Friday 9 May 2014

Going back in time


Those nice people at This Is Your Kingdom recently sent me a free admission pass to use at Dunham Massey in return for writing an article about my visit. I've blogged about Dunham before, as we're regular visitors to the deer park and village but I've never been inside the house or gardens.


So, while Joe went looking at the deer and ducks with his grandparents, I took my camera and pass and went inside those huge doors for the first time. I was excited to see the house, particularly as they've recreated Stamford Hospital - an auxiliary hospital opened during the First World War to treat soldiers returning from the Front - to mark the centenary of the start of the war.


It was actually very moving to look at the photographs and read the stories of some of those who worked and were treated there. They even had actors portraying soldiers sitting up in bed with newspapers, and nurses on duty (we were told not to try and talk to them as we wouldn't get a response - they were simply 'ghosts').


I had a look around the ward, the recreation room and the nurses' sitting room. The attention to detail was very impressive, and for a social history anorak enthusiast like me the whole experience was quite something.


After the house I had a look in the kitchens (home to one of the biggest Agas ever built), the scullery and the huge, gloomy stores where cheese was pressed and game hung. I took plenty of photos but most were pretty dark; I don't like using the flash, and it wasn't allowed anyway. 


I then had a wander around the gardens. So beautiful: wooded areas (carpeted with bluebells still), winding little paths, spectacular plants and shrubs and trees...


I'd only ever been on the other side of this gate until now. To be inside looking out was far nicer.


There was a lot of pink down one border. Rhodedendrons and azaleas of all shades: raspberry, cerise, bubblegum. I'm not generally much of a fan but always think of Manderley in Rebecca when I see rhodedendrons in a formal setting.


I've always wanted some of these fritillaries in my garden. They were almost finished but still worthy of photographing.


I went along on a weekday morning so all was quiet and peaceful. The views, the colours, the smell of the flowers and the earth were a wonderful pick-me-up. Places like this - much as I love wild walks - really do invite you to lose yourself and imagine romantic scenes from the past.


The rose gardens were very pretty despite the star attractions being not quite ready to bloom just yet. I did like the wilder fringes, though - and there's something lovely about traditional beehives.




I also came across some huge peonies. These pictures don't do them justice in terms of their sheer size; their heads were as big as dinner plates.




Tulips were growing in great swathes everywhere. I've always been partial to orange ones, and these were lit up wonderfully by the sun. The original Bagdad Ward in the Stamford Hospital overlooked this part of the gardens. A view like this must have been such a world away from the trenches of France and Belgium.


So, there you have it: a journey back in time to glimpse how the Great War impacted on country life back in England, and a hundred years on, a tranquil garden on a lovely spring day. Quite the contrast.


21 comments:

  1. Hello Sarah;

    How very intriguing all of this is particularly as the house was in part used as a hospital during the Great War. We were fascinated to see the instructions to patients which outlined rules regarding the smoking of cigarettes. How times have indeed changed.

    Visits to country houses, such as Stamford, appeal to us hugely and do, when well presented as here, bring both house and the past alive.

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    1. Hello both! I'm glad you enjoyed the post... we used to visit places like this a lot when I was little and we were on holiday. I doubt I appreciated the feel for the past you get once you're a bit older!
      Chatsworth in Derbyshire is beautiful too. You can visit in December when the downstairs rooms are filled with dressed Christmas trees and it's magical (although the gardens are a bit bare at that time of year).
      S

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  2. I have read about the work they did to transform it back into a hospital it sounded amazing. It looks like it is a very interesting place to visit. Sadly it is too far for us in a day :(. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Hello! That's fine - sometimes people don't really like reading about other people's days out but I like to share if we've done something a bit out of the ordinary.
      The website's quite good if you want to have a look at some of the original photos and read a bit more about the whole project: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunham-massey/?p=1356302299209 (although I suspect you may have already seen it!)
      S x

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  3. What a lovely place to visit. I would really enjoy going there, especially to see the gardens and the historical artifacts. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Hi Jennifer - That's fine! It was lovely to have a rare few hours to myself and switch off from mummy mode... the gardens were just beautiful.

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  4. It's on my list to do this year.. thanks for the preview before I go. The photos are lovely and really capture the essence of the garden.

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    1. Glad I could be of help! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

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  5. What a beautiful and fascinating place. I loved reading the information pamphlet. And I especially liked seeing those bee hives. Glad you had such a good time there.

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    1. Oh, I did! Just wandering the gardens brought me right back to where I needed to be after the usual stresses and demands of daily life. I'll definitely be going back, perhaps in the summer so I can see what's in bloom then - lots and lots of roses I suspect!

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  6. This is your kingdom looks like an interesting site. I feel I need a bit of inspiration for days out, so I've added the link to my browser. I would have loved to look around Dunham Massey, it looked like a nice trip out! Love days like this, Heather x

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    1. Me too! They're rare - especially when you have a few hours alone. The site is a really good idea... I'e been a bit lax about sending in articles, must try harder!
      Hope you find some nice places to visit once this crazy weather improves.
      S x

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  7. Fascinating stuff - it sounds like a wonderful day out. I love the bee hives and that carpet of bluebells - just gorgeous. x

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    1. It was! I can see now why people join the National Trust... the gardens alone were just so inspiring x

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  8. Beautiful photographs. What a lovely day out. I love visits to places like that :-)

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    1. Hello! I'm glad you enjoyed them. I took so many it took a while to choose then edit them! Always nice to re-live your visit by looking back at the photos, and sharing them is even nicer x

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  9. What a wonderful and interesting place to visit. The garden looks amazing, I love the peonies and the bright tulips. xx

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  10. The peonies were really gorgeous - I didn't know they grew to that size!
    S x

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  11. What a simply beautiful place to visit ... the flowers are gorgeous ... the peonies are particularly impressive ... it was just lovely travelling back in time with you ... Bee xx

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  12. Thanks Bee! It was strange to come out from the house with all those sad memories and step into the sunshine and that beautiful garden. And I don't think I'll ever forget those peonies. I don't know what they put in the soil but it definitely works!
    S x

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  13. Thank you so much for this lovely trip back in time. Your photos are beautiful.

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