Hall Place

On the bank of the River Cray near here is a Tudor house that was once the country home of Sir John Champneys, a successful merchant and former Lord Mayor of London. Today the house and its award-winning gardens, including a remarkable topiary, were bathed in sunshine under a cloudless blue sky.

There is currently an exhibition there about the secret wartime history of the house, when it was code named Santa Fe, and American soldiers stationed at Hall Place intercepted encoded messages sent by the Germans. I had no time to visit that today but hope to do so soon.

This view looks across circles of crocuses towards the topiary and the house beyond, with some wonderful shadows cast by trees in the grounds.