Wimpole Estate and Dreaming Spires

Phew.  At last the searing heat has abated, and today was a much more pleasant experience than the last couple have been!

We visited the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire this morning --another gigantic pile on a huge chunk of land -- it is still a working farm, and we visited the stables (gorgeous Shire horses) and piggery (lots of adorable piglets!), as well as explored the enormous walled garden with its gorgeous perennial borders and vegetable plots.

I didn't know much about the history of Wimpole, so I looked it up online.  This portion of the history provided by Wikipedia made me smile:

"In 1938, Capt. George Bambridge and his wife, Elsie, daughter of Rudyard Kipling, purchased it after having been tenants since 1932. They used the inheritance left to them by her father, and the royalties from his books, for the long-needed refurbishment of the house and grounds. During the War, for instance, the house had no running water nor electricity. During her time at Wimpole Hall, Elsie was known to become irritated by members of the public gathering too close to the house for picnics, so much so, she once returned to the offending couple's property and had her own picnic on their lawn."

This afternoon we arrived in the heart of Oxford, where we will be staying the night at the lovely Old Bank Hotel, right across from the university buildings (see extra -- photos taken from our bedroom window).  I can almost see Sebastian Flyte shimmering by, teddy bear Aloysius under his arm!