcornwall.com)

Lanhydrock House (kornisch Lannhydrek) ist ein Herrenhaus nahe der englischen Stadt Bodmin in Cornwall. Es liegt fast 13 Kilometer von der Südküste Cornwalls entfernt im waldreichen Tal des Flusses River Fowey, inmitten eines 367 Hektar großen Anwesens, das bis zu 130 Metern Höhe ansteigt.

Lanhydrock House ist von einem attraktiven formalen Garten und einem Landschaftspark umgeben. Der angrenzende Hügel ist mit ausgewählten Bäumen und Sträuchern bepflanzt. Viele Teile des heutigen Hauses sind viktorianischen Ursprungs, einige sind jedoch mehr als 200 Jahre älter, sie datieren etwa um das Jahr 1620.

Fünfzig Jahre nach dem Bau von Lanhydrock House wurde im Jahr 1690 der erste geometrische Garten neben dem Haus angelegt, er wird erstmals im Lanhydrock-Atlas von 1694 bis 1697 erwähnt. Der Garten bestand aus einer Rasenfläche für Kegel- oder Ballspiele, dem Bowling Green, einem Blumengarten, der von einem Weg entlang der Baumlinie umsäumt war, einer Fasanerie, einem Küchengarten, einem Birnen- und Obstgarten sowie einem an der Nordseite des Hauses angrenzenden Natur- oder Wildgarten. Mit dem Abriss des Ostflügels des Hauses 1780 durch George Hunt wurde auch diese Gartenanlage beseitigt, so dass das Parkgelände bis an das Gebäude reichte.

Um das Jahr 1860 legte man oberhalb des Hauses einen Staudengarten an, den „Oberen Garten“ oder „Hochgarten“. Nach 1858 erstellte Richard Coad basierend auf Plänen des Architekten George Truefitt, die dieser ab 1854 entworfen hatte, einen neuen, heute noch zu besichtigenden geometrischen Garten an der Ost- und Nordseite von Lanhydrock House. Er ist umgeben von niedrigen zinnenbewehrten Brüstungen und Obelisken im Stil des Hauses. Truefitt sah für Lanhydrock Wasserspiele, Terrassen, Kieswege und eine Promenade zum Torhaus vor, die Coad um eigene Ideen, wie die Granitstufen zur Kirche und eine Sitzgelegenheit, ergänzte. Etwa 1933 erfolgte eine Vereinfachung der viktorianischen Beetaufteilung und die Anpflanzung erster Magnolien.

Lanhydrock Gardens besteht heute aus mehreren, unterschiedlich stark voneinander abgetrennten Bereichen. Im Innenenhof oder Vorhof von Lanhydrock House ist eine durch einen Kiesweg begrenzte runde Rasenfläche angelegt. An den Hauswänden neben dem Weg stehen Immergrüne Magnolien (Magnolia grandiflora) und im Juli und August blühende Hortensiengewächse der Sorte Schizophragma integrifolium. Östlich in Richtung Torhaus schließt sich der „Geometrische Garten“ an, der durch 23 beschnittene Säuleneiben (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’) dominiert wird. Zwischen ihnen sind Rosenbeete angelegt, die vornehmlich mit den Sorten ‘Octavia Hill’, ‘Bright Smile’, ‘Escapade’, ‘Wheelhorse Classic’ und ‘Margaret Merril’ bepflanzt sind.

Im Norden des geometrischen Gartens, und hinter der niedrigen Nordmauer außerhalb der eigentlichen Gartenanlage gelegen, befindet sich eine bepflanzte Freifläche, die vormals als Krocket- und Tennisplatz genutzt wurde. Der Tennisplatz nahm dabei die östliche Seite der Freifläche ein. Neben einigen Büschen, wie Gwillimia (Magnolia delavayi), stehen hier zwei Blutbuchen und eine jüngere Korkeiche. Die Blutbuchen wurden von prominenter Seite gepflanzt, die größere 1889 durch den ehemaligen britischen Premierminister William Ewart Gladstone, die kleinere 1905 durch Archibald Philip Primrose, dem 5. Earl of Rosebery. Auf dem westlich angrenzenden ehemaligen Krocketrasen stehen Rhododendren der Sorten ‘Mother of Pearl’, ‘Hugh Koster’ und ‘Pink Pearl’.

Nordwestlich des geometrischen Gartens, nördlich der Gebäude von Lanhydrock House, geht die Gartenanlage ins „Parterre“ über. Hier werden im Frühling und im Sommer verschiedene Blumen innerhalb von Buchsbaumhecken gepflanzt, die in einem komplizierten Muster auf ebener Fläche angelegt sind. Südlich und östlich davon stehen sechs den Bäumen im geometrischen Garten im Schnitt gleiche Säuleneiben. Eine Terrassenstufe höher in Richtung der kleinen Kirche sind die Blumenrabatten als Muster direkt in die Rasenfläche gesetzt.

Beide Bereiche, deren Höhenunterschied keinen Meter ausmacht, haben je eine Bronze-Urne als Mittelpunkt. Diese Urnen, von denen auch einige den geometrischen Garten schmücken, sind Erwerbungen Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes’, des 7. Viscount Clifden, aus der Sammlung von Lord Hertford im Pariser Château de Bagatelle. Sie wurden vom Goldschmied Ludwigs des XIV., Louis Ballin, geschaffen. Nach Westen wird das „Parterre“ durch die Umfassungsmauer begrenzt, in der zwei Durchgänge ausgespart sind. Neben dem Herrenhaus erreicht man über eine Treppe die Kirche St Hydroc, daneben führt ein Weg an der Kirche vorbei in Richtung „Hochgarten“. Unterhalb der Mauer ist ein erhobenes Beet mit Schmucklilien-Hybriden der Sorte ‘Headbourne’, Fuchsien und Waldreben angelegt.

Der Weg zum Hochgarten kreuzt den in Nord-Süd-Richtung verlaufenden Kirchweg, neben dem Fächer-Ahorn (Sorte ‘Sango-kaku’) und laubabwerfende Hybriden der Westlichen Azalee stehen. Direkt vor der Kirche sind verschiedene Kamelien-Sorten, Rhododendren (Rhododendron arboreum var. roseum) und Stern-Magnolien-Hybriden (Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’) gepflanzt, in der Ecke des Kirchhofs eine baumartige Magnolia hypoleuca (obovata). Den nördlichen Abschnitt des Kirchwegs flankieren einige Hortensien, dahinter Magnolia campbellii ‘Charles Raffill’, Rhododendron fictolacteum und Rhododendron rex.

Den Eingang zum Hochgarten markiert ein durch eine Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ verdecktes gewölbtes Tor. Der hinter dem Tor liegende Gartenbereich wurde ab 1933 durch den 7. Viscount Clifden mit verschiedensten Arten von Magnolien bepflanzt, die heute eine Höhe bis zu 25 Metern erreichen. Durch den Hochgarten fließt der Borlase stream („Bach von Borlase“), der die Wasserversorgung für Lanhydrock House sichert. In und an ihm gedeihen Kandelaberprimeln, Astelia, Aronstab, Schaublatt und Kirengeshoma

Im Norden des Hochgartens gelangt man über die „Magnolienlichtung“ zum „Staudenkreis“. Dieser bildet erst seit 1972 einen Vollkreis, nachdem auf der nördlichen Hälfte die Ruinen eines Gewächshauses und eines Schuppens abgerissen wurden. Den südlichen Halbkreis hatte Lady Clifden schon vor 1914 gestaltet. Die hier gepflanzten Stauden blühen vom Ende des Sommers bis in den Herbst. An der Nordwestecke des Hochgartens wurden nach dem zerstörerischen Sturm von 1979 zum Schutz des Gartens Eichen und Edelkastanien angepflanzt.

Lanhydrock war 1996 der Hauptdrehort für den Film Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Regie führte Trevor Nunn, Hauptdarstellerin war Helena Bonham Carter als Olivia. Weiterhin dienten Haus und Garten als Drehort für die Rosamunde-Pilcher-Verfilmungen Klippen der Liebe (1999) und Im Zweifel für die Liebe (2009).

(Wikipedia)

Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, is a magnificent late Victorian country house with extensive servants quarters, gardens and a wooded estate.

It is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home. The kitchens, nurseries and servants' quarters offer a thrilling glimpse into life 'below stairs', while the spacious dining room and bedrooms are truly and deeply elegant.

The house is set in wooded parkland of 1,000 acres and encircled by a garden of rare shrubs and trees.

Follow in the footsteps of generations of the Robartes family, walking in the 17th-century Long Gallery among the rare book collection under the remarkable plasterwork ceiling. After a devastating fire in 1881 the house was refurbished in the high-Victorian style, with the latest mod cons.

Don't miss

* There are 50 rooms to explore – allow plenty of time!

* Play the Steinway piano in the Long Gallery

* Look out for the museum and second-hand bookshop

The gardens

The historical garden with its 30-acres of woodland was laid out back in 1857, but its present format was actually established later on in the Victorian period, and many of the plants are no more than 70 years old. However, a grand atmosphere permeates the entire setting and compliments the brilliant planting of more modern times.

Explore formal parterres of dazzling bedding plants and wander along paths that wind through a woodland landscape planted in a semi-formal Cornish fashion - rhododendrons and Himalayan magnolias lurching to their full-size in the fresh Cornish air. Because the grounds lie inland and rise up to 130-metres above sea level, the plants have to cope with harsher climates than the lush valley gardens of the south coast. In spite of this, Lanhydrock still puts on one of the county's most colourful spring shows, with over 120 species of cream and white magnolias featuring amongst a flurry of wild blooms that carpet the woodland.

Learn more about the history and the work involved to keep the magnificent gardens maintained via the new interpretation on permanent display in the garden's thatched cottage.

Take-in the sweeping views over the gardens and the valley landscape, and it's pretty obvious that this is prime garden for walkers. Not only is there 30-acres of formal and informal woodland to explore, but the garden opens onto an extensive network of footpaths zig-zagging through 900-acres of beautiful countryside.

And with so much space to roam, Lanhydrock makes a very family friendly day out. Whilst the fresh air and colourful surroundings will captivate the kids' imaginations and wear them out, the restaurant has a fantastic children's menu and there are excellent baby-changing facilities on-site.

(visitcornwall.com)

Lanhydrock House (kornisch Lannhydrek) ist ein Herrenhaus nahe der englischen Stadt Bodmin in Cornwall. Es liegt fast 13 Kilometer von der Südküste Cornwalls entfernt im waldreichen Tal des Flusses River Fowey, inmitten eines 367 Hektar großen Anwesens, das bis zu 130 Metern Höhe ansteigt.

Lanhydrock House ist von einem attraktiven formalen Garten und einem Landschaftspark umgeben. Der angrenzende Hügel ist mit ausgewählten Bäumen und Sträuchern bepflanzt. Viele Teile des heutigen Hauses sind viktorianischen Ursprungs, einige sind jedoch mehr als 200 Jahre älter, sie datieren etwa um das Jahr 1620.

Lanhydrock war bis 1539 ein klösterlicher Bauernhof im Besitz des Priorats von St Petroc in Bodmin. Nach der Auflösung der Klöster unter Heinrich VIII. erwarb im Jahr 1543 die benachbarte Familie Glynn das Landgut. Durch Heirat ging es später an die Familie Lyttelton, ebenfalls durch Heirat 1577 an die Familie Trenance über.

Im Jahr 1621 erwarb der Kaufmann und Geldverleiher Richard Robartes aus Truro das Landgut und begann Lanhydrock House zu erbauen. Unter ihm entstand der heutige Nordflügel des Herrenhauses aus grauem Granit. Schon 1626 lebte der 1621 zum Baronet, of Truro, und 1625 zum Baron Robartes aufgestiegene Richard Robartes auf Lanhydrock. Sein Sohn, John Robartes, 2. Baron Robartes, trat 1634 das Erbe des Vaters an. John Robartes, 2. Baron Robartes, der spätere 1. Earl of Radnor, war zu diesem Zeitpunkt Vorsitzender der Cornish Parliamentary Party („Kornische Parlamentspartei“) im britischen Oberhaus. Zu Repräsentationszwecken ließ er bis 1651 Lanhydrock House um drei weitere Flügel zu einem Karree um einen Innenhof erweitern und das Torhaus errichten. Der Baustil des Hauses entsprach anderen Landsitzen in der Umgebung wie Penheale House in Egloskerry oder Trewan nahe St Columb Major.

m Einzelnen ließ John Robartes ab 1634 zunächst einen Eingang im Haus seines Vaters einfügen, der heute zum Ladenbereich führt und über dem die Inschrift „1636: ILR: L“ (für „1636: John Lord Robartes: Lanhydrock“) angebracht ist. Von 1636 bis 1640 dauerten die Bauarbeiten am Westflügel, der Südflügel stammt aus dem Jahr 1642. Die Erweiterungsmaßnahmen endeten 1651 mit der Errichtung des Torhauses, das ursprünglich als Jagdhaus gedacht war. John Robartes hatte sich in den 1650er Jahren, der Regierungszeit des Lordprotektors Oliver Cromwell, nach Cornwall zurückgezogen, wo er 1664 die Genehmigung zur Einzäunung eines 340 Hektar großen Wildparks erhielt. Seit 1657 gab es Rotwild im Park von Lanhydrock. Nach Wiedererrichtung der Königsherrschaft 1660 wurde John Robartes unter Karl II. in den Privy Council (Kronrat) erhoben, im Jahr 1661 Lordsiegelbewahrer, ein Amt, das er bis 1673 innehatte, sowie 1679 Earl of Radnor und Lord President of the Council. 1684 schied er aus allen Ämtern aus.

Die Erben John Robartes’, Charles Robartes, 2. Earl of Radnor (1660–1723), und Henry Robartes, 3. Earl of Radnor (1695–1741), zogen andere Wohnorte Lanhydrock vor, so dass der Reisende John Loveday der Ältere (1711–1789), Philologe und Antiquar, im Jahr 1736 ein „äußerst baufälliges und absolut unmöbliertes“ Haus vorfand. Beide Robartes wurden jedoch wie schon John Robartes in der Familiengruft auf Lanhydrock beigesetzt. Der Antiquitätensammler und Naturforscher William Borlase schrieb 1758 über Lanhydrock, dass „alles im Haus verwahrlost und verfallen ist“. Die Urenkelin von John Robartes und Erbin von Lanhydrock, Mary Vere Robartes († 1758), hatte zuvor erwogen, das Haus abreißen zu lassen. Doch ihr ältester Sohn George Hunt (um 1720–1798) ließ bis 1788 nur Teile des Gebäudes wie die Hauskapelle und den Ostflügel abtragen, wodurch das heutige U-förmige Bauschema von Lanhydrock House entstand. Er ließ die Fassade rot streichen, um das Haus dem modischen Ziegelmauerwerk anzupassen, und das Innere unter anderem mit Chippendale-Tischen und Axminster-Teppichen neu einrichten.

