To the manor born…

Up early. Got a little bit of painting done.

Man arrived to fix the hot water but unfortunately he didn’t have the part required with him so he’s coming back tomorrow. Thankfully I’ve mastered the art of a fast shower so I reached the end of it before the water was completely cold.

Went across the road to The Stalls for lunch. I had a toastie with roast beef, tomato, cheese and piccalilli. Delicious.

From there we headed along the road to Wilton House What a treat that was.

Many stately homes do not allow power chairs but Wilton House and the gardens are completely accessible and very welcoming.

We booked a house tour for 3.30pm but before that we set about exploring the exterior of the house and the sizeable gardens, before grabbing a coffee in the lovely cafe.

We booked the tour when we arrived and there was only us but by the time the tour began there were 15 of us, including an American lady and family, and it was a joy to see their reactions to the stunning rooms as we went round. To be fair, our jaws were dropping too!

I was fascinated to learn that there is no grand staircase in the entrance hall because that end of the house was raised 10 feet to prevent flooding.

The house has been the family home since Henry VIII gifted the land to his brother-in-law, the first Earl of Pembroke. The entrance hall contains a portrait of the first Earl alongside a portrait of the 18th (and current Earl) who is rather dashing. He’s certainly more my type that the 1st Earl! :-))

It must be fascinating to have portraits of one’s ancestors all around and know what they looked like, as well as knowing one’s full family history. No need for Who do they think they are researchers :-) I was also delighted to learn the current Countess is Scottish and from Perthshire. She grew up at Huntingtower near Perth, not far from us. It’s a small world! Lol!

If you are in the area the house is well worth a visit. Our guide was excellent and full of amusing anecdotes. More photos in extras.

After the tour of the house D went to view the Earl’s collection of classic cars and I went to the exhibition of photographs from The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s, curated by Jasper Conran. Fabulous to see the images close up.

Then it was time to return to The Calf Shed for a G&T in the garden in the sunshine then pizza for dinner and a brief snooze.

Think we’re off to Bath tomorrow. Thirty years since we’ve been there!