YvonneHESTERCOMBE GARDENS, SOMERSET, ENGLAND
‘The Orangery‘
Photograph courtesy of David Gill
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Acres of peace and tranquility, near to thriving Taunton, the county town of Somerset UK.
Written by
Yvonne
And it has a tea room! What more could you ask? I never visit anywhere that hasn’t got a tea room.
Hi Annie,
The tea room is very good and much of it is undercover outside, lovely in the good weather.
A tea room is a must have to make the visit memorable, one of the reasons we joined the NT, as they generally have great tea rooms in most of their locations.
Having said that, Hestercombe Gardens is a private enterprise, but ticks all the boxes for a great visit.
I love Hestercombe. Haven’t been for years so thanks for the reminder. I’ll haul Hubby off there when spring is properly with us.
Hi Cath,
It’s one of those places that is right on our doorstep and yet last year was the first time we have visited, in the 22 years we have lived in the area!!
They were carrying out some renovations when we visited, so access to some areas was a little restricted, but on a lovely sunny day, the walk down through the woods beside the stream, was spectacular and the roses in the formal garden, beautiful.
Well worth you making the return visit, I’m sure.
That does look very tranquil! Lovely spot. The architecture of the building is great — lots of character-giving details. 🙂
Hi Shari,
It is a lovely tranquil spot and the main house is even better. Full of character and with views to die for, looking out over a fantastic rose garden, with uninterrupted views to the rolling countryside beyond. Plenty of places to find a hidden corner and sit peacefully with a good book.
What a fabulous place to explore. That ornate little building is especially pretty.
Hi Trish,
There are certainly plenty of little nooks and crannies, where you can sit undisturbed and just watch the world go by.
A place with running water nearby is always especially nice, such a gentle lulling sound, I find.
Many of the historic houses around this area have an’Orangery’and to see the workmanship in many of the original leaded glass houses, is just amazing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangery
What beautiful architecture!
Hi Angie,
It certainly is some outstanding architecture and a great wedding venue these days.
The Orangery offers quiet solemnity set in the heart of the formal gardens. This beautiful, iconic yellow Hamstone building, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, offers unrivalled views across the famous Gertrude Jekyll/Edwin Lutyens’ garden and beyond to the Blackdown Hills. It is perfect for an elegant drinks reception with the added option of the use of the Orangery lawns and the Victorian terrace, overlooking the majestic Great Plat and all the grandeur of Hestercombe House as a backdrop.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Lutyens
Thanks for stopping by my site, it’s always great to talk to new people.
I love English images and the lovely architecture…I feel like I’m in a Victorian novel when I visit a tea room. The tea rooms I’ve been in, however, have been our American “copies.”
Thanks for sharing!
Here’s my SATURDAY SNAPSHOT
Hi Laurel-Rain,
Many of our tea rooms are becoming more modern and ‘antiseptic’ in their approach these days, but the traditional English tea rooms are always well supported and sought after. We still have an abundance of them here in the South of UK, which is still one of the main tourist and holiday destinations, for both home-grown and overseas visitors.
The nearest thing we found to a traditional English tea room in US, was in Florida, where an English couple had established their business and wherever possible had baked and served in the English way, with English ingredients and on English china plates and cups . They were so popular with the locals that there was a continual stream of customers, with others being turned away all the time.
Oh what a gorgeous picture!
Hi Sheila,
We certainly have more than our fair share of lovely gardens and great architecture, in this part of England.
There is never a shortage of places to visit, whether the weather is good, or not so good.
Of course it always looks a little better when the sun is shining, but winter can hold a beauty all it’s own, great for some interesting photographs.
That’s a beautiful building! I’ve never been to a tea room before even though I’ve been to England. I guess that’s just one more reason to go back for a visit.
Hi Alyce,
The orangery is used mostly for functions and weddings these days, with the tea rooms being located in a courtyard, which would probably have been the original stable block.
The orangery would be a fantastic place for a wedding, the lawns would be perfect for wedding guests to stroll, the formal gardens nearby great for the photographs and the views across the Blackdown Hills of Somerset, to die for.
You must plan to come back to England someday, we still have quaint traditional tea rooms left, at the moment, and no visit to the West Country would be complete without sampling ‘The English Cream Tea’
What a lovely building! And another subtle hint that I *need* to visit England. Soon.
Here’s my Snapshot: http://myreadersblock.blogspot.com/2011/02/saturday-snapshot-february-18.html
Hi Bev,
We have oodles of buildings like this, all over the country and more castles than you ‘shake a hat at’!!
As we are a relatively small country, no larger than many of your states, you can actually travel around quite easily and fit a lot into a short space of time.
Have I sold it to you yet?
We have a wealth of places like this right on our doorstep, so we have decided to spend our next few vacations at home, enjoying some of our own National Treasures.
Hope to see you someday!
So very lovely!
Hi Karen,
Thanks for making your first visit to my site, I always love to receive comments and it’s great to meet new people.
We are so lucky to have a wealth of these historic sites, in almost every corner of the country.
To get an idea of how previous generations lived and worked, is always so interesting and inspirational and it is good to see various organisations and bodies working so hard to make these sites accessible to us all.