George Hunt vermachte Lanhydrock 1798 seiner Nichte Anna Maria Hunt (1771–1861). Schon 1788 hatte sie das Herrenhaus und die zerstreuten Ländereien übernommen. Unterstützt wurde sie durch ihre Verwalter William und Alfred Jenkins. Anna Maria Hunt heiratete den Londoner Anwalt Charles Bagenal-Agar (1769–1811), aus deren Ehe drei Söhne hervorgingen, von denen nur Thomas James (1808–1882) nicht schon im Kindesalter verstarb. In der Zeit der Anna Maria Hunt, die sich oft auf Lanhydrock aufhielt, wurden zum Schutz der Bilder in der Galerie Rollos und Öfen eingebaut.

Auf Anraten seiner Mutter übernahm Thomas James Agar 1822 die Bestallung und das Wappen der Robartes und wurde 1869 als 1. Baron Robartes geadelt. Nach seiner Volljährigkeit 1829 übernahm er einen Teil der Verantwortung für Lanhydrock. Im Jahr 1858 erhielt der Architekt George Gilbert Scott (1811–1878) den Auftrag, Lanhydrock House instand zu setzen. Scott übertrug diese Aufgabe seinem ersten Assistenten Richard Coad (1825–1900). Die Reparaturarbeiten am Haus, die von 1857 bis 1864 andauerten, sollten 1407 Pfund, 4 Schilling und 6 Pence kosten. Neben der Instandsetzung wurden das Brauhaus in ein Billardzimmer umgebaut, Glasscheiben in die Fenster eingesetzt, eine neue Remise erbaut und neue Gartenanlagen nach Plänen von George Truefitt (1824–1902) angelegt.

Am 4. April 1881 zerstörte ein Großbrand den Südflügel und einen Teil des Westflügels von Lanhydrock House. Gegen 13 Uhr hatte ein frei liegender Holzbalken im Küchenschornstein Feuer gefangen. Der Einbruch des Westflügeldaches führte zum Verlust der historischen Stuckdecke. Nur der Nordflügel mit seiner 29 Meter langen Long Gallery aus dem 17. Jahrhundert und das Frontportal blieben intakt. Lord und Lady Robartes, die seit 1839 mit Thomas James verheiratete Juliana Pole-Carew (1812–1881), blieben unverletzt. Ihr Sohn Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes (1844–1930), am 5. April aus London angereist, telegrafierte noch am selben Tag seiner Frau Mary, geborene Dickinson (1853–1921): „Galerie gerettet. Nicht ganz so schlimm wie befürchtet.“

Nach dem Ableben seiner Mutter nur wenige Tage nach dem Großbrand ließ Thomas Charles das Herrenhaus von Lanhydrock wieder aufbauen. Die äußeren und inneren Mauern der zerstörten Gebäudeteile hatten dem Brand standgehalten. Für die Sanierung des Hauses wurde der inzwischen selbstständige Architekt Richard Coad beauftragt, der für den Wiederaufbau der Innenräume den schottischen Architekten James MacLaren (1853–1890) aus Glasgow als seinen Assistenten heranzog. Die Ausschreibung der Bauarbeiten gewann die Firma Thomas Lang & Sons aus Liskeard, der Kostenvoranschlag belief sich auf 19.406 Pfund. Während sich Coad der Außenarbeiten und technischen Angelegenheiten annahm, entwarf MacLaren unter anderem den Esssaal im Stil des Ästhetizismus, die elisabethanische Teak-Treppe und den Rokoko-Kamin im Gebetsraum.

Da die Kosten der Instandsetzung den Voranschlag bei weitem überschritten, sie beliefen sich schließlich auf 73.000 Pfund, entstanden Spannungen zwischen dem Auftraggeber und dem leitenden Architekten. Thomas Charles, nach dem Tod seines Vaters Thomas James 1882 der 2. Baron Robartes, hinterfragte bei Richard Coad Zahlungen in Höhe von 10.000 Pfund für die Heißwasserzufuhr, die Bleiverglasung und die brandsicheren Zimmerdecken. Auch zwischen Coad und MacLaren gab es 1884 Differenzen. Das führte dazu, dass der Auftrag für die Renovierung der kleinen Kirche neben dem Haus durch Lady Robartes 1886 an George Vialls und nicht an Richard Coad vergeben wurde.

Im Jahr 1885 wurde das Haus durch die Familie Agar-Robartes wieder bezogen. Gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Mary hatte der 2. Baron Robartes zwischen 1879 und 1895 zehn Kinder, von denen nur eines 1884 im Säuglingsalter starb. Durch das Fehlen männlicher Nachkommenschaft in der Familie Agar erbte Thomas Charles 1899 den Titel Viscount Clifden von Leopold Agar-Ellis (1829–1899), dem 5. Viscount Clifden. Die neun verbliebenen Kinder der Agar-Robartes’ wuchsen auf Lanhydrock auf. Der älteste Sohn, Thomas Charles Reginald Agar-Robartes (1880–1915), genannt Tommy, war in der Politik tätig, wo er durch die Liberale Partei unterstützt wurde. Er starb 1915 im Ersten Weltkrieg an einer Schussverletzung in der Schlacht bei Loos und Hulluch (Teil der Herbstschlacht bei La Bassée und Arras), an der er als Captain des I. Battalion Coldstream Guards (Infanterie) teilnahm. Als zweitältester Sohn von Thomas Charles erbte deshalb Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes (1883–1966) im Jahr 1930 die Titel Lord Robartes und Viscount Clifden sowie das Anwesen von Lanhydrock.

Francis Gerald, der 7. Viscount Clifden, blieb ebenso wie sechs seiner Geschwister kinderlos. Einzige Enkelin von Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes, dem 6. Viscount Clifden, war Rachel, Tochter von Arthur Victor Agar-Robartes (1887–1974), die nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg in Afrika lebte. Mit dem Tod Arthur Victors 1974, ab dem Jahr 1966 der 8. Viscount Clifden, erlosch dieser Titel. Schon in den 1920er Jahren führte die unsichere Zukunft der Landwirtschaft zum Verkauf großer Landflächen der Familie. 1953 entschloss sich Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes, Lanhydrock House mitsamt 160 Hektar Land an den National Trust zu übereignen. Oliver Sylvain Baliol Brett (1881–1963), 3. Viscount Esher und Vorsitzender des National Trust Historic Building Committee (Ausschuss des National Trust für historische Bauten), bezeichnete 1953 das Haus als „Nebensächlichkeit“ im Vergleich zu den übernommenen umliegenden Landschaften.

Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes lebte gemeinsam mit seinen beiden unverheirateten Schwestern Everilda (1880–1969) und Violet (1888–1965) bis zu ihrem jeweiligen Tode auf Lanhydrock. Schon 1954 wurden die ersten sechs Räume des Hauses der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht. Die Besucherzahl stieg mittlerweile von alljährlich 85.000 Mitte der 1980er Jahre auf mehr als 200.000 Besucher zwanzig Jahre später.

Lanhydrock war 1996 der Hauptdrehort für den Film Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Regie führte Trevor Nunn, Hauptdarstellerin war Helena Bonham Carter als Olivia. Weiterhin dienten Haus und Garten als Drehort für die Rosamunde-Pilcher-Verfilmungen Klippen der Liebe (1999) und Im Zweifel für die Liebe (2009).

(Wikipedia)

Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, is a magnificent late Victorian country house with extensive servants quarters, gardens and a wooded estate.

It is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home. The kitchens, nurseries and servants' quarters offer a thrilling glimpse into life 'below stairs', while the spacious dining room and bedrooms are truly and deeply elegant.

The house is set in wooded parkland of 1,000 acres and encircled by a garden of rare shrubs and trees.

Follow in the footsteps of generations of the Robartes family, walking in the 17th-century Long Gallery among the rare book collection under the remarkable plasterwork ceiling. After a devastating fire in 1881 the house was refurbished in the high-Victorian style, with the latest mod cons.

Don't miss

* There are 50 rooms to explore – allow plenty of time!

* Play the Steinway piano in the Long Gallery

* Look out for the museum and second-hand bookshop

The gardens

The historical garden with its 30-acres of woodland was laid out back in 1857, but its present format was actually established later on in the Victorian period, and many of the plants are no more than 70 years old. However, a grand atmosphere permeates the entire setting and compliments the brilliant planting of more modern times.

Explore formal parterres of dazzling bedding plants and wander along paths that wind through a woodland landscape planted in a semi-formal Cornish fashion - rhododendrons and Himalayan magnolias lurching to their full-size in the fresh Cornish air. Because the grounds lie inland and rise up to 130-metres above sea level, the plants have to cope with harsher climates than the lush valley gardens of the south coast. In spite of this, Lanhydrock still puts on one of the county's most colourful spring shows, with over 120 species of cream and white magnolias featuring amongst a flurry of wild blooms that carpet the woodland.

Learn more about the history and the work involved to keep the magnificent gardens maintained via the new interpretation on permanent display in the garden's thatched cottage.

Take-in the sweeping views over the gardens and the valley landscape, and it's pretty obvious that this is prime garden for walkers. Not only is there 30-acres of formal and informal woodland to explore, but the garden opens onto an extensive network of footpaths zig-zagging through 900-acres of beautiful countryside.

And with so much space to roam, Lanhydrock makes a very family friendly day out. Whilst the fresh air and colourful surroundings will captivate the kids' imaginations and wear them out, the restaurant has a fantastic children's menu and there are excellent baby-changing facilities on-site.

(visitcornwall.com)

Lanhydrock House (kornisch Lannhydrek) ist ein Herrenhaus nahe der englischen Stadt Bodmin in Cornwall. Es liegt fast 13 Kilometer von der Südküste Cornwalls entfernt im waldreichen Tal des Flusses River Fowey, inmitten eines 367 Hektar großen Anwesens, das bis zu 130 Metern Höhe ansteigt.

Lanhydrock House ist von einem attraktiven formalen Garten und einem Landschaftspark umgeben. Der angrenzende Hügel ist mit ausgewählten Bäumen und Sträuchern bepflanzt. Viele Teile des heutigen Hauses sind viktorianischen Ursprungs, einige sind jedoch mehr als 200 Jahre älter, sie datieren etwa um das Jahr 1620.

Fünfzig Jahre nach dem Bau von Lanhydrock House wurde im Jahr 1690 der erste geometrische Garten neben dem Haus angelegt, er wird erstmals im Lanhydrock-Atlas von 1694 bis 1697 erwähnt. Der Garten bestand aus einer Rasenfläche für Kegel- oder Ballspiele, dem Bowling Green, einem Blumengarten, der von einem Weg entlang der Baumlinie umsäumt war, einer Fasanerie, einem Küchengarten, einem Birnen- und Obstgarten sowie einem an der Nordseite des Hauses angrenzenden Natur- oder Wildgarten. Mit dem Abriss des Ostflügels des Hauses 1780 durch George Hunt wurde auch diese Gartenanlage beseitigt, so dass das Parkgelände bis an das Gebäude reichte.

Um das Jahr 1860 legte man oberhalb des Hauses einen Staudengarten an, den „Oberen Garten“ oder „Hochgarten“. Nach 1858 erstellte Richard Coad basierend auf Plänen des Architekten George Truefitt, die dieser ab 1854 entworfen hatte, einen neuen, heute noch zu besichtigenden geometrischen Garten an der Ost- und Nordseite von Lanhydrock House. Er ist umgeben von niedrigen zinnenbewehrten Brüstungen und Obelisken im Stil des Hauses. Truefitt sah für Lanhydrock Wasserspiele, Terrassen, Kieswege und eine Promenade zum Torhaus vor, die Coad um eigene Ideen, wie die Granitstufen zur Kirche und eine Sitzgelegenheit, ergänzte. Etwa 1933 erfolgte eine Vereinfachung der viktorianischen Beetaufteilung und die Anpflanzung erster Magnolien.

Lanhydrock Gardens besteht heute aus mehreren, unterschiedlich stark voneinander abgetrennten Bereichen. Im Innenenhof oder Vorhof von Lanhydrock House ist eine durch einen Kiesweg begrenzte runde Rasenfläche angelegt. An den Hauswänden neben dem Weg stehen Immergrüne Magnolien (Magnolia grandiflora) und im Juli und August blühende Hortensiengewächse der Sorte Schizophragma integrifolium. Östlich in Richtung Torhaus schließt sich der „Geometrische Garten“ an, der durch 23 beschnittene Säuleneiben (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’) dominiert wird. Zwischen ihnen sind Rosenbeete angelegt, die vornehmlich mit den Sorten ‘Octavia Hill’, ‘Bright Smile’, ‘Escapade’, ‘Wheelhorse Classic’ und ‘Margaret Merril’ bepflanzt sind.

Im Norden des geometrischen Gartens, und hinter der niedrigen Nordmauer außerhalb der eigentlichen Gartenanlage gelegen, befindet sich eine bepflanzte Freifläche, die vormals als Krocket- und Tennisplatz genutzt wurde. Der Tennisplatz nahm dabei die östliche Seite der Freifläche ein. Neben einigen Büschen, wie Gwillimia (Magnolia delavayi), stehen hier zwei Blutbuchen und eine jüngere Korkeiche. Die Blutbuchen wurden von prominenter Seite gepflanzt, die größere 1889 durch den ehemaligen britischen Premierminister William Ewart Gladstone, die kleinere 1905 durch Archibald Philip Primrose, dem 5. Earl of Rosebery. Auf dem westlich angrenzenden ehemaligen Krocketrasen stehen Rhododendren der Sorten ‘Mother of Pearl’, ‘Hugh Koster’ und ‘Pink Pearl’.

Nordwestlich des geometrischen Gartens, nördlich der Gebäude von Lanhydrock House, geht die Gartenanlage ins „Parterre“ über. Hier werden im Frühling und im Sommer verschiedene Blumen innerhalb von Buchsbaumhecken gepflanzt, die in einem komplizierten Muster auf ebener Fläche angelegt sind. Südlich und östlich davon stehen sechs den Bäumen im geometrischen Garten im Schnitt gleiche Säuleneiben. Eine Terrassenstufe höher in Richtung der kleinen Kirche sind die Blumenrabatten als Muster direkt in die Rasenfläche gesetzt.

