Was it Bill ............

...... or was it Ben ?

I am of that generation :)

We spent a bit of time in Burton this afternoon, looking at four gardens which were open for the day as part of the National Garden Scheme.

And very good they were too. 

I took a few pics of gorgeous flowers, but chose this one in the glasshouse at Burton Manor for today's blip. The glasshouse and walled garden are looked after by the Friends of Burton Manor, who are doing a great job.

The Manor itself is a sorry sight. Built by the Congreve family, and then remodelled by the Gladstone's (third son of William Ewart, the prime minister), it was most recently a residential college. It closed in 2011. The south front is almost entirely covered in ivy - underneath which there are lots of windows (extra). A volunteer explained that it has been bought by a developer who intends to convert it into apartments. I can see that that is going to be an expensive job, so let's see what happens.