The Lost Gardens of Heligan (spring)

Star rating 4.5/5

(I really loved this place and it would have had a 5 star rating if it wasn't for the rough and ready cafe and it's school dinner food. )

Left: a little bit that's been left for you to see the orginal overgrown state of the gardens.



In 1990 Tim Smit and John Willis rediscovered these gardens which were overgrown and "lost". Tim Smit is also the brains behind the Eden Project, a much more slick and touristy destination. If you have children and were wondering which was the best option, it's not Helligan.

I enjoyed Helligan so much more than the Eden Project - I loved it's plants and vistas and it's quiet spaces, and the fact that you are left alone with a map and a compass (yep, the free compass is provided when you pay your £10 entrance fee) It's also much better value than the Eden Project as you could happily spend all day wandering around the different areas.

We are fast walkers and managed the whole site (and two visits to the jungle and lost valley) in 4 hours. It's 200 acres in size, but there are stopping points such as the Hide where you can bird spot and watch the mouse cam and owl cam, so you might want the two days the guide suggests!!

 We entered via the Woodland Walk which was a mistake as in March as it's not the best first impression. It would have been better to have started in the Northern Gardens and been blown away from the beginning!

Anyway enough chat. Here's the images of the Jungle area. It's a series of pools and planting in a valley.  There's a board walk along both sides and small bridges to cross at various points.

Don't forget it's spring and the lush growth has only just begun to emerge.

Left- the beginning. The top pool.

The Northern Gardens

These gardens are a delightful collection of decorative and productive areas.  There's lots of small rooms to walk through and plenty to see and admire.

Below: 2 photographs of the Italian Garden with its pool, shady arbour, and colourful pots.

   

 I LOVED this.  It's the potting shed, and outside I counted 12 small beds  in what looked like very poor stoney soil each surrounded by sunken edging stones.  They hold a collection of mint. I've rarely seen so many varieties. This part of the garden is given over to fruit, vegetables and flowers for cutting.  It was so pretty, and an absolute joy.






  Look at the pots all stacked and ready for use. It must be such a lovely place to be when it's raining outside.

 If you look carefully inside the cold frame, you can just see 2 pineapples growing.

 Bee hives, set into the wall.

 The flower garden. Sadly empty except for anenomies. The glass house at the back has peaches in it. They were all in blossom, so the doors were open to allow insects in to pollinate the fruit. It was lovely and warm.

Even the little places were thought of.

Finally we made our way to the Lost Valley.

 
At first, you might wonder what the fuss is about, as it looks like any other woodland area, but sit on one of the many little seats dotted here and there and listen to the birdsong, and creatures rummaging in the undergrowth.  Very peaceful.




It was a working area for the gardens in centuries past, and the wood was coppiced for charcoal.  Charcoal is still burned there and you can see the kilns. The slopes are quite steep in places and sometimes uneven, but easily manageable for your average human!

Also on the site, there is also a plant shop but the plants seemed to have been bought in rather than grown in the gardens so the choice was similar to any garden centre - perhaps a few more varieties of rhododendron and camelia than normal, but sadly I didn't find anything to treat myself to.

The cafe was not brilliant.  It was very full with limited seating and the menu was restricted. We had a roast dinner and rhubarb cheesecake.  The roast dinner was average and the cheesecake was awful.  Never mind, it won't stop me going again, but next time I'll bring sandwiches!

If you've been to Hidcote Garden in the Cotswolds and liked it, you'll like Helligan even more.

Llanhydrock Posting 2

If you're really interested in the history, there are a series of journals written by the staff and volunteers at Llanhydrock so you can share their knowledge of the family, artefacts, and history of the house.  You can click on them here.  These journals give you detailed facts, which this posting will only touch on.

Yep, that's a real white tiger skin. Gross seeing it lying on the floor like that. Looks like it's fallen off a very tall building.

The Estate Office. Lots of gorgeous drawers to keep things in, and a very old typewriter. Elephants foot walking stick holder.  Yuck. Lots of dead animals around the place.

I took this one for the beautifully fitted suitcase on the bed.

Dressing Room. Can you see the trousers at the back on the stand. They seemed leather to me and I guess they'd need to be kept stretched.  I wondered if they were those trousers the Horse Guards wear?

Just a hallway stuffed with stuff.

4 eggs and two pieces of toast on the breakfast tray. 3 irons and a crimper.

The Day Nursery. (childrens play room,) and below the night nursery, which I found quite touching.

The Nanny's room, next to the night nursery.


Below: a selection of things to dose your children with.

The school room.  I wrote something a bit rude on the slate.  Corporal punishment for me I think.

I couldn't resist this pile of old leather suitcases and trunks.

Male staff bedroom. It looks very cosy.

More trunks and boxes in a room of their own.  Apologies for the blurriness but the lighting was very low.