Beide Bereiche, deren Höhenunterschied keinen Meter ausmacht, haben je eine Bronze-Urne als Mittelpunkt. Diese Urnen, von denen auch einige den geometrischen Garten schmücken, sind Erwerbungen Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes’, des 7. Viscount Clifden, aus der Sammlung von Lord Hertford im Pariser Château de Bagatelle. Sie wurden vom Goldschmied Ludwigs des XIV., Louis Ballin, geschaffen. Nach Westen wird das „Parterre“ durch die Umfassungsmauer begrenzt, in der zwei Durchgänge ausgespart sind. Neben dem Herrenhaus erreicht man über eine Treppe die Kirche St Hydroc, daneben führt ein Weg an der Kirche vorbei in Richtung „Hochgarten“. Unterhalb der Mauer ist ein erhobenes Beet mit Schmucklilien-Hybriden der Sorte ‘Headbourne’, Fuchsien und Waldreben angelegt.

Der Weg zum Hochgarten kreuzt den in Nord-Süd-Richtung verlaufenden Kirchweg, neben dem Fächer-Ahorn (Sorte ‘Sango-kaku’) und laubabwerfende Hybriden der Westlichen Azalee stehen. Direkt vor der Kirche sind verschiedene Kamelien-Sorten, Rhododendren (Rhododendron arboreum var. roseum) und Stern-Magnolien-Hybriden (Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’) gepflanzt, in der Ecke des Kirchhofs eine baumartige Magnolia hypoleuca (obovata). Den nördlichen Abschnitt des Kirchwegs flankieren einige Hortensien, dahinter Magnolia campbellii ‘Charles Raffill’, Rhododendron fictolacteum und Rhododendron rex.

Den Eingang zum Hochgarten markiert ein durch eine Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ verdecktes gewölbtes Tor. Der hinter dem Tor liegende Gartenbereich wurde ab 1933 durch den 7. Viscount Clifden mit verschiedensten Arten von Magnolien bepflanzt, die heute eine Höhe bis zu 25 Metern erreichen. Durch den Hochgarten fließt der Borlase stream („Bach von Borlase“), der die Wasserversorgung für Lanhydrock House sichert. In und an ihm gedeihen Kandelaberprimeln, Astelia, Aronstab, Schaublatt und Kirengeshoma

Im Norden des Hochgartens gelangt man über die „Magnolienlichtung“ zum „Staudenkreis“. Dieser bildet erst seit 1972 einen Vollkreis, nachdem auf der nördlichen Hälfte die Ruinen eines Gewächshauses und eines Schuppens abgerissen wurden. Den südlichen Halbkreis hatte Lady Clifden schon vor 1914 gestaltet. Die hier gepflanzten Stauden blühen vom Ende des Sommers bis in den Herbst. An der Nordwestecke des Hochgartens wurden nach dem zerstörerischen Sturm von 1979 zum Schutz des Gartens Eichen und Edelkastanien angepflanzt.

Lanhydrock war 1996 der Hauptdrehort für den Film Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Regie führte Trevor Nunn, Hauptdarstellerin war Helena Bonham Carter als Olivia. Weiterhin dienten Haus und Garten als Drehort für die Rosamunde-Pilcher-Verfilmungen Klippen der Liebe (1999) und Im Zweifel für die Liebe (2009).

(Wikipedia)

Sunderland Empire Theatre. Sunderland Empire has some of the most extensive front of house space of any touring theatre - a mix of old and new, the older parts retaining the opulent Edwardian plasterwork and marble. It seats 1,850. Designed by W & TR Milburn and opened in 1907, the theatre was built for variety. It was purchased by the local authority in 1960 and renamed Civic, before returning to the Empire name. The Empire is Grade 2* listed, and has been restored, modernised and extended in recent years.

City of Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, North East England - Empire Theatre, High Street West

June 2009, image reworked 2023

THE FIRST DWELLING AT LEVENS WAS A MEDIEVAL PELE TOWER, BUILT BY THE DE REDMAN FAMILY OF YEALAND REDMAYNE. THE BELLINGHAM FAMILY, WHO WERE WEALTHY LANDOWNERS, CHOSE LEVENS AS THEIR MAIN RESIDENCE IN THE 1590S AND INCORPORATED THE FORTIFIED TOWER INTO A GENTLEMAN’S RESIDENCE. THEY EMPLOYED LOCAL CRAFTSMEN TO CARVE THE OAK PANELLING, INCORPORATED ELABORATE ITALIAN PLASTERWORK, INCLUDING ELIZABETH THE FIRST’S COAT OF ARMS AND STAINED GLASS - ALL OF WHICH CAN BE SEEN TODAY.

THE HISTORIC HOUSE BECAME THE PROPERTY OF COLONEL JAMES GRAHME IN 1688 AFTER HIS CAREER AT COURT IN THE SERVICE OF KING JAMES II. HE BROUGHT WITH HIM A YOUNG FRENCH GARDENER, GUILLAUME BEAUMONT, A PUPIL OF LE NOTRE AT VERSAILLES, TO PLAN A FASHIONABLE GARDEN AT LEVENS. THIS FAMILY HOME CONTAINS FINE FURNITURE, PAINTINGS, ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES IN EUROPE OF SPANISH LEATHER WALL COVERINGS, THE EARLIEST ENGLISH PATCHWORK, WELLINGTONIANA, CLOCKS AND MINIATURES, AND HAS BECOME ONE OF THE FINEST STATELY HOMES IN SOUTH CUMBRIA.

THERE ARE TEN WONDERFUL ACRES OF GARDENS AT LEVENS HALL. THEY INCLUDE THE UNIQUE COLLECTION OF ANCIENT AND EXTRAORDINARY TOPIARY CHARACTERS SCULPTED FROM BOX AND YEW. THEY RISE UP FROM A SPECTACULAR SEASONAL UNDERPLANTING POPULATED WITH AN EVER-CHANGING RANGE OF OVER THIRTY THOUSAND FLOWERS. FURTHER ON, BEYOND THE ROMANTIC OLD ORCHARD AND SEPARATED BY THE GREAT BEECH HEDGES, LIE THE MAGNIFICENT HERBACEOUS BORDERS. THESE ARE TRADITIONALLY DOUBLE IN FORMAT AND ARE AMONGST THE FINEST TO BE FOUND IN ENGLAND. THERE ARE ALSO WALL BORDERS, VEGETABLE AND HERB GARDENS, A ROSE GARDEN, FOUNTAIN GARDEN, FINE LAWNS, WILDFLOWER MEADOWS & WILLOW LABYRINTH ETC.

GHOSTS AT LEVENS HALL

THE MOST FAMOUS GHOST AT LEVENS HALL IS ABOUT A GYPSY WOMAN WHO IS SAID TO HAVE DIED CURSING THE HOUSE, CLAIMING THAT NO MALE HEIR WOULD INHERIT UNTIL THE RIVER KENT CEASED TO FLOW AND A WHITE FAWN WAS BORN IN THE PARK. STRANGELY, THE ESTATE PASSED THROUGH THE FEMALE LINE FOR FOUR GENERATIONS UNTIL THE BIRTH OF ALAN DESMOND BAGOT IN 1896 WHEN THE RIVER DID INDEED FREEZE OVER AND A WHITE FAWN WAS BORN IN THE PARK. THE THREE MALE HEIRS SINCE HAVE ALL BEEN BORN ON FREEZING WINTER DAYS.

AN EPISODE FILMED BY THE TELEVISION PROGRAMME ‘MOST HAUNTED’ IN 2002 DISCOVERED SOME LIGHTS, SOUNDS AND DISTURBING ATMOSPHERES NOT PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED BY VISITORS.

Croome Court is a mid 18th century Neo-Palladian mansion surrounded by an extensive landscaped parkland at Croome D'Abitot, near Pershore in south Worcestershire. The mansion and park were designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown for George Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry, and was Brown's first landscape design and first major architectural project. Some of the internal rooms of the mansion were designed by Robert Adam.

The mansion house is owned by Croome Heritage Trust, and is leased to the National Trust who operate it, along with the surrounding parkland, as a tourist attraction. The National Trust own the surrounding parkland, which is also open to the public.

Location[edit]

Croome Court is located near to Croome D'Abitot, in Worcestershire,[1] near Pirton, Worcestershire.[2] The wider estate was established on lands that were once part of the royal forest of Horewell.[3] Traces of these older landscapes, such as unimproved commons and ancient woodlands, can be found across the former Croome Estate.[4]

House[edit]

Croome Court South Portico

History[edit]

The foundations and core of Croome Court, including the central chimney stack structure, date back to the early 1640s.[5] Substantial changes to this early house were made by Gilbert Coventry, 4th Earl of Coventry.[6]

In 1751, George Coventry, the 6th Earl, inherited the estate, along with the existing Jacobean house. He commissioned Lancelot "Capability" Brown, with the assistance of Sanderson Miller, to redesign the house and estate.[7][1] It was Brown's "first flight into the realms of architecture" and a "rare example of his architectural work",[8] and it is an important and seminal work.[9] It was built between 1751 and 1752, and it and Hagley Hall are considered to be the finest examples of Neo-Palladian architecture in Worcestershire. Notable Neo-Palladian features incorporated into Croome Court include the plain exterior and the corner towers with pyramidal roofs (a feature first used by Inigo Jones in the design of Wilton House in Wiltshire).[1] Robert Adam worked on the interior of the building from 1760 onwards.[10]

The house has been visited by George III,[2][11] as well as Queen Victoria[7] during summers when she was a child, and George V (then Duke of York).[11]

A jam factory was built by the 9th Earl of Coventry, near to Pershore railway station, in about 1880, to provide a market for Vale of Evesham fruit growers in times of surplus. Although the Croome connection with jam making had ceased, during the First World War, the building was leased by the Croome Estate Trust to the Huddersfield Fruit Preserving Company as a pulping station.[12]

The First World War deeply affected Croome, with many local casualties, although the house was not requisitioned for the war effort. This is possibly because it was the home of the Lord Lieutenant of the County, who needed a residence for his many official engagements.[13]

During the Second World War Croome Court was requisitioned by the Ministry of Works and leased for a year to the Dutch Government as a possible refuge for Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands; to escape the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. However, evidence shows that they stayed two weeks at the most, perhaps because of the noise and fear created by the proximity of Defford Aerodrome. They later emigrated to Canada.[14]

In 1948 the Croome Estate Trust sold the Court, along with 38 acres (15 ha) of land, to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham, and the mansion became St Joseph's Special School, which was run by nuns[15] from 1950[11] until 1979.[15]

The house was listed on 11 August 1952; it is currently Grade I listed.[10]

In 1979 the hall was taken over by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishna movement), who used it as their UK headquarters and a training college[16] called Chaitanya College,[15] run by 25 members of the movement.[16] During their tenure they repainted the Dining Room.[17] In 1984 they had to leave the estate for financial reasons. They held a festival at the hall in 2011.[16]

From 1984 onwards various owners tried to use the property as a training centre; apartments; a restaurant and conference centre; and a hotel and golf course,[15] before once more becoming a private family home,[2][15] with outbuildings converted to private houses.[15]

The house was purchased by the Croome Heritage Trust, a registered charity,[18] in October 2007,[19] and it is now managed by the National Trust as a tourist attraction. It opened to the public in September 2009, at which point six of the rooms had restored, costing £400,000, including the Saloon. It was estimated that another £4 million[2][20] to £4.8 million would be needed to restore the entire building. Fundraising activities for the restoration included a 2011 raffle for a Morgan sports car organised by Lord and Lady Flight. After the restoration is complete, a 999-year lease on the building will be granted to the National Trust.[21] An oral history project to record recollections about Croome was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.[15] As of 2009, the service wing was empty and in need of substantial repair.[22]

Exterior[edit]

The mansion is faced with Bath stone,[7] limestone ashlar, and has both north and south facing fronts. It has a basement and two stories, with three stories in the end pavilions. A slate roof, with pyramid roofs over the corner towers, tops the building, along with three pair-linked chimneys along the axis of the house.[10]

Both fronts have 11 bays, split into three central sets of three each, and one additional bay each side. The north face has a pedimented centre, with two balustraded staircases leading to a Roman Doric doorcase. The south face has a projecting Ionic tetrastyle portico and Venetian windows. It has a broad staircase, with cast stone sphinxes on each side, leading to a south door topped with a cornice on consoles. The wings have modillion cornice and balustrade.[10]

A two-story L-shaped service wing is attached to the east side of the mansion. It is made of red brick and stone, with slate roofs.[10] It was designed by Capability Brown in 1751-2.[22] On the far side of the service wing, a wall connects it to a stable court.[10]

Interior[edit]

The interior of the house was designed partially by Capability Brown, with plasterwork by G. Vassalli, and partially by Robert Adam, with plasterwork by J. Rose Jr. It has a central spine corridor. A stone staircase, with iron balusters, is at the east end.[10]

The entrance hall is on the north side of the building, and has four fluted Doric columns, along with moulded doorcases. To the east of the entrance hall is the dining room, which has a plaster ceiling and cornice, while to the west is a billiard room, featuring fielded panelling, a plaster cornice, and a rococo fireplace. The three rooms were probably decorated around 1758-59 by Capability Brown.[10] The dining room was vibrantly repainted by the Hare Krishnas in the 1970s-80s.[17]

The central room on the south side is a saloon, probably by Brown and Vassalli. It has an elaborate ceiling, with three panels, deep coving, and a cornice, along with two Ionic fireplaces, and Palladian doorcases.[10] George III was entertained by George Coventry, the 6th Earl, in the house's Saloon.[2] A drawing room is to the west of the saloon, and features rococo plasterwork and a marble fireplace.[10]

To the east of the saloon is the Tapestry Room.[10] This was designed in 1763-71, based on a design by Robert Adam, and contained tapestries and furniture covers possibly designed by Jacques Germain Soufflot, and made by Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins.[23] Around 1902 the ninth Earl sold the tapestries and seating to a Parisian dealer. In 1949 the Samuel H. Kress Foundation purchased the ceiling, floor, mantlepiece, chair rails, doors and the door surrounds, which were donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 1958. In 1959 the Kress Foundation also helped the Metropolitan Museum acquire the chair and sofa frames, which they recovered using the original tapestry seats.[7][23] A copy of the ceiling was installed in place of the original.[10] As of 2016, the room is displayed as it would have looked after the tapestries had been sold, with a jug and ewer on display as the only original decoration of the room that remains in it. The adjacent library room is used to explain what happened to the tapestry room;[17] the former library was designed by Adam, and was dismantled except for the marble fireplace.[10]

At the west side of the building is a long gallery,[10] which was designed by Robert Adam and installed between 1761 and 1766. It is the best preserved of the original interior (little of the rest has survived in situ).[1] It has an octagonal panelled ceiling, and plaster reliefs of griffins. A half-hexagonal bay faces the garden. The room also contains a marble caryatid fireplace designed by J Wilton.[10] As of 2016, modern sculptures are displayed in empty niches along the Long Gallery

wikipedia

This shop near Cordes-sur-Ciel wasn't too busy. I like the chair.

