Out and about

We’re busy people, me writing, him art and music, but none of our many activities are very… well, none involve being active. So we have resolved in a small way to try and get out and about more, which is why yesterday we had a dander along the Strawberry Line (a lovely linear path along what was the old railway line carrying strawberries from Cheddar to Yatton)

I didn’t realise the weather forecast wasn’t that good today, but fortunately I did chuck a raincoat in the car. Daughter and partner decided to come with us and off we set, this time to Tyntesfield, a stately home cared for by the National Trust. We’ve been there many times before, and I’ve written here about it before, but it’s the sort of place where you discover something new every time you go. There is a large mansion built for a man who made his fortune from guano (bird poo)

Tyntesfield was not intended to be an extravagant statement of wealth, power or politics. Its purpose was simple: to serve as a family home. Originally a smaller Georgian house, Tyntesfield was transformed into a Gothic Revival masterpiece. Its bespoke architecture reflects the devout Anglo-Catholic beliefs of the Gibbs family. Here they invested their wealth derived from controlling the import of Peruvian ‘guano’ fertiliser. The garden and estate balance faded beauty and function with an abundance of nature. Flower-filled terraces, an empty lake, extensive woodland, champion trees and a productive kitchen garden give many opportunities for exploration,
(From their web-page https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/bath-bristol/tyntesfield )

We arrived and it seemed a good idea to have some refreshment, so we visited the Home Farm Café for a drink and a snack. From there we wandered to the magnificent house, which was begun in the 1830’s but then remodelled into the magnificent place it is now by the bird poo entrepreneur, William Gibbs in the 1860’s. The name Tyntesfield, comes from the Tynte family who had a property, Tyntes Place, there three centuries before.

After a light lunch, we had a brief visit to the magnificent house, now in semi=darkness with curtains closed and special lamps to offer some illumination to protect precious items from damaging daylight, we wandered out and explored some of the vast grounds. Rain threatened, thenn arrived, followed by violent hail, so we headed back, through the gardens, to the car.

We had a lovely day, and a saunter of several miles, so we felt most pleased with ourselves. Now, where to tomorrow?