Category: national trust

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1970s Christmas at Hanbury Hall

I had planned to visit Hanbury Hall, after being told on my previous visit that Hanbury Hall did a 1970s themed Christmas. As I was going to be up in Worcestershire I would visit Croft Castle. I also went to Berrington Hall. I did leave time though to get to Hanbury Hall. I arrived at Hanbury Hall an hour before it closed.

Hanbury Hall

A country retreat in the heart of Worcestershire. The William and Mary-style country house and garden, originally a stage-set for summer parties, offer a glimpse into life at the turn of the 18th century.

Current saving £348.40
One adult £17.00
Parking – Free
Total saving £17.00
Cumulative saving £456.60
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £365.40

I absolutely loved the 1970s and 1980s themed Christmas.

It wasn’t just decorations, across the house were lots of memorabilia and items from those decades. They had magazines, books, games, toys and even kitchen equipment. In some rooms they had old TVs showing Christmas programmes from the 1980s.

The whole thing was awesome and I am glad I made the time to visit.

After enjoying my nostalgic trip down memory lane, I went to the cafe and had a lovely cheese scone.

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A festive visit to Berrington Hall

Made the decision to visit Berrington Hall. I hadn’t planned to visit Berrington Hall, but on my way to Croft Castle as well as the brown National Trust sign to Croft Castle next to it was a sign for Berrington Hall. When I was at Croft Castle, I checked the map and saw that Berrington Hall was just six miles away and would take about fifteen minutes to get there. So, no brainer really, I headed off to Berrington Hall. I arrived to find the main car park was full, and it was a little challenging to find the overflow car park.

Berrington Hall had gone for a Georgian Christmas theme.

We invite you to celebrate Christmas in true 18th-century style at Berrington Hall. Wander through the house as it glows with festive charm and experience the warmth, refinement and rituals of a Georgian country Christmas. Discover traditional decorations, atmospheric lighting, fireplaces filled with dried flowers, magnificent Christmas trees and a unique ‘below stairs’ experience.

They had also invited the Ludlow Male Voice Choir to sing carols in the house, which added to the festive feel to the place.

Berrington Hall

Standing proud and strong, this fine Georgian mansion sits within ‘Capability’ Brown’s final garden and landscape. In the house, discover jewel-like interiors, designed by Henry Holland and home to the Harley, Rodney and Cawley families.  There are plenty of walks through the parkland through woodlands, wildflower meadows and around Berrington’s pool, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.  The gardens are a treat for all the senses throughout the year, with bluebells and blossom in Spring, roses in summer and apples in autumn. 

Current saving £331.40
One adult £17.00
Parking – Free
Total saving £17.00
Cumulative saving £439.60
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £348.40

It was interesting to compare Berrington Hall with Croft Castle. Berrington Hall had a certain Georgian elegance in the decoration, whereas Croft Castle was a more simplistic affair.

There was an impressive staircase.

The first floor was closed to visitors, but they had opened up the basement kitchens. I would like to make a return visit and explore the first floor rooms. 

I did enjoy looking at the laundry room with the huge drying racks.

I went to the stables café and had coffee and a toasted teacake. They did forget my teacake, so I had to chase that. It was a rather nice teacake.

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Christmas at Croft Castle

I had planned to visit Hanbury Hall, after being told on my previous visit that Hanbury Hall did a 1970s themed Christmas. As I was going to be up in Worcestershire I would visit another property as well. I looked over the National Trust website and chose to go to Croft Castle.

Croft Castle

Situated on the English-Welsh border, Croft is a quiet, ancient place steeped in British history and politics with a picturesque castle and medieval parkland re-fashioned during the 18th century. Surrounded by 1,500 acres of woods, park and farmland. Take a way marked walk to discover an abundance of nature at this special place.  The two acre walled garden is a wildlife haven, attracting butterflies, bees, birds and insects. It is the perfect place to enjoy the changing seasons, with daffodils and blossom in spring, roses and wisteria in summer and apples in autumn. 

Current saving £314.40
One adult £17.00
Parking – Free
Total saving £17.00
Cumulative saving £422.60
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £331.40

It took over two hours to drive to Croft Castle, up the Wye Valley, through Hereford and pass Leominster. I drove up the road to Croft Castle and parked the car.

The house had a Victorian themed Christmas decoration.

The decorations were lovely and the house has some impressive rooms.

