Berrington Hall

 

Beautiful Shropshire countryside (near Ludlow).  Taken from the house.

After the hall, this is the first room you enter, with its beautiful fireplace.  The architect employed, Henry Holland, used a version of Neo-Classical design in this Georgian house.

What a beautiful ceiling.

A nod to the Greeks and Romans with the Doric capitals in this room and a lovely shell-like arch above.

Such a good painting and a wonderful likeness, I would imagine.

The cupola sent light flooding into the centre of the house.

Whilst there is this painting of him, one of his wife has not come to light.

One of many intricate Corinthian capitals throughout the house.

We had fun in the Dressing (Up) Room . . . My friend Gay modelling a hat.

I should have done a close up of the pillows with a big black furry (pretend) spider!

Just in case you wondered how they managed with a big dress like that . . .

That dress again!

We ended with a walk inside the walled garden, with its wonderful orchards of ancient heritage apples.

It was another hot day.  We did try to find Pipe Aston church, but made the mistake of trying to put Orleton into the mix as well, and ended up driving round in a circle, so gave up and came home.  Just too hot to be exploring.

We stopped in Pembridge so Gay could take photos, and I picked some Elderberries, which are now in the freezer and will be made into something on a cooler day.

Today (it is now 1.30 a.m. on Monday morning and I can't sleep) I am off to babysit Rosie for the afternoon, then Gay goes home tomorrow.

Another church to squeeze in - St John the Baptist, Eastnor

 It looked a lovely church in the landscape, and it would have been rude not to visit.  It is Grade 1 listed, although "completely rebuilt" by George Gilbert Scott in 1851-52 for John Somers Cocks, the Lord of the Manor.  

Its roots were in the 12th C but it was rebuilt in the 13th.  Gilbert-Scott had intended to re-use the original stonework and had numbered everything as it was removed, but many stones were found too damaged to reuse.  Only the tower dates from the earlier period.

Apologies for the less than thorough photography of the exterior, but it was bloomin' HOT.  We just wanted to get inside, where it was cooler.

There were heads (various) at the bottoms of the windows too.

The new font, with beautiful marble legs and lovely carvings.

The Pious Pelican here, and I remember the Agnus Dei on another side.  The crispness of those leaves . . .

Fortunately they kept the old one, which looks Norman.

In the Somers-Cocks Memorial chapel, but I couldn't get a photo of the big memorial to John Somers-Cocks, who is interred here (covered over to keep the bat droppings off).  Sadly he died in 1852, before the church was fully restored.

Castleditch was the original manor house, now under the lake . . .

A beautiful memorial to the fallen of the parish.

The Bell-tower contained several wonderful memorials.

Yesterday we went to Abergavenny, and then back to Tretower Court, which you will have seen my photos of before - just as well, as I forgot my phone so couldn't take any.  We had a lovely long talk with one of the Marcher Stuarts re-enactment group.  My gosh, he knows his history and could do lecture tours!  We didn't stay in the period (they were 15th C yesterday) but talked about various periods, and learned so much.  17th C next month.  I still have a year on my CADW Historic Monuments pass, so can get in free.  £7.50 for 3 years is good value!

On Friday we had a walk around Hay, then went up the Golden Valley to Dore Abbey, where we had a picnic lunch in the orchard, and also popped into Bacton Church again.  Today it is Berrington Hall.  No peace for the wicked.

Oh, and would you believe I have been horse-fly bitten just about every day in the past week, latest one top of thigh and sending me NUTS with itching.  Just waiting for extra-strong anti-histamine to kick in now.  Blardy things.  I feel like a Marked Woman, high on the Horse Fly list of tasty Victims.