The original Nyetimber estate in the heart of West Sussex is steeped in English history. Domesday records mention ‘Nitimbreha’ as one of the estates given by William the Conqueror to his Norman feudal baron Roger de Montgomery. Unsurprisingly, over the turbulent centuries that followed the Nyetimber estate changed hands many times until it was bought by the nephew of American Banker JP Morgan in 1919. The fashionable Arts & Crafts movement heavily influenced the renovation of the main building which still retains much of the decorative stained glass and intricate plasterwork installed at the time.

The winemaking era began in 1988 when the first Nyetimber vineyards were established by Stuart and Sandy Moss from Chicago. They bought the estate with the ambition of transforming it from a working farm into a commercial vineyard. They carefully planted the vineyards with the classic Champagne varieties of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier which are ideally suited to the soils – similar to those found in Champagne itself - and undulating slopes here. In 2001 the couple sold the business on to the songwriter and producer Andy Hill whose biggest claim to fame was co-writing the winning Eurovision song for his wife’s group Buck’s Fizz. We suspect that the name of the group was no simple coincidence…In 2006 the estate was acquired by the present owner Eric Heerema who has expanded the estate to over 400 acres, making it the largest in the UK to make wine from only estate-grown fruit. The wines produced are full-flavoured, premium sparklers made using the same methods as those in Champagne.

The Nyetimber cuvées have won enthusiastic reviews from the wine press and are regularly served at state occasions. The classic blend is chardonnay-dominated with pinot noir and meunier in support and has at least three years’ bottle maturation before release for sale. The rich texture and finesse of the chardonnay-only cuvée put it on a par with fine Blanc de Blancs Champagne. .

Listed Building Grade II*

List Entry Number : 1298332

Date First Listed : 22 December 1953

Built around 1730, this originated as a summer house, it was restored in the 1970s, and then used as a shop and a flat. It is in sandstone with a slate roof, and has three storeys, three bays, and a balustraded parapet. The bays are divided by pilasters, fluted Ionic on the ground floor, fluted Corinthian in the middle floor, and panelled in the top floor. In the ground floor is a central round-headed archway, now glazed, flanked by doorways with architraves. The windows are sashes, the window above the archway having a swan-neck pediment and a central urn. Inside is richly decorated plasterwork.

historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1298332

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listed_buildings_in_Lancaster,_Lancashire

Sutton Scarsdale Hall is a Grade I listed Georgian ruined stately home in Sutton Scarsdale, close to the town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire.

Construction on the present building started in 1724 by architect Francis Smith for the 4th Earl of Scarsdale and incorperated a previous building that stood on the site.

The building was complete by 1729 on a scale and quality with nearby Chatsworth House, internally it featured both oak ornamental panels, stucco plasterwork, carved fireplaces in both marble and Blue John, and a carved mahogany staircase.

The house was purchased by Richard Arkwright Junior in 1824. He was the son of Sir Richard Arkwright who invented the water frame and had a major involvement in the cotton industry.

The Arkwright family lived in the hall until it was auctioned off in 1919, it was bought by a group of local businessmen who asset-stripped the house, this went as far as removing the roof in 1920. Some parts of the building were shipped to the United States were oak panelling from the hall is now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

In 1946, the estate was bought by Sir Osbert Sitwell of nearby Renishaw Hall, with the intention of preserving the remaining shell as a ruin. The hall was designated as a Grade I listed building in 1951, and is now in the care of English Heritage.

Bil-Bil Castle has a romantic history. It was built by a Spanish merchant for his moorish bride who was pining for her homeland across the Mediterraen Sea. He reproduced a moorish house to make his bride feel at home.

It is a beautiful example of a well to do Moorish house, complete with indoor courtyard, Fine plasterwork and a wonderful garden filled with fountains and running water .

There are regular art exhibitions held there now. It isd situated on a headland with the waves crashing all around., looking across to her beloved North Africa.

Bil-Bil Castle is a Neo-Arab style building that Leon and Fernanda Hermann ordered built. The architect was Enrique Atencia and the building was finished in 1934. However the owners were never able to live in it because the Spanish Civil War started in 1936. Later an American bought it and lived in it with his family. His first name was William and he had a son with the same name. Since his nickname was Bill, the neighbors started calling the building Bil-Bil. The building was remodeled in the 1990’s.

The building is painted red and the exterior is decorated with attractive tile. There are gardens with fountains and there is a beautiful view of the beaches.

Castle Toward is a nineteenth-century country house in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

Built in 1820 by Glasgow merchant Kirkman Finlay, it replaced the late medieval Toward Castle, formerly the ancestral home of the Clan Lamont. It was greatly extended in the early 20th century, and in the Second World War it served as HMS Brontosaurus. After the war it was sold to Glasgow Corporation and was used as an outdoor education facility until its closure in 2014. After a failed community buyout, Toward Castle and the estate were sold by Argyll and Bute Council to private owners in 2016. Castle Toward is a scheduled monument (LB5068).

The original Toward Castle dates from the 15th century and was owned by the Clan Lamont until 1809. The castle was extended in the 17th century, but was abandoned after an attack by the Clan Campbell in 1646. The ruins lie around 500 metres (1,600 ft) south-east of the later Castle Toward. Toward Castle is a scheduled monument (SM300).

The present Castle Toward was built in 1820 for Kirkman Finlay (1773–1842), former Lord Provost of Glasgow, as his family's country house. Finlay purchased the Achavoulin estate and renamed it Toward in 1818. It is built in the castellated Gothic Revival style, and was designed by David Hamilton. Edward La Trobe Bateman was involved in garden design work here in the 1880s.

It was from Castle Toward that the second son of Alexander Struthers Finlay – Alexander Kirkman Finlay – emigrated to the then colony of Victoria, Australia, and subsequently married the daughter of the then Governor of New South Wales, Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead. The wedding of Nora Robinson and Alexander Kirkman Finlay at St James' Church, Sydney, in 1878 attracted enormous attention in the colony and was extensively reported in the press.

Later owned and extended by Major Andrew Coats, of the Coats family of Paisley, Italian plasterwork was installed in the public rooms in 1920. The entire building was restored and enlarged over the course of the 1920s by the architect Francis William Deas, who also laid out most of the current landscaping. The grounds incorporate the ruins of the original Toward Castle, the Chinese ponds, wooded areas, access to the shore, and views over the Firth of Clyde.

During the Second World War the castle was requisitioned as a combined operations centre (COC No. 2), and was commissioned as HMS Brontosaurus in 1942. It was a training centre for the amphibious landings that were launched on D-Day, as well as for other raids. Officers and men trained on nearby beaches to use various landing craft. Both Winston Churchill and Lord Mountbatten during this time visited Brontosaurus. It closed in 1946.

The castle, and 226 acres (0.91 km2) of woodland, were purchased by the Corporation of Glasgow in 1948. The building was used initially as a residential school for children recovering from illness or living in deprived home conditions. It then became available for residential education for children from all Glasgow Primary Schools and operated for 50 years as an outdoor education centre for children from Glasgow, Renfrewshire and further afield. With the reorganisation of local government in Scotland in 1996, ownership passed to Argyll and Bute Council and such centres were threatened with closure. Peter Wilson, at the time the principal of the centre, formed a company called Actual Reality to operate the centre, as well as a second council-owned centre at Ardentinny. Activities operated by Actual Reality included high ropes, kayaking, and orienteering, as well as gorge walks and hill walks. The grounds of the centre were used as a filming location for the children's BBC Television series Raven, featuring the actor James Mackenzie, up to and including the seventh series at the start of 2008. The house was also used for residential courses for young people in music and art. The Glasgow Schools' Symphony Orchestra and West of Scotland Schools' Concert Band visited regularly. The house has been a category B listed building since 1971, and the grounds were added to the national Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland in 2007.

On 13 November 2009 Argyll and Bute Council temporarily closed the castle on the recommendation of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, on the grounds that it was unfit for purpose. There followed several attempts by the council to sell the estate, though all met with local opposition. The castle's former composer-in-residence, John Maxwell Geddes, wrote a Postlude for Strings in protest at plans to sell the castle. The Council placed the building on the market in 2010, and in response the South Cowal Community Development Company (SCCDC) was formed to explore community ownership of the castle, though their initial bid was rejected by the Scottish Ministers in 2011. An agreement was reached with a holiday company, which then pulled out of the sale in 2013 forcing the council to market the property once more. SCCDC launched a second community ownership bid which was accepted by Scottish Ministers in November 2013. However, in December 2014 the Council rejected SCCDC's offer, claiming that at £865,000 it was below market value, and instead offered to support SCCDC with a loan. SCCDC dismissed the council's proposal in January 2015, stating that securing the community purchase before a 31 January deadline now had "very little chance of succeeding". By 26 January, 5,600 people had signed an online petition calling on the council to reconsider their decision. The council sold the castle in October 2016, for £1.51 million, to Scottish entrepreneurs and married couple Denice Purdie and Keith Punler, who planned to restore the mansion house and grounds to their former glory.

Toward Point marks the extreme south-westerly point of the Highland Boundary Fault as it crosses the Scottish mainland. The Highland Boundary Fault does not run through Toward Point, but about one kilometre to the west it can be located on the Toward shore by the presence of Serpentinite and the sudden change from younger sedimentary rocks to much older metamorphic rocks, notably Psammite.

Toward is a village near Dunoon, Scotland, at the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula.

During World War II, the Toward area was a training centre called HMS Brontosaurus also known as the No 2 Combined Training Centre (CTC), based at Castle Toward.

Nearby is Castle Toward, a former country house built close to the ruined Toward Castle. Castle Toward was used as an outdoor education centre. The grounds were also used as a location for the children's BBC TV series Raven. Sold by Argyll and Bute Council to a private individual in 2016.

Toward Point has one of the eighteen lighthouses built by Robert Stevenson.

The Highland Boundary Fault passes Toward, as it crosses Scotland from Isle of Arran in the west to Stonehaven on the east coast. The geological fault line formed around 430 million years ago.

Sports

Toward Sailing Club provides racing, cruising and training.

Cowal is a rugged peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. It is bounded on the west by Loch Fyne and on the east by Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde. The Kyles of Bute separate it from the Isle of Bute to the south.

The northern part of the peninsula is covered by Argyll Forest Park and also includes the Arrochar Alps. In the south, the peninsula is divided into three forks by Loch Striven and Loch Riddon.

Cowal's only burgh is Dunoon in the south-east, from which ferries sail to Gourock in Inverclyde. Other ferries run from Portavadie in the west to Tarbert in Kintyre, and from Colintraive in the south to Rhubodach on Bute.

Much of Cowal was once held by the Lamonts clan. Later, the Campbells came to be one of the most powerful families in Cowal.

Cowal's underlying geology is made up largely of resistant metamorphic rocks, but south of the Highland Boundary Fault part of the Toward peninsula is composed of sedimentary rocks. The landscape is mountainous, the high ground dominated by moorland, peat mosses and the forest that often extends down the sides of the sea lochs to the water's edge. The acreage of improved farmland is small. Most land is owned by estates or the Forestry and Land Scotland except in the more settled areas.

The coast is mostly rocky and the few beaches are mostly shingle and gravel except on Loch Fyne: the longest sandy beach is at Ardentinny on Loch Long. The only lowland areas are around the coast where most of the settlement is found, particularly around Dunoon, Cowal's largest settlement on the Firth of Clyde. Other settlements include Innellan, Sandbank, Kilmun, Strone, Arrochar, Lochgoilhead, Tighnabruaich, Kames and Strachur.

The A83 trunk road crosses the northern end of the peninsular passing Arrochar at the head of Loch Long and Cairndow near the head of Loch Fyne. It partly follows or runs parallel to William Caulfield's historic military road that takes its name, Rest and Be Thankful from the stone seat erected at the summit at the head of Glen Croe. As the A83 has been subject to landslips, the old route has been used as a diversionary route. The other A roads are the A815 which links the A83 with Dunoon via Strachur where the A886 leaves it and heads south via Glendaruel to Colintraive where the ferry connects it to the Isle of Bute and the A8003 which links Tighnabruaich to the A886. Other roads are secondary B roads, narrow roads or tracks.

At Colintraive the Caledonian MacBrayne vehicle ferry takes five minutes to cross the 400-yard (370-metre) strait to Rhubodach on Bute. The ferry from Portavadie to Tarbert on Kintyre across Loch Fyne takes 25 minutes. A passenger-only service operated by Caledonian MacBrayne connects Dunoon to Gourock in Inverclyde where there is easy access the ScotRail train service to Glasgow Central railway station. Western Ferries operates a high-frequency vehicle carrying service between Hunters Quay, near Dunoon, and McInroy's Point, on the outskirts of Gourock in Inverclyde.

The NCR75 links Dunoon and Portavadie on Cowal. The NRC75 route originates at Edinburgh and Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula. The National Cycle Network is maintained by sustrans.

Route across Cowal, traveling from east to west. After catching the ferry from Gourock to cross the upper Firth of Clyde to Dunoon. The route continues along the Cowal peninsula coast, passing the Holy Loch and Sandbank. Then travels through Glen Lean to the head of Loch Striven at Ardtaraig. Then passes the Kyles of Bute passing through Tighnabruaich, to Portavadie. From where another ferry crosses Loch Fyne, connecting the route onto the Kintyre peninsula at Tarbert. On the Kintyre peninsula you can join the National Cycle Route 78 (The Caledonia Way).

Evidence of early occupation of the area is in the form of cairns or burial mounds. One example is a Bronze Age cairn from between about 2000 BC and 800 BC is situated close to the summit of Creag Evanachan, 195 metres (640 ft) above sea level overlooking Loch Fyne. It is a mound of stones about 20 metres (66 ft) in diameter and up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) high. Another is the cairn at Dunchraigaig which is 195 feet (59 m) in diameter and was first excavated in 1864. At the south end a cist contained the deposits of burnt bones from eight or ten bodies. A smaller cist in the centre contained a bowl, burnt bone, charcoal and flint chips, and in the clay below them, the remains of a burial. A third even smaller cist also contained a food bowl, burnt bones and flint chips. A whetstone, flint knife, fragments of pottery and a greenstone axe were also found.

When the Irish invaded the region, it became part of their kingdom of Dal Riata. The Cenél Comgaill, a kin group within Dal Riata, controlled the Cowal peninsula, which consequently took their name (evolving over time from Comgaill to Cowal). Prior to this, little is known, except as revealed archaeologically, though the region may have been part of the Pictish kingdom of Fortriu.

Following a subsequent invasion by Norsemen, the Hebridean islands of Dal Riata became the Kingdom of the Isles, which following Norwegian unification became part of Norway, as Suðreyjar (historically anglicised as Sodor). The remaining parts of Dal Riata attracted the name Argyle (later Argyll), in reference to their ethnicity. In an unclear manner, the kingdom of Alba was founded elsewhere by groups originating from Argyll, and expanded to include Argyll itself.