Wander through Croft Castle’s richly decorated rooms and experience Christmas past with a fresh, imaginative twist. From a twinkling forest of trees filling the Entrance Hall with a magical welcome, to the cosy Nursery capturing the excitement of Christmas Eve, each space invites you into a festive story.

Did think about getting some soup from the café but the café was very busy, no free tables and a long queue. The roasted parsnip soup sounded rather nice though.

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Christmas at Tyntesfield

Tyntesfield House

After enjoying my National Trust membership in 2023, I decided I would rejoin the Trust for 2025.

I visited Tyntesfield back in February and again on a lovely sunny day in August. I was back to see Christmas at Tyntesfield.

Back in 2023 I had visited Tyntesfield at Christmas, and had enjoyed the Victorian Christmas themed rooms. The theme this year , though festive, was based around fairy tales and other stories. There was Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Alice in Wonderland, to name a few. It was nice, but I think I preferred the Victorian look they did back in 2023.

Tyntesfield

An ornate Victorian Gothic Revival house with extensive garden and parkland, just a stone’s throw from Bristol

Current saving £289.40
One adult £20.00
Parking – £5.00
Total saving £25.00
Cumulative saving £405.60
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £314.40

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Another visit to Hanbury Hall

After enjoying my National Trust membership in 2023, I decided I would rejoin the Trust for 2025. 

I visited Hanbury Hall in 2023 in a flying visit and made a return visit earlier this year in May.

So with time to spare and a lovely sunny day I made a return trip to Hanbury Hall. 

I arrived and parked the car. Having had my membership card scanned I made my way to the house.

I really love the walk up to the house, the impressive entrance and front lawns.

I really enjoyed exploring the house and the murals are a real highlight of the entrance hall and staircase. I also liked the concept of the green room, where you are able to sit and read for a while.

I enjoyed walking around the house, had a nice chat with some of the volunteers. They did say that they have a 1970s and 1980s theme at Christmas reflecting the actual use of the house at that time by the tenants.

I think that means I might make a return visit to Hanbury Hall in December.

After exploring the house, I went to the café, with the intention of having soup and a cheese scone. That didn’t work out, the soup was celeriac, which I don’t really like, and they had no cheese scones. So, I went with the special, which was a BBQ pulled pork bap. I had that with a coffee.

My final plan was to visit the shop and buy a tea towel, realised they didn’t have a shop, so no tea towel this time.

Hanbury Hall

A country retreat in the heart of Worcestershire. The William and Mary-style country house and garden, originally a stage-set for summer parties, offer a glimpse into life at the turn of the 18th century.

Current saving £272.40
One adult £17.00
Parking – Free
Total saving £17.00
Cumulative saving £380.60
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £289.40

This is an impressive house and I really enjoyed my visit.

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Didn’t get to Coughton Court

Coughton Court
Photo © Colin Park (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Coughton Court is an imposing Tudor house set in beautiful gardens with a collection of Catholic treasures.

Having read about how the management of Coughton Court was reverting to the Throckmorton family, I had it on my list of places to visit this year. Coughton Court was going to close for the winter (and for free entry for National Trust members) on the 2nd November. My original plan was to visit on the final weekend. However the weather on the Saturday was terrible. When I looked at the weather for Sunday it was much better. However when I got up on Sunday, I thought more about the trip. It would have meant a ninety minute journey up there (and the same back) along with some charging time (the car was low on charge). I also thought that there would be other people like me who would be visiting. Throw in that house entry is by timed ticket (not bookable) and the website said tickets are likely to run out earlier on busy days. I made the decision that I wouldn’t make the trip. I might go next year, but will have to pay for entry.

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Back to Greys Court

Greys Court

I have been to Greys Court before, visiting in May 2023.

Like on my previous visit, inside I was reminded me of my grandparents’ houses and flats. Part of the reason was the furniture in the house was more 1960s and 1970s than the 19th Century. 

There is always that compromise between preservation, conservation and restoration. Some National Trust properties try to restore the house to what it was like in the 19th century, other times as with Greys Court they preserve what it was like when it was passed to the National Trust.

Greys Court

An intimate family home and peaceful estate set in the rolling hills of the Chilterns. This picturesque 16th-century mansion and tranquil gardens were home to the Brunner family until recent years. The house exudes a welcoming atmosphere with a well-stocked kitchen and homely living rooms. The series of walled gardens is a colourful patchwork of interest set amid medieval ruins.

