The restored grotto at Marble Hill House

I decided to do a quick bike ride to Twickenham and see if Church Street there had been decorated for the Coronation…not yet. The flags of St George are still up. I then went a bit further to the grounds of Marble Hill House and saw that the Grotto has now been fully restored. Marble Hill House was built between 1724 and 1729 by Henrietta Howard, the Duchess of Suffolk who was the mistress of King George II. She built the grotto in the 1930’s and was advised on her garden by the poet Alexander Pope who also had a grotto ( which is still there and sometimes open to visitors) and lived very nearby in Twickenham. Grottoes were a popular addition to 18th century gardens as part of the fashion for recreating the gardens of Ancient Rome. The grotto would have been a secluded spot , and may have been used for dining, entertaining and contemplation.
This area had been completely overgrown and has only been restored on the last couple of years. I’m sure when the plants have matured it will be more like the original garden.

I managed to do some gardening before lunch but later it started raining quite hard!