However, an 11th-century Norse military campaign led to the formal transfer of Lorn, Islay, Kintyre, Knapdale, Bute, and Arran, to Suðreyjar. This left Alba with no part of Argyll except Cowal, and the land between Loch Awe and Loch Fyne. After Alba united with Moray, over the course of the century, it became Scotland. In 1326, a sheriff was appointed for the Scottish parts of Argyll.

Although, following the Treaty of Perth, Suðreyjar's successor state, the Lordship of the Isles, fell under the nominal authority of the Scottish king, it was not until 1475 that it was merged with Scotland (the occasion being the punishment of its ruler for an anti-Scottish conspiracy). The sheriffdom of Argyll was expanded to include the adjacent mainland areas from the Lordship. Following local government reforms in the 19th century, the traditional provinces were formally abolished, in favour of counties aligned with sheriffdoms, so Cowal became merely a part of the county of Argyll.

The history of the Cowal is tied into the clans who inhabited it. Seemingly, in the 11th century, an unidentified heiress of the Cenel Comgaill married Anrothan, grandson of the king of the Cenél nEógain, from Ulster. Clan traditions argue that Anrothan's lands were passed down to a descendant named Aodha Alainn O'Neil, who had the following sons:

Neil, who founded the MacNeil of Argyll, who were castellans of Castle Sween in Knapdale, on behalf of the Lords of the Isles. The MacNeil of Barra claim to be related to them, though how they came to be involved with Barra is unclear.

Gillachrist, whose son was:

Lachlan Mor, who founded Clan MacLachlan, who ruled from Castle Lachlan, on the Loch Fyne coast

Dunslebhe, whose sons were:

Ewen, who founded Clan Ewen of Otter, who ruled from Castle MacEwen, in the Kilfinan peninsula

Fearchar, who founded Clan MacKerracher, renamed Clan Lamont after 1235, after Lauman, the then chief. Clan Lamont ruled from Toward Castle, in the Toward peninsula.

Excavations carried out at Castle MacEwen showed the site had several stages of development before it was the defended medieval homestead of the MacEwens; at first there was a palisaded enclosure, and then a promontory fort with a timber rampart.

The remote areas in the north east of Cowal, which were theoretically under the dominion of Clan Lamont, were used by Scottish kings for hunting; indeed, Cowal was the last part of Britain to have wild boar. When King John Balliol was threatened by his rival, Robert de Bruys, Balliol's ally, the king of England, established Henry Percy at Carrick Castle, in the region; likewise Dunoon Castle further south. De Bruys expelled the English from Cowal, with the aid of the Campbells (who were based nearby at Loch Awe), and eventually defeated Balliol. De Bruy's son gave Carrick Castle to the Campbells, while, after spending some time as a direct Royal possession, Dunoon Castle was handed to them by James III, who made the Campbells its Honorary Keepers.

During the civil war between Royalists and Puritans, the Campbells had sided with the Puritans, so following their defeat at the Battle of Inverlochy, Clan Lamont took the opportunity to push back the borders of Campbell control. Predictably, in 1646, the Campbells took revenge, and overran Toward Castle; after being offered hospitability, the Campbells slaughtered the Lamont occupants in their beds. Despite the chief of the Lamonts surrendering, the Campbells hanged many members of Clan Lamont, in what became known as the Dunoon massacre.

By contrast, the next chief of the Campbells, the son of the former chief, was a Royalist, so after the restoration of Royalist rule, the Campbells were not ultimately dispossessed of their gains. However, after James VII came to the Scottish throne, the Campbells revolted, and the chief was executed, but his son, the new chief, took part in the successful expulsion of James VII, so the Campbells once again ultimately retained their lands.

After the Jacobite rising of 1715 when James Francis Edward Stuart attempted to regain the throne, the lack of roads in the Highlands prevented the British army from advancing to quell areas of unrest. General Wade was tasked with implementing a programme to build military roads from north-central Scotland through the Highlands to the forts in the Great Glen. They were constructed by officers and soldiers. William Caulfeild succeeded Wade in 1740 and constructed the road from Dumbarton via Tarbet to Inveraray through the Cowal where it is known as the "Rest and Be Thankful".

In Victorian times tourism began to take hold on the Clyde coast. Steam propulsion started in 1812 and by the end of the 19th century, paddle steamers ferried thousands of Glaswegians doon the watter from Broomielaw in the city centre to holiday resorts including Dunoon on the Cowal.

The Loch Lomond and Cowal Way stretches for over 57 miles (92 kilometres) through Cowal, from Portavadie on the southeastern shore of Loch Fyne leading to Inveruglas on Loch Lomond, in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

The Cowal Highland Gathering, the annual highland games, are held annually in Dunoon stadium on the last Friday/Saturday of August.

Asgog Castle, ruin, next to Asgog Loch, Millhouse, Kilfinan Parish.

Auchenbreck Castle (no longer standing), Kilmodan, Glendaruel

Carrick Castle (private), Carrick Castle

Dunans Castle (ruin, fire damage), Glendaruel

Dunoon Castle (no longer standing), Dunoon

Knockamillie Castle, ruin, Innellan

New Castle Lachlan (private), Strathlachlan

Old Castle Lachlan (ruin), Strathlachlan

Castle MacEwen (no longer standing), Kilfinan

Castle Toward (private), Toward

Toward Castle (ruin), in the grounds of Castle Toward

The two-storeyed tomb of Safdarjang was the very last of India’s great Mughal garden tombs. Built between 1753 and 1774, it dates from the period after Nadir Shah’s sacking of the city, by which time the empire was reduced to a fraction of its former size and most of the capital’s grander buildings lay in ruins. Safdarjang was the Mughal nawab (governor) of Avadh who briefly became vizier before being overthrown for his Shi’ite beliefs. Emblematic of the decadence and degeneracy that characterized the twilight of the Mughal era, the mausoleum sports an elongated, tapered dome and absurdly ornate interior filled with swirling plasterwork. In City of Djinns, William Dalrymple aptly describes its quirky design as “blowzy Mughal rococo” typifying an age “not so much decaying into impoverished anonymity as one whoring and drinking itself into extinction”

Read more: www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/india/delhi/new-del...

Main rooms[edit]

The gatehouse is of 1406, and the block to its left, now the shop and cafe, has Gothic windows facing the moat. The main facade is medieval to the left, but in Elizabethan prodigy house style at the centre and right. The chapel is 14th-century Decorated Gothic, the other main rooms that are opened mainly Elizabethan. The great hall runs along the facade. Upstairs there is a long gallery overlooking the gardens at the rear.[4]

The best bedrooms have two very elaborate chimneypieces, in the Queen's Bedroom (used by Anne of Denmark) a stone one heavily decorated with ornament in a style "proclaiming the Renaissance but simultaneously revealing a still very imperfect comprehension of what it was all about". This was presumably the result of a local carver with access to an ornament pattern book such as those by Hans Vredeman de Vries; the two human heads still look distinctly medieval. The other chimneypiece, in the bedroom James I used, is at another stylistic extreme; a very polished and spacious stucco piece in a style comparable to that of the First School of Fontainebleau, and probably not made by English artists. The central medallion, with a mythological scene, is designed by Rosso Fiorentino, and also appears in the Palace of Fontainebleau. This is flanked by two large nude boys. The Italian artists of the Tudor court Henry VIII used at Nonsuch Palace have been suggested; the pieces were almost certainly made elsewhere and taken to Broughton.[5]

There are several fine plasterwork ceilings, the most spectacular in the Great Parlour on the first floor, and the Oak Room below it. There is 18th-century painted Chinese wallpaper of different tree, bird and flower designs in three bedrooms, in very good condition. At roof level there is a room believed to be that "with no ears", where the 1st viscount plotted with Parliamentary leaders in the years before the Civil War.[6] The gardens have long herbacious borders, at their best in summer.

Films and TVs[edit]

Parts of the films The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), Oxford Blues (1984), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), The Madness of King George (1994), Shakespeare in Love (1998), and Jane Eyre (2011) were shot in the castle. TV filming for parts of Elizabeth The Virgin Queen, Friends and Crocodiles, 1975 Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show, Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, and the titles of Noel's House Party also took place there. The castle has been used as the location for several other films and TV programmes[7] including an adaptation of Jane Eyre and

Concerts[edit]

In August 1981, the electric folk band Fairport Convention held their annual reunion concert at Broughton Castle, rather than the usual Cropredy location.[8] The concert was recorded, and released on the album Moat on the Ledge (1982).

Fiction[edit]

Published in April 2009, The Music Room is a novel by William Fiennes. This fictionalized memoir of his childhood and his epileptic brother is set in (the never identified) Broughton Castle. It has been described as "a beautiful poem of a tribute to his family, his parents, the magical, moated castle that was his home"

Wikipedia

ASTLEY HALL IS A MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY HOUSED WITHIN A GRADE I LISTED HISTORIC HOUSE. THE HALL IS SET WITHIN THE BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS OF ASTLEY PARK WHICH INCLUDE HISTORIC WOODLAND, A LAKE, AND A FULLY RENOVATED VICTORIAN WALLED GARDEN ALONGSIDE CLEAN AND MODERN FACILITIES FOR VISITORS TO ENJOY.

THE HALL IS PERHAPS BEST KNOWN FOR ITS STUNNING JACOBEAN PLASTERWORK CEILINGS AND THE HOUSE IS BUILT AROUND AN INTERNAL ELIZABETHAN COURTYARD. THE FOUR WINGS OF THE HOUSE WERE EXTENDED BY THE FAMILIES WHO LIVED HERE AND MOST OF THE ORIGINAL FEATURES ARE RETAINED TO THIS DAY. THE HOUSE CONTAINS MUCH OAK FURNITURE FROM THE 1600S, INCLUDING THE SIRLOIN CHAIR AND A 27FT LONG SHOVEL BOARD TABLE.

The intricate plaster ceiling of the rotunda, Croome Court, Worcestershire

Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, is a magnificent late Victorian country house with extensive servants quarters, gardens and a wooded estate.

It is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home. The kitchens, nurseries and servants' quarters offer a thrilling glimpse into life 'below stairs', while the spacious dining room and bedrooms are truly and deeply elegant.

The house is set in wooded parkland of 1,000 acres and encircled by a garden of rare shrubs and trees.

Follow in the footsteps of generations of the Robartes family, walking in the 17th-century Long Gallery among the rare book collection under the remarkable plasterwork ceiling. After a devastating fire in 1881 the house was refurbished in the high-Victorian style, with the latest mod cons.

Don't miss

* There are 50 rooms to explore – allow plenty of time!

* Play the Steinway piano in the Long Gallery

* Look out for the museum and second-hand bookshop

The gardens

The historical garden with its 30-acres of woodland was laid out back in 1857, but its present format was actually established later on in the Victorian period, and many of the plants are no more than 70 years old. However, a grand atmosphere permeates the entire setting and compliments the brilliant planting of more modern times.

Explore formal parterres of dazzling bedding plants and wander along paths that wind through a woodland landscape planted in a semi-formal Cornish fashion - rhododendrons and Himalayan magnolias lurching to their full-size in the fresh Cornish air. Because the grounds lie inland and rise up to 130-metres above sea level, the plants have to cope with harsher climates than the lush valley gardens of the south coast. In spite of this, Lanhydrock still puts on one of the county's most colourful spring shows, with over 120 species of cream and white magnolias featuring amongst a flurry of wild blooms that carpet the woodland.

Learn more about the history and the work involved to keep the magnificent gardens maintained via the new interpretation on permanent display in the garden's thatched cottage.

Take-in the sweeping views over the gardens and the valley landscape, and it's pretty obvious that this is prime garden for walkers. Not only is there 30-acres of formal and informal woodland to explore, but the garden opens onto an extensive network of footpaths zig-zagging through 900-acres of beautiful countryside.

And with so much space to roam, Lanhydrock makes a very family friendly day out. Whilst the fresh air and colourful surroundings will captivate the kids' imaginations and wear them out, the restaurant has a fantastic children's menu and there are excellent baby-changing facilities on-site.

(visitcornwall.com)

Lanhydrock House (kornisch Lannhydrek) ist ein Herrenhaus nahe der englischen Stadt Bodmin in Cornwall. Es liegt fast 13 Kilometer von der Südküste Cornwalls entfernt im waldreichen Tal des Flusses River Fowey, inmitten eines 367 Hektar großen Anwesens, das bis zu 130 Metern Höhe ansteigt.

Lanhydrock House ist von einem attraktiven formalen Garten und einem Landschaftspark umgeben. Der angrenzende Hügel ist mit ausgewählten Bäumen und Sträuchern bepflanzt. Viele Teile des heutigen Hauses sind viktorianischen Ursprungs, einige sind jedoch mehr als 200 Jahre älter, sie datieren etwa um das Jahr 1620.

Fünfzig Jahre nach dem Bau von Lanhydrock House wurde im Jahr 1690 der erste geometrische Garten neben dem Haus angelegt, er wird erstmals im Lanhydrock-Atlas von 1694 bis 1697 erwähnt. Der Garten bestand aus einer Rasenfläche für Kegel- oder Ballspiele, dem Bowling Green, einem Blumengarten, der von einem Weg entlang der Baumlinie umsäumt war, einer Fasanerie, einem Küchengarten, einem Birnen- und Obstgarten sowie einem an der Nordseite des Hauses angrenzenden Natur- oder Wildgarten. Mit dem Abriss des Ostflügels des Hauses 1780 durch George Hunt wurde auch diese Gartenanlage beseitigt, so dass das Parkgelände bis an das Gebäude reichte.

Um das Jahr 1860 legte man oberhalb des Hauses einen Staudengarten an, den „Oberen Garten“ oder „Hochgarten“. Nach 1858 erstellte Richard Coad basierend auf Plänen des Architekten George Truefitt, die dieser ab 1854 entworfen hatte, einen neuen, heute noch zu besichtigenden geometrischen Garten an der Ost- und Nordseite von Lanhydrock House. Er ist umgeben von niedrigen zinnenbewehrten Brüstungen und Obelisken im Stil des Hauses. Truefitt sah für Lanhydrock Wasserspiele, Terrassen, Kieswege und eine Promenade zum Torhaus vor, die Coad um eigene Ideen, wie die Granitstufen zur Kirche und eine Sitzgelegenheit, ergänzte. Etwa 1933 erfolgte eine Vereinfachung der viktorianischen Beetaufteilung und die Anpflanzung erster Magnolien.

