Coughton Court

Mum and I had a lovely day today at Coughton Court near Stratford upon Avon. We went there on my fortieth birthday and loved it but inexplicably haven’t been back. It’s only just over an hour away!
It’s been in the news lately that the National Trust are returning the running of the house and grounds to the Throckmorton family who’ve been living there since 1409. Twenty-one generations!! It will no longer be part of the National Trust membership so will longer be free presumably, so we went today!
It was glorious weather, everywhere looked beautiful! We had our picnic when we arrived. Mum bought a ‘meal deal’ that a local deli in Bicester is doing - baguette or rolls, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, cake and drinks for £15. It was delish!!!! We had huge coronation chicken rolls and carrot cake as well as homemade scotch eggs and sausage rolls. All that for both of us for virtually what a single cup of tea and tiny slice of cake costs at the national trust cafe!!!
We still obviously went to the cafe later for tea and chai latte!!
The gardens were looking beautiful even this early and we vowed to get back to see them in their full herbaceous glory later in the year.
Despite struggling with the steps, mum made it all the way up to the top of the tower.
What a view!
The room at the top of the tower was used by the Catholic Throckmorton’s as a secret chapel. There’s a priest’s hole in the corner which you can see right down into. The room is where the Throckmorton’s waited for news from their son Robert Catesby on the night of November 5th 1605. He was the ringleader of the Gunpowder Plot. Obviously it wasn’t good news!
In other news, Miss L had her appointment at the opticians today to see if we can get contact lenses sorted before she goes skiing in a couple of weeks. Mr K took her and said she did very well.
They make you practise putting them in and out before they let you leave with a trial pack for a week. She’s going back next Friday so fingers crossed she gets on OK with them.