We had a lovely day out on Saturday courtesy of the National Trust. They were doing a free entry weekend for most of their properties. We went to Rufford Old Hall at Rufford near Southport.
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| Front of the hall |
We took along L's friend for company and took a lovely picnic which we ate in the grounds.
The woodland walk was nice but short. There was evidence of some den buildings which looked fun. In a month or so the woods will look very different with a thick carpet of Bluebells.
The back of the hall looking at the formal gardens. Unfortunately the formal gardens were looking a bit rough as a number of trees and plant had to be removed due to disease and was going through a reconstruction. There was a tiny vegetable garden herbs and rhubarb and a bed waiting to be planted up and a wonderful orchard. All the trees had labels on to state what variety the fruit was and was beautifully pruned.Next to the orchard there was a field set up with children's games of swing ball, twister, gnome hoopla and chess.
At the side of the Hall was a canal with a lovely walk along the side.
The great hall was grand, it was the only room where we could take any photos. This room is also used for weddings. We went into five other rooms all nicely set up with guides who were very knowledgeable.
The magnificent ceiling.
This heavily caved screen (right) is the only Tudor one left in existence. It was believed to be used to hide the servants as they entered and left the hall to and from the kitchens and the minstrels would sit behind as they played.
We did have a lovely day.
Did anyone else take advantage of the offer over the weekend or did you do something else.
Thanks for dropping by it was nice to see you.
Carolx
I used to drive past Rufford Old Hall every day on my uni commute! I've been a couple of times when the girls were young and we had NT membership. We didn't take advantage of the free days but had a lovely weekend- wedding dress shopping and working at the allotment.
ReplyDeleteHi Scarlet
DeleteI read your post- you did well with wedding dress shopping and it was a nice weekend to work on the allotment.
Have you gat mother of the bride outfit sorted?
Carolx
The squirrel topiary caught my eye!
ReplyDeleteJane x
There was two squirrels to the entrance of the formal gardens. If you google Levens Hall, they have some amazing topiaries.
DeleteCarolx
I, too, used to pass the Hall on my way to college. I've never been in though. Thank you for the tour.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum
xx
Your welcome, mum.
DeleteCarolx
When I lived in England I really enjoyed going to places like this. Estates, cathedrals, historic buildings and grounds were all lovely places to spend a day.
ReplyDeleteWe often do these when we go away we also visit old castles. My favorite cathedral has to be Durham cathedra, it's so old, also some of it was fetured in the Harry Potter films.
DeleteCarolx
I LOVE free entry. How lucky you are to live in such a lovely area. Looks pretty, like all the classic novels and very different to my tropical city. However what is den buildings? Cubby houses?
ReplyDeleteStephanie
Hi Stephanie
DeleteRufford Hall is about 1 hours drive away from where we live. It is pretty. A den is a construction usually made by children in the woods using fallen branches and sticks and whatever else they can find. They might sit in and play or use it to meet at/in. Most of the time they just build it just for the fun of it.
Carolx