Lanhydrock Gardens besteht heute aus mehreren, unterschiedlich stark voneinander abgetrennten Bereichen. Im Innenenhof oder Vorhof von Lanhydrock House ist eine durch einen Kiesweg begrenzte runde Rasenfläche angelegt. An den Hauswänden neben dem Weg stehen Immergrüne Magnolien (Magnolia grandiflora) und im Juli und August blühende Hortensiengewächse der Sorte Schizophragma integrifolium. Östlich in Richtung Torhaus schließt sich der „Geometrische Garten“ an, der durch 23 beschnittene Säuleneiben (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’) dominiert wird. Zwischen ihnen sind Rosenbeete angelegt, die vornehmlich mit den Sorten ‘Octavia Hill’, ‘Bright Smile’, ‘Escapade’, ‘Wheelhorse Classic’ und ‘Margaret Merril’ bepflanzt sind.

Im Norden des geometrischen Gartens, und hinter der niedrigen Nordmauer außerhalb der eigentlichen Gartenanlage gelegen, befindet sich eine bepflanzte Freifläche, die vormals als Krocket- und Tennisplatz genutzt wurde. Der Tennisplatz nahm dabei die östliche Seite der Freifläche ein. Neben einigen Büschen, wie Gwillimia (Magnolia delavayi), stehen hier zwei Blutbuchen und eine jüngere Korkeiche. Die Blutbuchen wurden von prominenter Seite gepflanzt, die größere 1889 durch den ehemaligen britischen Premierminister William Ewart Gladstone, die kleinere 1905 durch Archibald Philip Primrose, dem 5. Earl of Rosebery. Auf dem westlich angrenzenden ehemaligen Krocketrasen stehen Rhododendren der Sorten ‘Mother of Pearl’, ‘Hugh Koster’ und ‘Pink Pearl’.

Nordwestlich des geometrischen Gartens, nördlich der Gebäude von Lanhydrock House, geht die Gartenanlage ins „Parterre“ über. Hier werden im Frühling und im Sommer verschiedene Blumen innerhalb von Buchsbaumhecken gepflanzt, die in einem komplizierten Muster auf ebener Fläche angelegt sind. Südlich und östlich davon stehen sechs den Bäumen im geometrischen Garten im Schnitt gleiche Säuleneiben. Eine Terrassenstufe höher in Richtung der kleinen Kirche sind die Blumenrabatten als Muster direkt in die Rasenfläche gesetzt.

Beide Bereiche, deren Höhenunterschied keinen Meter ausmacht, haben je eine Bronze-Urne als Mittelpunkt. Diese Urnen, von denen auch einige den geometrischen Garten schmücken, sind Erwerbungen Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes’, des 7. Viscount Clifden, aus der Sammlung von Lord Hertford im Pariser Château de Bagatelle. Sie wurden vom Goldschmied Ludwigs des XIV., Louis Ballin, geschaffen. Nach Westen wird das „Parterre“ durch die Umfassungsmauer begrenzt, in der zwei Durchgänge ausgespart sind. Neben dem Herrenhaus erreicht man über eine Treppe die Kirche St Hydroc, daneben führt ein Weg an der Kirche vorbei in Richtung „Hochgarten“. Unterhalb der Mauer ist ein erhobenes Beet mit Schmucklilien-Hybriden der Sorte ‘Headbourne’, Fuchsien und Waldreben angelegt.

Der Weg zum Hochgarten kreuzt den in Nord-Süd-Richtung verlaufenden Kirchweg, neben dem Fächer-Ahorn (Sorte ‘Sango-kaku’) und laubabwerfende Hybriden der Westlichen Azalee stehen. Direkt vor der Kirche sind verschiedene Kamelien-Sorten, Rhododendren (Rhododendron arboreum var. roseum) und Stern-Magnolien-Hybriden (Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’) gepflanzt, in der Ecke des Kirchhofs eine baumartige Magnolia hypoleuca (obovata). Den nördlichen Abschnitt des Kirchwegs flankieren einige Hortensien, dahinter Magnolia campbellii ‘Charles Raffill’, Rhododendron fictolacteum und Rhododendron rex.

Den Eingang zum Hochgarten markiert ein durch eine Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ verdecktes gewölbtes Tor. Der hinter dem Tor liegende Gartenbereich wurde ab 1933 durch den 7. Viscount Clifden mit verschiedensten Arten von Magnolien bepflanzt, die heute eine Höhe bis zu 25 Metern erreichen. Durch den Hochgarten fließt der Borlase stream („Bach von Borlase“), der die Wasserversorgung für Lanhydrock House sichert. In und an ihm gedeihen Kandelaberprimeln, Astelia, Aronstab, Schaublatt und Kirengeshoma

Im Norden des Hochgartens gelangt man über die „Magnolienlichtung“ zum „Staudenkreis“. Dieser bildet erst seit 1972 einen Vollkreis, nachdem auf der nördlichen Hälfte die Ruinen eines Gewächshauses und eines Schuppens abgerissen wurden. Den südlichen Halbkreis hatte Lady Clifden schon vor 1914 gestaltet. Die hier gepflanzten Stauden blühen vom Ende des Sommers bis in den Herbst. An der Nordwestecke des Hochgartens wurden nach dem zerstörerischen Sturm von 1979 zum Schutz des Gartens Eichen und Edelkastanien angepflanzt.

Lanhydrock war 1996 der Hauptdrehort für den Film Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Regie führte Trevor Nunn, Hauptdarstellerin war Helena Bonham Carter als Olivia. Weiterhin dienten Haus und Garten als Drehort für die Rosamunde-Pilcher-Verfilmungen Klippen der Liebe (1999) und Im Zweifel für die Liebe (2009).

(Wikipedia)

National Trust property, Ashbourne, Derbyshire

First constructed in 1366 as a royal residence and with numerous additions by later monarchs, the Royal Palace has been the home of Spanish kings for almost seven centuries. The palace's upper floor, in a more Italian Renaissance style, is used by the royal family today. This patio boasts plasterwork by the top craftsmen of Granada.

The name of this courtyard came from the christian myth that the Muslim ruler Peter I of Castile demanded an annual tribute of 100 maidens.

Construido en 1366 como residencia real y con numerosos añadidos por los monarcas más tarde, el Reales Alcazares ha sido el hogar de los reyes españoles durante casi siete siglos. Piso superior del palacio, de estilo renacentista italiano más, es utilizado por la familia real en la actualidad. Este patio cuenta con yeso por los artesanos principales de Granada.

El nombre de este patio llegaron desde el mito cristiano de que el gobernante musulmán de Pedro I de Castilla exigió un tributo anual de cien doncellas.

Patio de las Doncellas, Reales Alcázares de Sevilla (Royal Palace of Seville), Santa Cruz, Seville, Spain (Tuesday 26 Jul 2011 @ 12:50pm).

The Edinburgh Festival Theatre (formerly Empire Palace Theatre) is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh, Scotland used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, large-scale musical events, and touring groups. After its most recent renovation in 1994, it seats 1,915. It is one of the major venues of the annual summer Edinburgh International Festival and is the Edinburgh venue for the Scottish Opera and the Scottish Ballet.

The present theatre’s location is Edinburgh’s longest continuous theatre site, for there has been a theatre in that location since 1830. From being Dunedin Hall, the Royal Amphitheatre, Alhambra Music Hall, the Queen’s Theatre, Pablo Fanque's Amphitheatre, and Newsome’s Circus, the site became the Empire Palace Theatre, the first of the famous Moss Empires’ chain, opening on 7 November 1892. Designed by the great British theatre architect, Frank Matcham, (who built the London Coliseum, among others) its décor was lavish, with elephants with Nubian riders, nymphs and cherubs in abundance on the plasterwork, and it seated 3000 people on four levels.

For the following twenty years all the top artists of the day played at the Empire Palace until, on 9 May 1911, there was a disastrous fire on stage. While all 3000 theatre goers escaped safely (there were eleven backstage deaths and the death of a lion), the theatre reopened three months later. However, given the long term competition from the growth of film as a popular medium, the theatre was re-equipped to present bigger and more spectacular shows. Reusing some of Matcham’s original design concepts, the theatre reopened on 1 October 1928 with the musical Show Boat.

Between 1928 and 1963 the Empire was a variety, musical and opera house, often including ice shows. Big names like Harry Lauder, Charles Laughton, Fats Waller, Joe Loss, and Laurel and Hardy appeared, while English comedians Max Wall, Morecambe and Wise and Harry Worth established themselves at the Empire.

In addition to the music hall and popular entertainers who appeared at the Empire, the theatre became a principal venue of the Edinburgh International Festival between 1947 and 1963. It was particularly associated with international ballet and, during the first Festival in 1947, Margot Fonteyn danced in The Sleeping Beauty, while in subsequent years, performances by the Old Vic theatre company, the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera were presented.

However, for nearly thirty years after 1963 the theatre became a bingo hall, only temporarily serving as a Festival venue. Finally, after its third major remodeling, the Empire Palace Theatre reopened in June 1994 with a glass-fronted structure for the new entrance (created by Law & Dunbar-Nasmith Architects), as the now-renamed Edinburgh Festival Theatre. In 1997, the distinguished theatre manager and artistic director Stephen Barry was appointed to shape the rejuvenated venue's future. With the restoration of the Empire Theatre’s former 1928 glory, plus a dramatic mix of art nouveau, beaux arts and neo-classicism, and including adequate acoustics, the new theatre serves all the artistic needs of the community.

The theatre is said to be haunted by a tall, dark stranger rumoured to be the famous illusionist Sigmund Neuberger, aka The Great Lafayette, who was one of those who burned to death in the fire at the Empire in 1911. [Wikipedia]

………………………………………………………

There were a series of circuses and performance halls on this site from the 1820s (Ducrow’s, etc) and a music hall from about 1860 (Alhambra, Queen’s etc). Frank Matcham built the very first Moss Empire (the Empire Palace) here in 1892 and also carried out its reinstatement after a destructive fire in 1910. The 1892 theatre had a circus-theatre interior of almost barbaric magnificence. In 1928 the Matcham house was demolished and a new theatre built by W & T R Milburn, who were amongst the most competent theatre designers of their time (see e.g. London Dominion, Liverpool Empire and Southampton Mayflower). The Edinburgh auditorium is arguably their best surviving work. The subsequent transformation of the Empire into the Edinburgh Festival Theatre by Law & Dunbar-Nasmith (Colin Ross) completed in 1994 was (until the Royal Opera House reopening) perhaps the most radical make-over of an old theatre undertaken in Britain in modern times. Edinburgh’s long drawn-out quest for an opera house, which spawned a number of abortive new-build projects over the years, had become a standing joke by the 1980s. Theatre Projects Consultants with Law & Dunbar-Nasmith identified the Empire as a prime candidate for conversion for this purpose as early as 1975, but it was to be nearly twenty years before their sensible idea was followed up. When it was eventually done, there was no penny-pinching. The undistinguished façe and front of house were demolished and, with the acquisition of additional space, rebuilt on spacious modern lines, with a curved, transparent façe, visible distantly as a glowing landmark in Nicolson Street. The back of house, too, was totally demolished and a new stage house built, together with dressing rooms and a generous staircase, described as a ‘vertical green room’. The stage itself is immense at 25m x 18m (82ft x 59ft), plus huge wing space on stage left and a rear scene dock which can be opened up for deep vistas. The retained Milburn auditorium has become the splendid filling in a modern sandwich. Like most of the Milburns’ designs, it owes more to contemporary North American models than to the Matcham school. Two balconies with slips meeting a deep-splayed ante-proscenium with pairs of boxes stepping down on either side. Rectangular enriched proscenium frame with a flaming urn at the centre. Ceiling divided into panels with a central dome. Three forestage lifts. Sighting throughout is excellent. The stalls (altered for bingo) have been re-raked to work with the now flattened stage which has thereby been raised at the front edge and thus improved sightlines from the unaltered circles. Necessary changes of this kind have been easily absorbed. The architects did not lose their nerve (as so often happens with so-called restorations) over matters of detail. The seats, for example, are either 1928 originals or careful reproductions. The decorations are not an exact recreation of the Milburn scheme, which was rather skimped, but a convincing essay in the manner of the period with sensitively applied patina glazes to avoid an over-bright appearance. [Theatres Trust ]

1910; Boots the Chemists' in-house architect M V Treleaven

We found ourselves in a pleasant shopping area. This was Calle Sierpes. It was fun to wander the streets looking in the shop windows.

The pedestrianised stretch of Calle Sierpes is the commercial heart of Seville. Since the fifteenth century, it’s been an important centre of trade, home to blacksmiths, cobblers and artisans.

This traditional, bustling street, today plays host to some of the city’s most important events. It is part of the Official Route for Semana Santa (link interno), running from the Plaza de la Campana to the Plaza de San Francisco. At the end of the shopping day, it becomes a place for relaxed chats in its bars, cafés and bakeries.

An iconic spot in the area is the La Campana Patisserie, just off the Plaza de San Francisco. Founded in 1885, it conserves its Modernist style with wooden countertops, multi-coloured plasterwork, plant motifs and the original floor. You’ll have a tough time deciding between its famous yemas (egg yolk pastries), meringues, lenguas de almendra (almond pastries), candied fruits and primor de hojaldre (puff pastries). They’re all made daily, with the same recipes they’ve been using for more than 100 years.

In the summertime, large canopies are suspended from the rooftops to protect Calle Sierpes from the suffocating heat. But, when evening falls, the street comes back to life. Human statues, mimes and buskers come out to play, and animate evenings on the street. (Fromhttps://www.barcelo.com)

2015 photochallenge wk 12 - Architecture - Windows Looking Out.

This is the ruin of Sutton Scarsdale Hall, which is a Grade 1 listed, Georgian stately home near Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

The existing structure was built on the site around 1724 on a scale and quality comparable with Chatsworth House. Internally it featured both oak ornamental panels and stucco plasterwork by Italian craftsmen, carved Adamesque fireplaces in both marble and Blue John, and a carved mahogany staircase.

In 1919-20 it was asset-stripped by a group of local businessmen and is now owned by English Heritage.

#photochallenge2015

Nathaniel Russell House was completed in 1808 by merchant Nathaniel Russell. The home’s graceful, free-flying, three-story staircase is an architectural marvel and the elegant interiors with elaborate plasterwork, geometrically shaped rooms, formal gardens and collection of 18th-century decorative and fine art speak to the wealth of Charleston’s elite in the early days of the American Republic. The 18 enslaved Africans that lived on and maintained this property are an integral part of its history. Archaeological artifacts, educational panels and ongoing restoration of the enslaved quarters are vital to learning more about the enslaved and telling their important stories.

