Tag: north somerset

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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.

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Visiting Tyntesfield once more

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 so decided it was time to visit it again on a lovely sunny day in August.

As Tyntesfield is one of the closest National Trust properties to me (and is open nearly all year round) I have been a fair few times to this lovely house and gardens.

Tyntesfield

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

Current saving £180.90
One adult £20.00
Parking £5.00
Total saving £25.00
Cumulative saving £297.10
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £205.90

Tyntesfield is a spectacular Gothic Revival mansion in Wraxall, North Somerset, built in the late 19th century for the wealthy Gibbs family. This architectural gem showcases a blend of Gothic Revival, Jacobean, and Victorian styles, all set within expansive, beautifully maintained grounds. Now a popular tourist spot owned by the National Trust, Tyntesfield invites visitors to step back in time, explore its stunning interiors and gardens, and uncover the rich history of the family who once lived there.

Having parked in the car park (free for National Trust members) I walked through the National Trust entrance and headed to the house though the grounds. I went the back way to the house, in the main so I could walk in the shade.

I had a great time exploring and walking around the house. The drawing room was closed for cleaning. All the carpets and rugs were up, and all the furniture had been taken out.

When the National Trust took over Tyntesfield, they faced a major challenge: an enormous collection of items. The agreement was that nothing could be added to or removed from the house. This was complicated by the fact that the Gibbs family were avid hoarders, keeping everything—even broken items that had been replaced.

I walked back to the car park through the gardens. I think if it had been cooler, I might have gone for a longer walk in the grounds.

This year I have planned to visit fifty places, however I have already visited Tyntesfield as part of that series of blog posts. I am planning to visit again at least once more at Christmas time, though I also want to go for a longer walk in the ground on  day which is not as hot as this one was.

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Clevedon Court #50places2025

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. 

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 £73.30
One adult £12.00
Parking – Free
Total saving £12.00
Cumulative saving £194.50
Membership cost £91.20
Net cumulative saving £103.30

I enjoyed my visit to the house and had some interesting conversations with the volunteers.

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.

The Elton family still go and stay there, so though some rooms are open to the public, there are some parts of the house which are private.

The gardens are lovely and well worth walking around.

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Tyntesfield #50places2025

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

Having just visited Barrington Court, I hadn’t planned to visit another National Trust property the next day. I was going to go to Portishead, as when I was at home it was rather sunny. However by the time I was ready to leave the sun had gone in. So I made the decision to head to Tyntesfield.

As Tyntesfield is one of the closest National Trust properties to me (and is open nearly all year round) I have been a fair few times to this lovely house and gardens.

Tyntesfield

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

Current saving -£80.20

One adult £18.00

Parking £5.00

Total saving £23.00

Cumulative saving £34.00

Membership cost £91.20

Net cumulative saving -£57.20

Tyntesfield is a Gothic Revival mansion located in Wraxall, North Somerset, England. It was built in the late 19th century for the Gibbs family, who were wealthy merchants and industrialists. The mansion is set in extensive grounds and gardens, and features a range of architectural styles, including Gothic Revival, Jacobean, and Victorian. The National Trust, a UK conservation charity, now owns and operates Tyntesfield, which is open to the public. Visitors can explore the mansion, gardens, and grounds, and learn about the history of the Gibbs family and the property. Tyntesfield is a popular tourist destination, and is known for its stunning architecture and rich history.

Having parked in the car park (free for National Trust members) I walked through the National Trust entrance and headed to the house though the grounds. This time I went through back way to the house.

I had a great time walking around the house.

It was nice that one of the rooms was open that I had never been in before. It was a 1950s room, full of stuff, but was open as there were some issues with the fire doors.

I like it when we see un-restored spaces in National Trust properties, it adds something to the experience.

There is a lot of stuff at Tyntesfield. One of the challenges is where to put it all. The agreement they had when the National Trust took over the house, was that nothing could be brought into the house, and nothing could be taken away. The Gibbs family were real hoarders, even retaining broken items which had been replaced.

After visiting the house I walked down to the Kitchen Garden. The Orangery has been lovingly restored, and the greenhouses are used to grow plants, and vegetables for the cafe.

I did consider going for a coffee, but in the end I headed home.

This year I have planned to visit fifty places.

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A final festive visit to Tyntesfield

For Christmas I got a National Trust membership. It’s being a few years since I was last a member, but now looking forward to visiting new places and going back to places we have been to before.

Back in 2016 I did start to keep a note of how much we saved with the membership, but looking back over the blog, I never kept up to date with that, but with this membership I am intending to blog about the visits we do this year and the savings we made.

