50 spades of grey

Well, of course many were actually forks, but that doesn't work quite so well. 
Braved the atrocious weather today to visit the sad decaying building that is Burton Manor, still owned by Liverpool council which is trying to find a buyer willing to pay the £3 million plus, needed to make the structure safe before even starting on redevelopment. Meanwhile the coffee shop and ateliers in the buildings around the grounds flourish, and the Victorian greenhouse, a listed structure completely rebuilt with heritage fund money, is full of plants for sale and for planting in the walled garden. The Friends of Burton Manor Gardens are looking after the grounds admirably, and before the keys to the house were confiscated, removed all the pictures and historical archives and rehomed them in one of the outbuildings with the aid of the local history society - a fascinating collection. I expected to be saddened by my visit, but instead left feeling uplifted by the support and love for the estate by the army of volunteer workers.