THIS ELIZABETHAN HALL AND STANDS ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER CALDER IN PADIHAM IN THE HEART OF INDUSTRIAL LANCASHIRE. THE HALL WAS BUILT BETWEEN 1600 AND 1605 GAWTHORPE HALL WAS THE FAMILY HOME OF THE SHUTTLEWORTH FAMILY FOR OVER 300 YEARS. INSIDE THE HOUSE YOU WILL FIND PERIOD ROOMS ON DISPLAY FROM THE 1850 REMODELLING BY RENOWNED ARCHITECT SIR CHARLES BARRY AND PUGIN AS WELL AS ORIGINAL PLASTERWORK CEILINGS, PANELLING AND THE IMPRESSIVE LONG GALLERY. ALSO ON DISPLAY ARE OVER 200 PIECES FROM THE NATIONALLY IMPORTANT GAWTHORPE TEXTILE COLLECTION.

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY HAS LOANED OVER 20 PAINTINGS TO THE HALL ALL OF WHICH ILLUSTRATE ITS FASCINATING CONNECTIONS AND HISTORY, PARTICULARLY WITH THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR. GAWTHORPE HALL IS AN ARTISTIC AND HISTORIC TREASURE TROVE IN THE MIDDLE OF INDUSTRIAL LANCASHIRE.

GAWTHORPE HALL IS CLOSED COMPLETELY FOR THE REST OF 2015. THIS IS DUE TO MAJOR BUILDING CONSERVATION WORK TO THE HALL, AND IS EXPECTED BE OPEN FULLY FOR 2016.

THIS ELIZABETHAN HALL AND STANDS ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER CALDER IN PADIHAM IN THE HEART OF INDUSTRIAL LANCASHIRE. THE HALL WAS BUILT BETWEEN 1600 AND 1605 GAWTHORPE HALL WAS THE FAMILY HOME OF THE SHUTTLEWORTH FAMILY FOR OVER 300 YEARS. INSIDE THE HOUSE YOU WILL FIND PERIOD ROOMS ON DISPLAY FROM THE 1850 REMODELLING BY RENOWNED ARCHITECT SIR CHARLES BARRY AND PUGIN AS WELL AS ORIGINAL PLASTERWORK CEILINGS, PANELLING AND THE IMPRESSIVE LONG GALLERY. ALSO ON DISPLAY ARE OVER 200 PIECES FROM THE NATIONALLY IMPORTANT GAWTHORPE TEXTILE COLLECTION.

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY HAS LOANED OVER 20 PAINTINGS TO THE HALL ALL OF WHICH ILLUSTRATE ITS FASCINATING CONNECTIONS AND HISTORY, PARTICULARLY WITH THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR. GAWTHORPE HALL IS AN ARTISTIC AND HISTORIC TREASURE TROVE IN THE MIDDLE OF INDUSTRIAL LANCASHIRE.

GAWTHORPE HALL IS CLOSED COMPLETELY FOR THE REST OF 2015. THIS IS DUE TO MAJOR BUILDING CONSERVATION WORK TO THE HALL, AND IS EXPECTED BE OPEN FULLY FOR 2016.

Sunderland Empire Theatre. Sunderland Empire has some of the most extensive front of house space of any touring theatre - a mix of old and new, the older parts retaining the opulent Edwardian plasterwork and marble. It seats 1,850. Designed by W & TR Milburn and opened in 1907, the theatre was built for variety. It was purchased by the local authority in 1960 and renamed Civic, before returning to the Empire name. The Empire is Grade 2* listed, and has been restored, modernised and extended in recent years.

City of Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, North East England - Empire Theatre, High Street West

June 2009, image reworked 2023

THIS ELIZABETHAN HALL AND STANDS ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER CALDER IN PADIHAM IN THE HEART OF INDUSTRIAL LANCASHIRE. THE HALL WAS BUILT BETWEEN 1600 AND 1605 GAWTHORPE HALL WAS THE FAMILY HOME OF THE SHUTTLEWORTH FAMILY FOR OVER 300 YEARS. INSIDE THE HOUSE YOU WILL FIND PERIOD ROOMS ON DISPLAY FROM THE 1850 REMODELLING BY RENOWNED ARCHITECT SIR CHARLES BARRY AND PUGIN AS WELL AS ORIGINAL PLASTERWORK CEILINGS, PANELLING AND THE IMPRESSIVE LONG GALLERY. ALSO ON DISPLAY ARE OVER 200 PIECES FROM THE NATIONALLY IMPORTANT GAWTHORPE TEXTILE COLLECTION.

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY HAS LOANED OVER 20 PAINTINGS TO THE HALL ALL OF WHICH ILLUSTRATE ITS FASCINATING CONNECTIONS AND HISTORY, PARTICULARLY WITH THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR. GAWTHORPE HALL IS AN ARTISTIC AND HISTORIC TREASURE TROVE IN THE MIDDLE OF INDUSTRIAL LANCASHIRE.

GAWTHORPE HALL IS CLOSED COMPLETELY FOR THE REST OF 2015. THIS IS DUE TO MAJOR BUILDING CONSERVATION WORK TO THE HALL, AND IS EXPECTED BE OPEN FULLY FOR 2016.

Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, is a magnificent late Victorian country house with extensive servants quarters, gardens and a wooded estate.

It is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home. The kitchens, nurseries and servants' quarters offer a thrilling glimpse into life 'below stairs', while the spacious dining room and bedrooms are truly and deeply elegant.

The house is set in wooded parkland of 1,000 acres and encircled by a garden of rare shrubs and trees.

Follow in the footsteps of generations of the Robartes family, walking in the 17th-century Long Gallery among the rare book collection under the remarkable plasterwork ceiling. After a devastating fire in 1881 the house was refurbished in the high-Victorian style, with the latest mod cons.

Don't miss

* There are 50 rooms to explore – allow plenty of time!

* Play the Steinway piano in the Long Gallery

* Look out for the museum and second-hand bookshop

The gardens

The historical garden with its 30-acres of woodland was laid out back in 1857, but its present format was actually established later on in the Victorian period, and many of the plants are no more than 70 years old. However, a grand atmosphere permeates the entire setting and compliments the brilliant planting of more modern times.

Explore formal parterres of dazzling bedding plants and wander along paths that wind through a woodland landscape planted in a semi-formal Cornish fashion - rhododendrons and Himalayan magnolias lurching to their full-size in the fresh Cornish air. Because the grounds lie inland and rise up to 130-metres above sea level, the plants have to cope with harsher climates than the lush valley gardens of the south coast. In spite of this, Lanhydrock still puts on one of the county's most colourful spring shows, with over 120 species of cream and white magnolias featuring amongst a flurry of wild blooms that carpet the woodland.

Learn more about the history and the work involved to keep the magnificent gardens maintained via the new interpretation on permanent display in the garden's thatched cottage.

Take-in the sweeping views over the gardens and the valley landscape, and it's pretty obvious that this is prime garden for walkers. Not only is there 30-acres of formal and informal woodland to explore, but the garden opens onto an extensive network of footpaths zig-zagging through 900-acres of beautiful countryside.

And with so much space to roam, Lanhydrock makes a very family friendly day out. Whilst the fresh air and colourful surroundings will captivate the kids' imaginations and wear them out, the restaurant has a fantastic children's menu and there are excellent baby-changing facilities on-site.

(visitcornwall.com)

Lanhydrock House (kornisch Lannhydrek) ist ein Herrenhaus nahe der englischen Stadt Bodmin in Cornwall. Es liegt fast 13 Kilometer von der Südküste Cornwalls entfernt im waldreichen Tal des Flusses River Fowey, inmitten eines 367 Hektar großen Anwesens, das bis zu 130 Metern Höhe ansteigt.

Lanhydrock House ist von einem attraktiven formalen Garten und einem Landschaftspark umgeben. Der angrenzende Hügel ist mit ausgewählten Bäumen und Sträuchern bepflanzt. Viele Teile des heutigen Hauses sind viktorianischen Ursprungs, einige sind jedoch mehr als 200 Jahre älter, sie datieren etwa um das Jahr 1620.

Lanhydrock war bis 1539 ein klösterlicher Bauernhof im Besitz des Priorats von St Petroc in Bodmin. Nach der Auflösung der Klöster unter Heinrich VIII. erwarb im Jahr 1543 die benachbarte Familie Glynn das Landgut. Durch Heirat ging es später an die Familie Lyttelton, ebenfalls durch Heirat 1577 an die Familie Trenance über.

Im Jahr 1621 erwarb der Kaufmann und Geldverleiher Richard Robartes aus Truro das Landgut und begann Lanhydrock House zu erbauen. Unter ihm entstand der heutige Nordflügel des Herrenhauses aus grauem Granit. Schon 1626 lebte der 1621 zum Baronet, of Truro, und 1625 zum Baron Robartes aufgestiegene Richard Robartes auf Lanhydrock. Sein Sohn, John Robartes, 2. Baron Robartes, trat 1634 das Erbe des Vaters an. John Robartes, 2. Baron Robartes, der spätere 1. Earl of Radnor, war zu diesem Zeitpunkt Vorsitzender der Cornish Parliamentary Party („Kornische Parlamentspartei“) im britischen Oberhaus. Zu Repräsentationszwecken ließ er bis 1651 Lanhydrock House um drei weitere Flügel zu einem Karree um einen Innenhof erweitern und das Torhaus errichten. Der Baustil des Hauses entsprach anderen Landsitzen in der Umgebung wie Penheale House in Egloskerry oder Trewan nahe St Columb Major.

m Einzelnen ließ John Robartes ab 1634 zunächst einen Eingang im Haus seines Vaters einfügen, der heute zum Ladenbereich führt und über dem die Inschrift „1636: ILR: L“ (für „1636: John Lord Robartes: Lanhydrock“) angebracht ist. Von 1636 bis 1640 dauerten die Bauarbeiten am Westflügel, der Südflügel stammt aus dem Jahr 1642. Die Erweiterungsmaßnahmen endeten 1651 mit der Errichtung des Torhauses, das ursprünglich als Jagdhaus gedacht war. John Robartes hatte sich in den 1650er Jahren, der Regierungszeit des Lordprotektors Oliver Cromwell, nach Cornwall zurückgezogen, wo er 1664 die Genehmigung zur Einzäunung eines 340 Hektar großen Wildparks erhielt. Seit 1657 gab es Rotwild im Park von Lanhydrock. Nach Wiedererrichtung der Königsherrschaft 1660 wurde John Robartes unter Karl II. in den Privy Council (Kronrat) erhoben, im Jahr 1661 Lordsiegelbewahrer, ein Amt, das er bis 1673 innehatte, sowie 1679 Earl of Radnor und Lord President of the Council. 1684 schied er aus allen Ämtern aus.

Die Erben John Robartes’, Charles Robartes, 2. Earl of Radnor (1660–1723), und Henry Robartes, 3. Earl of Radnor (1695–1741), zogen andere Wohnorte Lanhydrock vor, so dass der Reisende John Loveday der Ältere (1711–1789), Philologe und Antiquar, im Jahr 1736 ein „äußerst baufälliges und absolut unmöbliertes“ Haus vorfand. Beide Robartes wurden jedoch wie schon John Robartes in der Familiengruft auf Lanhydrock beigesetzt. Der Antiquitätensammler und Naturforscher William Borlase schrieb 1758 über Lanhydrock, dass „alles im Haus verwahrlost und verfallen ist“. Die Urenkelin von John Robartes und Erbin von Lanhydrock, Mary Vere Robartes († 1758), hatte zuvor erwogen, das Haus abreißen zu lassen. Doch ihr ältester Sohn George Hunt (um 1720–1798) ließ bis 1788 nur Teile des Gebäudes wie die Hauskapelle und den Ostflügel abtragen, wodurch das heutige U-förmige Bauschema von Lanhydrock House entstand. Er ließ die Fassade rot streichen, um das Haus dem modischen Ziegelmauerwerk anzupassen, und das Innere unter anderem mit Chippendale-Tischen und Axminster-Teppichen neu einrichten.

George Hunt vermachte Lanhydrock 1798 seiner Nichte Anna Maria Hunt (1771–1861). Schon 1788 hatte sie das Herrenhaus und die zerstreuten Ländereien übernommen. Unterstützt wurde sie durch ihre Verwalter William und Alfred Jenkins. Anna Maria Hunt heiratete den Londoner Anwalt Charles Bagenal-Agar (1769–1811), aus deren Ehe drei Söhne hervorgingen, von denen nur Thomas James (1808–1882) nicht schon im Kindesalter verstarb. In der Zeit der Anna Maria Hunt, die sich oft auf Lanhydrock aufhielt, wurden zum Schutz der Bilder in der Galerie Rollos und Öfen eingebaut.

Auf Anraten seiner Mutter übernahm Thomas James Agar 1822 die Bestallung und das Wappen der Robartes und wurde 1869 als 1. Baron Robartes geadelt. Nach seiner Volljährigkeit 1829 übernahm er einen Teil der Verantwortung für Lanhydrock. Im Jahr 1858 erhielt der Architekt George Gilbert Scott (1811–1878) den Auftrag, Lanhydrock House instand zu setzen. Scott übertrug diese Aufgabe seinem ersten Assistenten Richard Coad (1825–1900). Die Reparaturarbeiten am Haus, die von 1857 bis 1864 andauerten, sollten 1407 Pfund, 4 Schilling und 6 Pence kosten. Neben der Instandsetzung wurden das Brauhaus in ein Billardzimmer umgebaut, Glasscheiben in die Fenster eingesetzt, eine neue Remise erbaut und neue Gartenanlagen nach Plänen von George Truefitt (1824–1902) angelegt.

Am 4. April 1881 zerstörte ein Großbrand den Südflügel und einen Teil des Westflügels von Lanhydrock House. Gegen 13 Uhr hatte ein frei liegender Holzbalken im Küchenschornstein Feuer gefangen. Der Einbruch des Westflügeldaches führte zum Verlust der historischen Stuckdecke. Nur der Nordflügel mit seiner 29 Meter langen Long Gallery aus dem 17. Jahrhundert und das Frontportal blieben intakt. Lord und Lady Robartes, die seit 1839 mit Thomas James verheiratete Juliana Pole-Carew (1812–1881), blieben unverletzt. Ihr Sohn Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes (1844–1930), am 5. April aus London angereist, telegrafierte noch am selben Tag seiner Frau Mary, geborene Dickinson (1853–1921): „Galerie gerettet. Nicht ganz so schlimm wie befürchtet.“

Nach dem Ableben seiner Mutter nur wenige Tage nach dem Großbrand ließ Thomas Charles das Herrenhaus von Lanhydrock wieder aufbauen. Die äußeren und inneren Mauern der zerstörten Gebäudeteile hatten dem Brand standgehalten. Für die Sanierung des Hauses wurde der inzwischen selbstständige Architekt Richard Coad beauftragt, der für den Wiederaufbau der Innenräume den schottischen Architekten James MacLaren (1853–1890) aus Glasgow als seinen Assistenten heranzog. Die Ausschreibung der Bauarbeiten gewann die Firma Thomas Lang & Sons aus Liskeard, der Kostenvoranschlag belief sich auf 19.406 Pfund. Während sich Coad der Außenarbeiten und technischen Angelegenheiten annahm, entwarf MacLaren unter anderem den Esssaal im Stil des Ästhetizismus, die elisabethanische Teak-Treppe und den Rokoko-Kamin im Gebetsraum.