Below: Staff livery.

A bed laid with robes of Ermin and velvet.

Having a good scrub was a bit of a palava for this visitor.

A little more luxury.

A beautiful lacy dressing table complete with ear scoops!

Below: set for tea. The cake was real.

The Long Gallery. Whilst I was visiting the room steward decided to play the piano and we were regaled with The Entertainer by Scott Joplin.  The ceiling was amazing, and the cupboards were stuffed with books.

Lanhydrock - posting 1

Stars 4.5 out of 5

Lanhydrock is a magnificent country house in Bodmin, Cornwall.  It's another National Trust property with lots to see and good facilities, although the restaurant and cafe were ok but uninspiring.  Entry is £11.80, and well worth the expense if you're at all interested in social history. You can see kitchens, nurseries, and servants quarters, as well as the usual grand country house rooms.

 It gives a wonderful insight into the lives of a wealthy Victorian household, and has 50 rooms open for you to explore as well as the gardens. (There is also a large adventure playground, and lots of space to fly a kite and have a picnic.) 

 The church next to the house is also open.

 With so much to see and such a lot of photos, this excursion will be spread over two postings.

The gardens were full of magnolias, azaleas, and rhododendrons and were well worth seeing, though perhaps of limited interest if gardening isn't your thing.

It's quite a way from the car park to the house but is downhill on the way there. There is a free shuttlebus running every few minutes if you can't face the walk.

 The engine rooms

 I thought we'd start in the kitchen. Much as I love these wonderful places, we of course see them as a set piece, a still life, and probably have little idea of the hard, hot, long hours which the people who worked here had to do.

This next extract is courtesy of the NT website for Lanhydrock.

Life for a Victorian servant could be very hard: up before dawn to start their toil, not going to bed after the last family member had turned in and only one afternoon off a week, if they were lucky. 

Servants at Lanhydrock House in Cornwall were luckier than most. The Agar-Robartes family took a real interest in their employee’s welfare, providing medical care for them and their families if they fell ill.

They also made a point of referring to employees as ‘staff’ rather than 'servants'. They provided them with a good standard of living, and even gave them birthday presents and annual treats, such as trips to the theatre or picnics in Newquay.

This created a great deal of loyalty amongst the staff, with some staying in service with the family for generations. Sylvanus Jenkin the steward (1851-1909), was the 6th generation of his family to help the Agar-Robartes manage their estate.

These copper pans look lovely and I've always wanted some for myself but they are very expensive, and need time and care to look after them properly and keep them shining like this.

"Moisten salt with vinegar or lemon juice to make a paste for a bright finish, or a paste or rotten-stone (decomposed limestone that is used in powder form as a polishing material) and olive oil for a dull finish. You can also simply sprinkle salt on the dull areas and then scrub with a vinegar-soaked rag."

 I also love a good jelly mould.  I've been trying to buy some tiny ones on eBay, but I'm always outbid. There's a real collectors market for them. I'd love to make a plate of tiny jellies!


Below: with Easter just finished, hands up if you've baked a Simnel cake like this one? Give yourself a Gold Star if you did!

The spit seen here, replaces the one lost in a fire which destroyed much of the house in 1881. I was told it came from a London Hotel and is the same model as the original.  The room was incredibly hot when this was roasting fowl, game, and joints of meat. It was powered by a large fan fitted in a flue above the fire.

The thing about Llanhydrock is there isn't just one kitchen, but a myriad of rooms each fitted for purpose.  The Bakehouse had to cope with baking huge amounts of bread, scones, cakes, and biscuits (heaven!)

The Clement Jeakes & Co range took 4 days to reach the right temperature, so it was kept lit at all times. Flour chests and a slate lined sink completed the furniture. The walls were painted blue because it was believed to repel flies.

"It wasn't just the family and the servants who were kept apart. Male and female staff were kept completely separate, even to the extent of having different stairs and doorways to prevent them coming into contact with each other.

The only time everyone met up was at mealtimes in the Servants’ Hall, when everyone would sit together in a strict order of hierarchy.

The butler and the housekeeper would sit at either end of the table and the other staff were seated in order of status. Meals were eaten in silence. But when the butler and housekeeper left, the servants were free to talk amongst themselves."

(Right: a "male member of staff" uses the biggest pestle and mortar I've ever seen!)

An early fridge.

The Meat Larder.

Sides and joints of meat are hung from the steel bars across the ceiling, and there is an insulated chest to keep meat cool.

Not only was there a Dairy, but a Dairy Scullery too.


The Dairy at Lanhydrock, was designed with elaborate cooling systems using piped water from the hill above, and uses both marble and slate to keep the dairy products and desserts cool.


The jellies on show were real, but probably Chivers!





Life upstairs was much more luxurious of course, but wasn't all joy. More to come shortly!