National collection of .....

... asters. Today I visited Upton Hall, a National Trust house in Warwickshire that nurtures this collection. I've never been that fond of these flowers, but en masse they looked spectacular.

Many Trust properties seem to promote a theme these days and this house was set in WW2 style. During the war the house was owned by Lord Bearsted who owned Samuel & Co, a merchant bank. He moved all his staff from London to his country house during the war and he played a key role in setting up the Kindertransport and doing secret war work. Quite a man!