Da die Kosten der Instandsetzung den Voranschlag bei weitem überschritten, sie beliefen sich schließlich auf 73.000 Pfund, entstanden Spannungen zwischen dem Auftraggeber und dem leitenden Architekten. Thomas Charles, nach dem Tod seines Vaters Thomas James 1882 der 2. Baron Robartes, hinterfragte bei Richard Coad Zahlungen in Höhe von 10.000 Pfund für die Heißwasserzufuhr, die Bleiverglasung und die brandsicheren Zimmerdecken. Auch zwischen Coad und MacLaren gab es 1884 Differenzen. Das führte dazu, dass der Auftrag für die Renovierung der kleinen Kirche neben dem Haus durch Lady Robartes 1886 an George Vialls und nicht an Richard Coad vergeben wurde.

Im Jahr 1885 wurde das Haus durch die Familie Agar-Robartes wieder bezogen. Gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Mary hatte der 2. Baron Robartes zwischen 1879 und 1895 zehn Kinder, von denen nur eines 1884 im Säuglingsalter starb. Durch das Fehlen männlicher Nachkommenschaft in der Familie Agar erbte Thomas Charles 1899 den Titel Viscount Clifden von Leopold Agar-Ellis (1829–1899), dem 5. Viscount Clifden. Die neun verbliebenen Kinder der Agar-Robartes’ wuchsen auf Lanhydrock auf. Der älteste Sohn, Thomas Charles Reginald Agar-Robartes (1880–1915), genannt Tommy, war in der Politik tätig, wo er durch die Liberale Partei unterstützt wurde. Er starb 1915 im Ersten Weltkrieg an einer Schussverletzung in der Schlacht bei Loos und Hulluch (Teil der Herbstschlacht bei La Bassée und Arras), an der er als Captain des I. Battalion Coldstream Guards (Infanterie) teilnahm. Als zweitältester Sohn von Thomas Charles erbte deshalb Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes (1883–1966) im Jahr 1930 die Titel Lord Robartes und Viscount Clifden sowie das Anwesen von Lanhydrock.

Francis Gerald, der 7. Viscount Clifden, blieb ebenso wie sechs seiner Geschwister kinderlos. Einzige Enkelin von Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes, dem 6. Viscount Clifden, war Rachel, Tochter von Arthur Victor Agar-Robartes (1887–1974), die nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg in Afrika lebte. Mit dem Tod Arthur Victors 1974, ab dem Jahr 1966 der 8. Viscount Clifden, erlosch dieser Titel. Schon in den 1920er Jahren führte die unsichere Zukunft der Landwirtschaft zum Verkauf großer Landflächen der Familie. 1953 entschloss sich Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes, Lanhydrock House mitsamt 160 Hektar Land an den National Trust zu übereignen. Oliver Sylvain Baliol Brett (1881–1963), 3. Viscount Esher und Vorsitzender des National Trust Historic Building Committee (Ausschuss des National Trust für historische Bauten), bezeichnete 1953 das Haus als „Nebensächlichkeit“ im Vergleich zu den übernommenen umliegenden Landschaften.

Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes lebte gemeinsam mit seinen beiden unverheirateten Schwestern Everilda (1880–1969) und Violet (1888–1965) bis zu ihrem jeweiligen Tode auf Lanhydrock. Schon 1954 wurden die ersten sechs Räume des Hauses der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht. Die Besucherzahl stieg mittlerweile von alljährlich 85.000 Mitte der 1980er Jahre auf mehr als 200.000 Besucher zwanzig Jahre später.

Lanhydrock war 1996 der Hauptdrehort für den Film Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Regie führte Trevor Nunn, Hauptdarstellerin war Helena Bonham Carter als Olivia. Weiterhin dienten Haus und Garten als Drehort für die Rosamunde-Pilcher-Verfilmungen Klippen der Liebe (1999) und Im Zweifel für die Liebe (2009).

(Wikipedia)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaulian

Jaulian (Urdu: جولیاں‎; meaning Seat of Saints[1]) is a ruined Buddhist monastery dating from the 2nd century CE,[2] located in Pakistan. Jaulian is located in Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the provincial border with Punjab and the city of Taxila.

Jaulian, along with the nearby monastery at Mohra Muradu, form part of the Ruins of Taxila – a collection of excavations that were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

Location

Jaulian is located on a hill 100 metres above the nearby modern village of Jaulian. The cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are approximately 35 km and 45 km to the southeast, respectively and situated near Khanpur Taxila road; a picnic place near Khanpur Dam. Jaulian is located near the Mohra Muradu monastery, and the ancient Taxilan city of Sirsukh. Moreover, Piplan Remains, Badalpur Stupa and Jinnah Wali Dheri Stupa are nearby places.

History

Jaulian was built by the Kushans in the 2nd century CE – around the same time as the nearby Mohra Muradu[3] Jaulian, along with the rest of Ancient Taxila, was devastated in the 450s CE during the invasion of the White Huns, and later abandoned. Subsequent rulers, such as the Hun King Mihirakula, persecuted the region's Buddhists,[4] and the site never recovered.

Excavations

The ruins at Jaulian are situated on a hill top, and consist of: a main central stupa, 27 peripheral smaller stupas, 59 small chapels displaying scenes from the life of Buddha, and two quadrangles around which monastic living quarters were arranged. The form and building of Jaulian is similar to that of the nearby Mohra Muradu.

Main stupa

The main stupa at Jaulian was much smaller than that of Mohra Muradu or the Dharmarajika Stupa,[3] and is badly damaged. It was extensively coated in stucco plaster, as are almost all the sculptures and architectural details.[3] Despite the use of an easily moldable material, the quality of decoration at Jaulian is considered to be less impressive than that of Mohra Muradu.[3] The original plaster is preserved at some places.

The main stupa is surrounded by 21 smaller "votive stupas" that contained religious iconography – though some posit that some of the votive stupas were actually built as tombs for revered monks. The statues located in the votive stupas are mostly preserved; though a number of have been removed and are housed in museums.the original fabric of the main stupa itself which stands in the middle of the upper court

A statue of Buddha in a votive stupa with a hole in the navel was called the "Healing Buddha". Pilgrims would put their fingers in the icon's navel, and pray for cures of various ailment. A 5th century inscription preserved under the statue shows that it was given by a friar Budhamitra Dharmanandin.[5]

Monastery

The monastery at Jaulian is similar to that of nearby Mohra Muradu.[3] Jaulian monastery was a two-level building that contained 28 students' rooms on the first floor, and 28 more on the second floor. The two levels are connected by stone stairs which are still preserved. Some of the rooms contain preserved statues of the Buddha. Each room had a niche to hold lamps, and a window offering a source of fresh air and natural light. The windows were designed to be narrower at the outer edge, of and larger at the inner edge in order guard against wild animals. The rooms were plastered and decorated with plasterwork and paintings.

As was common at other large monasteries in the Gandhara region such as Takht-i-Bahi and Dharmarajika, a section of the monastery was set aside specifically for the production of Buddhist manuscripts, typically on birch bark,[3] a highly perishable material.

The monastery further contained a large pool that was used for washing, and a kitchen. A stone for grinding spices is well- preserved at the site, as well as two stone mills that were used to grind grains.

World's first university

Jaulian's monastery formed part of what some consider to be the world's oldest university. Students came to study and consult texts from throughout the Indian subcontinent and as far as Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China. Although, the important antiques have been shifted from Jaulian to Taxila Museum, however, importance of this place is very much for the visitors.This is a place which is now not only a historical place but also used by many people for their proposals,dates and wedding photoshoot.

Mainly 3-storey and basement harled with parts 4-storey and angle turrets. Building history: begun 1269, Cumming's tower perhaps partly of that date. S end rebuilt 1747-58 with notable interiors with rich plasterwork. SE wing damaged by fire in 1814, repaired and clock tower built by Archibald Elliot. Remodelled Baronial in 1869-71 by David Bryce, design of west front approximately based on original with Cumming's Tower widened by corbelling, entrance hall added on east side, that side being largely redesigned anew. Ballroom 1876-7 by Bryce, interior panelled 1899; alterations 1920-1 by Sir Robert Lorimer.

Many of the interiors survived one or more of these remodellings leaving a wealth of period interiors from the 18th and 19th centuries. The most magnifIcent of these are the classical interiors from the 1747 to 1758 remodelling. These were designed and executed by craftsmen of the highest order. The plasterwork in the principal apartments is the work of Thomas Clayton of Edinburgh. The woodwork is by Abraham Swan and the stone chimney-pieces are the work of Thomas Carter of London. Much of the 18th century and Regency furniture is of English manufacture.

Winter Gardens Theatre, Morecambe. Added to the Winter Gardens Ballroom in 1897, designed by Mangnall & Littlewood with fibrous plaster by Dean & Co. and tiling by Burmantoft's. It has also been known as the Victoria Pavillion, King's Pavilion and the People's Palace. Seating 2,500 on three levels, with standing room for many more, the auditorium is vast, with excellent acoustics. It was a dual-purpose concert hall and music hall/theatre, catering for classical music festivals (Elgar premiered works here, and the Halle Orchestra were frequent visitors) together with big name variety (Julie Andrews, Chung Ling Soo). Its fortunes declined with the resort, and it closed in 1977, the Ballroom was demolished in 1982 - as the theatre was built as an extension to this, many of its key services depended on the ballroom and were lost). A preservation group was established and eventually ownership of the building passed to them, allowing a restoration to begin. The structure is now sound, water-tight (mostly) and more recent works have begun to improve the auditorium, with the repair of damaged plasterwork undertaken by Hayles & Howe. The original seating, sold off in the 1980s, has been bought back and will soon be installed in the dress circle.

Grade 2* listed. Photographed on a Frank Matcham Society Visit.

Morecambe, Lancashire, North West England - Winter Gardens Theatre, Marine Road Central

September 2022

Sacristy built between 1762 and 1765 in the Baroque Rococo style following the plans of Jerónimo Fray Antonio de San José Pontones. The architecture with an elliptical dome with six segments and a lantern, as well as the ,,,, decoration with plasterwork, dedicated to the theme of the Coronation of the Virgin as Queen of Heaven, are due to the Carmelite master Fray José de San Juan de la Cruz.

Burgos Cathedral ● Catedral de Burgos

Spain ● España

20221013_180409

Main rooms[edit]

The gatehouse is of 1406, and the block to its left, now the shop and cafe, has Gothic windows facing the moat. The main facade is medieval to the left, but in Elizabethan prodigy house style at the centre and right. The chapel is 14th-century Decorated Gothic, the other main rooms that are opened mainly Elizabethan. The great hall runs along the facade. Upstairs there is a long gallery overlooking the gardens at the rear.[4]

The best bedrooms have two very elaborate chimneypieces, in the Queen's Bedroom (used by Anne of Denmark) a stone one heavily decorated with ornament in a style "proclaiming the Renaissance but simultaneously revealing a still very imperfect comprehension of what it was all about". This was presumably the result of a local carver with access to an ornament pattern book such as those by Hans Vredeman de Vries; the two human heads still look distinctly medieval. The other chimneypiece, in the bedroom James I used, is at another stylistic extreme; a very polished and spacious stucco piece in a style comparable to that of the First School of Fontainebleau, and probably not made by English artists. The central medallion, with a mythological scene, is designed by Rosso Fiorentino, and also appears in the Palace of Fontainebleau. This is flanked by two large nude boys. The Italian artists of the Tudor court Henry VIII used at Nonsuch Palace have been suggested; the pieces were almost certainly made elsewhere and taken to Broughton.[5]

There are several fine plasterwork ceilings, the most spectacular in the Great Parlour on the first floor, and the Oak Room below it. There is 18th-century painted Chinese wallpaper of different tree, bird and flower designs in three bedrooms, in very good condition. At roof level there is a room believed to be that "with no ears", where the 1st viscount plotted with Parliamentary leaders in the years before the Civil War.[6] The gardens have long herbacious borders, at their best in summer.

Films and TVs[edit]

Parts of the films The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), Oxford Blues (1984), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), The Madness of King George (1994), Shakespeare in Love (1998), and Jane Eyre (2011) were shot in the castle. TV filming for parts of Elizabeth The Virgin Queen, Friends and Crocodiles, 1975 Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show, Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, and the titles of Noel's House Party also took place there. The castle has been used as the location for several other films and TV programmes[7] including an adaptation of Jane Eyre and

Concerts[edit]

In August 1981, the electric folk band Fairport Convention held their annual reunion concert at Broughton Castle, rather than the usual Cropredy location.[8] The concert was recorded, and released on the album Moat on the Ledge (1982).

Fiction[edit]

Published in April 2009, The Music Room is a novel by William Fiennes. This fictionalized memoir of his childhood and his epileptic brother is set in (the never identified) Broughton Castle. It has been described as "a beautiful poem of a tribute to his family, his parents, the magical, moated castle that was his home"

Wikipedia

... at Trerice, Kestle Mill, near Newquay, Cornwall, England.

"In the winter of 2013, eight hundred young yew trees were planted to map out the intricate design of a new Elizabethan knot garden. It cleverly mirrors the geometric design of the decorative plasterwork on the ceiling of the Great Chamber in the Manor House. The framework created by the yews plays host to purple-flowering origanum ('Herrenhausen') and the silvery flush of lavender ('Silver Mist')" (see: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/trerice/features/new-knot-garden...).

Compton Verney, Warwickshire

Bellapais / Bellabayis

wall

Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse (Hammam-e Sultan Amir Ahmad), also known as the Qasemi Bathhouse, is a traditional Iranian public bathhouse in Kashan, Iran. It was constructed in the 16th century, during the Safavid era; however, the bathhouse was damaged in 1778 as a result of an earthquake and was renovated during the Qajar era. The bathhouse is named after Imamzadeh Sultan Amir Ahmad, whose mausoleum is nearby.

Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse, with an area of around 1000 square meters, consists of two main parts, Sarbineh (the dressing hall) and Garmkhaneh (the hot bathing hall). Sarbineh is a large octagonal hall, which has an octagonal pool in the middle separated by 8 pillars from the outer section. There are four pillars in Garmkhaneh, which make smaller bathing rooms all around as well as the entrance section to Khazineh (final bathing room) in the middle. The interior of the bathhouse is decorated with turquoise and gold tilework, plasterwork, brickwork as well as artistic paintings. The roof of the bathhouse is made of multiple domes that contain convex glasses to provide sufficient lighting to the bathhouse while concealing it from the outside.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Amir_Ahmad_Bathhouse