Current saving £254.40
One adult £18.00
Parking – Free
Total saving £18.00
Cumulative saving £363.60
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £272.40

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Waddesdon Manor

Having seen photographs on line I knew I wanted to take advantage of my National Trust membership and make a visit to Waddesdon Manor in Oxfordshire. It is a bit of a hike from Weston-super-Mare to the house, but I arrived in plenty of time for my booked timed entry for the house.

There is a huge car park and I didn’t realise until I was about to leave that there is free EV charging as well. The house is about a 20-30 minute walk from the car park, however there is a shuttle bus for which there is a £2.50 charge (and National Trust members have to pay). Unlike most other National Trust properties, though  Waddesdon Manor is owned by the National Trust, it is managed by the Rothschild Foundation. So the experience is slightly different. Waddesdon Manor is also one of the most popular National Trust houses and gets lots of visitors.  I was there on a Sunday and though it was busy, I wouldn’t say it was excessively so, then again it was October.

Waddesdon Manor

French Renaissance-style château, built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in 1874 to house his collection of fine art, landscaped gardens, aviary and woodland playground.

Current saving £229.90
One adult £27.00
Parking – Free
Shuttle Bus – £2.50
Total saving £24.50
Cumulative saving £345.60
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £254.40

I took the bus up to the house and was rather impressed. This was very much a French Renaissance inspired château. It reminded me of some of the houses and château I had seen on my trips to France.

Even though I was about ten minutes early, I was able to gain entry to the house.

I really enjoyed walked around the house. This was a very decadent property where you could see money was no object. Everything from the marble walls to the gilded furniture, you could see money had been thrown at the house. Waddesdon Manor wasn’t a family home, it was a party house, a place to entertain and show off.

I really liked the staircases which were on each side of the house. 

There were also some interesting exhibitions on display as well.

I was a little disappointed with the catering facilities, well the Manor Restaurant actually looked really interesting with some tasty options, but it was only later that I realised you really needed to pre-book, and it certainly wasn’t cheap. Not a place you could just drop by for a slice of cake and a pot of tea. There was a coffee car, but there was a big queue. It was also later when I discovered there was another place, the Stables Café. Okay so I was not really disappointed with the catering outlets, I was disappointed with myself for not knowing or discovering them.

I enjoyed walking outside the house and enjoying the splendour of the building and the architecture.

After my visit, I walked down to the car park rather than take the shuttle bus. This was easier (as it was downhill) and it was a nice walk down.

I do think I would like to make a return visit some point in the future.

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Dunster Castle

Dunster Castle

I made a return visit to Dunster Castle, I had visited Dunster back in March, where I had done an uncovered tour. I have made quite a few visits to Dunster Castle over the years. As a member I don’t pay an entrance fee or the car parking charge

I arrived quite early in the day, so the car park wasn’t too busy and I walked up to the castle. I enjoyed walking around the rooms and afterwards headed to the cafe for a coffee. I then took a stroll through the gardens to the Water Mill.

Dunster Castle

An ancient castle and comfortable country home with dramatic vistas and subtropical gardens

Current saving £217.90
One adult £18.00
Parking £6.50
Total saving £24.50
Cumulative saving £321.10
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £229.90

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Clevedon Court

Clevedon Court

After enjoying my National Trust membership in 2023, I decided I would rejoin the Trust for 2025. 

I have been to Clevedon Court a number of times over the years. It’s only open for six months of the year and only a few times a week. I made a visit there in April of this year.

Clevedon Court

Medieval manor house and 18th-century terraced garden with wide views of the Mendip Hills. Clevedon Court is an outstanding 14th-century manor house. Purchased by Abraham Elton in 1709, this remarkable survivor from the medieval period has been the ancestral home of the Elton family ever since.

Current saving £205.90
One adult £12.00
Parking – Free
Total saving £12.00
Cumulative saving £309.10
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £217.90

One interesting aspect of the house was that the Victorian facade which was added in the 1880s was removed in the early 1950s by the National Trust. When the National Trust agreed to take on the house, the Victorian west wing (but not its Elizabethan south front) were demolished as were a plethora of minor 18th- and 19th-century buildings at the rear.

While much of the house is now open to the public, some parts remain private. This is because the Elton family still uses the house, and they continue to stay there.

The gardens are also a highlight and are well worth exploring.

This year I have planned to visit fifty places, however I have already visited Clevedon Court as part of that series of blog posts.