Sezincote House and gardens

Today we drove to Sezincote and fulfilled an ambition Helena has had for several years since seeing a TV programme about this rather wonderful estate.  It is late and I expect she will elaborate about it when she blips, probably tomorrow.

We left Stroud at lunchtime as Helena had the afternoon free and it took about an hour to drive up to the top  and then along the Cotswold hills in fine weather.  It was interesting as we 'motored' along roads we seldom use and saw beautiful woodland, rolling arable farmland and deep incised valleys close to the various Swell and Slaughter villages, (which will make sense to those who know that area around Stow on the Wold).

We took a short guided tour of parts of the main house, which are still in private hands and very much a family home.  The gardens are well maintained and the whole place has a very welcoming air so we shall return to spend more time here..

Before we went round the house, Helena pointed out an elderly couple  both dressed wholly in white, as they were crossing the Persian Garden  and I managed to quickly grab this shot. On leaving the house we decided to take up the offer of tea and cake in the Orangery, which you can see on the left of the house.

There I was delighted to find large shrubs growing in the ideal surroundings, including two Abutilon plants, which I am attempting once again to grow in a pot, as well as several other rather exotic climbers.  Once I returned to the table after photographing the plants I couldn't resist taking a picture of Woodpeckers to mark the day, which you too can view as an 'Extra photo' below.

We then ambled our way to another part of the garden and delighted in watching the house martins feeding their second brood in the mud nests under the roof of the front of the house. Springs and ponds delighted our eyes with their early autumn colours, which are  beginning to show on the maple tree's leaves, whilst pretty and large purple autumn crocuses looked wonderful under the tree canopy.  A Hindu shrine looked out over the topmost pond as a reminder of how this whole place was first developed as a Mogul vision, reminiscent of Rajasthan, here in the English Cotswolds.