We visited Tyntesfield back in January, I also visited in November. I had planned to go before Christmas, but the weather and other things meant that I didn’t actually get there until New Year’s Eve. This was the last day of my membership.

Tyntesfield

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

Current saving £263.35

Adult Ticket £17.00

Parking £3.00

Total saving £20.00

Cumulative saving £417.15

Membership cost £133.80

Net cumulative saving £283.35

I really of feel I got my money’s worth from the membership. I do feel though I didn’t get as much out of it in the last few months, than I did in the first few months of 2023.

Anyhow onto my most recent visit to Tyntesfield. I liked the red ribbons on the bushes along the driveway into the estate. Continue reading “A final festive visit to Tyntesfield”

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Tyntesfield Again

For Christmas I got a National Trust membership. It’s being a few years since I was last a member, but now looking forward to visiting new places and going back to places we have been to before.

Back in 2016 I did start to keep a note of how much we saved with the membership, but looking back over the blog, I never kept up to date with that, but with this membership I am intending to blog about the visits we do this year and the savings we made.

We visited Tyntesfield back in January, this time I was on my own. I was going for a walk, and decided I would walk the grounds at Tyntesfield and visit the house whilst I was there.

Tyntesfield

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

Current saving £243.55

Adult Ticket £17.00

Parking £3.00

Total saving £20.00

Cumulative saving £397.15

Membership cost £133.80

Net cumulative saving £263.35

Continue reading “Tyntesfield Again”

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Clevedon Court

For Christmas I got a National Trust membership. It’s being a few years since I was last a member, but now looking forward to visiting new places and going back to places we have been to before.

Back in 2016 I did start to keep a note of how much we saved with the membership, but looking back over the blog, I never kept up to date with that, but with this membership I am intending to blog about the visits we do this year and the savings we made.

Clevedon Court has a limited opening season and isn’t open every day, so having the time and coinciding with Clevedon Court being open, we popped over for a visit.

Clevedon Court

Clevedon Court is an outstanding 14th-century manor house with an 18th-century terraced garden. 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 £90.85

Two Adult Tickets £20.00

Parking n/a

Total saving £20.00

Cumulative saving £244.65

Membership cost £133.80

Cumulative saving £110.85

This is quite a small property compared to other National Trust properties that you can visit. Continue reading “Clevedon Court”

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I didn’t go to Tyntesfield

For Christmas I got a National Trust membership. It’s being a few years since I was last a member, but now looking forward to visiting new places and going back to places we have been to before.

Back in 2016 I did start to keep a note of how much we saved with the membership, but looking back over the blog, I never kept up to date with that, but with this membership I am intending to blog about the visits we do this year and the savings we made.

I didn’t actually go to Tyntesfield, but my daughter used our membership to visit with a friend’s family.

Tyntesfield

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

Current saving £67.35

Child Ticket £8.50

Parking n/a

Total saving £8.50

Cumulative saving £209.65

Membership cost £133.80

Cumulative saving £75.85

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Back to Tyntesfield

For Christmas I got a National Trust membership. It’s being a few years since I was last a member, but now looking forward to visiting new places and going back to places we have been to before.

Back in 2016 I did start to keep a note of how much we saved with the membership, but looking back over the blog, I never kept up to date with that, but with this membership I am intending to blog about the visits we do this year and the savings we made.

Following our visit to Knightshayes Court last week, this time we visited Tyntesfield. We have been there before a few times, but this was our first return visit for a fair few years.

Tyntesfield

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

Current saving -£91.30

Family Ticket £38.50

Parking £3.00

Total saving £41.50

Cumulative saving £84.00

Membership cost £133.80

Net cumulative saving -£49.80

Obviously we will need to visit some more places to make the membership cost effective and increase that cumulative saving. Continue reading “Back to Tyntesfield”

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A treasure of retail ephemeral

Oakham Treasures old groceries and packaging

Most people throw away their packaging (well hopefully today they recycle it) but at Oakham Treasures in North Somerset there is a treasure trove of retail ephemeral showcasing a snapshot of grocery history that would probably otherwise have disappeared.

Oakham Treasures old groceries and packaging

It reminded me if similar displays at the Castle Museum in York.

Oakham Treasures old groceries and packaging

The reconstructed shops at St Fagans near Cardiff also have collections of old grocery packaging.

Oakham Treasures old groceries and packaging

Do we keep todays rubbish for future generations? Will they reminisce over the stuff they use to buy? Will they be shocked at the enormous use of single use plastic? Who is going to be the guardian of today’s unwanted stuff, that will be the exhibits of the museums of tomorrow.