A visit to Westonbirt

The year turns ever onwards and the leaves have turned to glorious flame:
Once again a time to soak up the slendour of autumnal hues in Westonbirt Arboretum

I am here taking the opportunity to make a shortcut, with this link to my facebook photo aibumn, which, on balance you may find more "user-friendly" for viewing than scrolling up and down here on blogger.com!

Give it a try and click this link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036326&id=1454649011&l=ea50736092

Malvern Country Show

The Malvern Country show made for another diverting day out in which to admire
giant vegetables..

admire the efforts of people who "know their onions".....
or indeed, fruit...

and who delight in their prize blooms...

Other attractions including dog shows, llamas, horses..... tarantulas...
and plenty of opportunities for sampling cheeses, pickles, apples, ginger wine etc etc etc. Another fun day out, and good weather too!!

Stourhead

I made a very enjoyable visit to Stourhead, despite the fact that the sky was clouded and the house was closed for the winter,

It was for the grounds, and the autumn colours within, afteral, that I planned the trip.

I was in no way disappointed!

Sculpture trail

During the school half term week I ventured, as did crowds of family groups, into the Forest of Dean, to walk the "Sculpture Trail" and enjoy the autumn colour (although it was a rather cloudy day)

I enjoyed the sculptures: these in particular...

Corsham and Corsham Court

The "Tour" continues...
Corsham Court is a grand looking building built up around a smaller Elizabethan manor house
by Paul Methuen in the 1700's and displaying his collection of Old Masters' paintings, and Chippendale furnishings within.
After visiting said collections on display in the ground floor rooms withing I took a look around behind the house, to quickly admire the gardens before the house closed for the day.
It has an interesting little Bath House

of which some decor details.....

Leaving the garden I took a look at the surrounding streets of Corsham, with a pleasantly olde worlde feel to them.

Bowood House

Bowood House in Wiltshire made another interesting stop on my whirlwind tour of "local" historic houses. The house itself is in fact only the remaining part of what was once a larger property but reduced to the "Little House" after wartime and subsequent delapidation. It is the home of the Earls of Lansdowne the first of whom negotiated peace terms after the American War of Independence. (I had lunch at the "Lansdowne Monument" on my Ridgeway walk back in the Spring) Interior scenes....Grounds are extensive, designed by "Capabililty" Brown