Dyrham Park

We drove into the West Country today, to Dyrham Park near Bath. Had lunch at a very nice pub in a tiny village seemingly miles off the main road down tiny one lane tracks. Very authentic, with local ale and excellent food. Then on to see Dyrham Park and its large house.

This is a view of the parish church which is physically connected to the house, and has a passageway between.  The lord of the manor and his family used this to get to the church in inclement weather.  Even so, the church was not his private chapel.  It was (and still is) a local parish church, and it predates the house by a couple of centuries.

The view from the house's main entrance toward its garden.  Croquet equipment was set up on the lawn, and passers-by were invited to play; the people in the second photo are doing so.

The house was very interesting to see.  The man who built, William Blathwayt, lived in Holland for many years.  Much of the house reflects Dutch tastes and styles of the times.  The lighting level in the house was very low in order to protect centuries-old tapestries and other historical items, so I have few pictures of the interior.  May of those I do have are rather grainy (noisy) from the high ISO speeds needed in order to get pictures at all.  Some items were relatively well lit, and so I have pictures of them even if they aren't the most significant things in the house.

Here's an example:  A miniature, under a glass dome, of a woman with what appears to be a shop display.  All the tiny items in the display are beautifully made, like doll house items.

This clock was in a room set up as an office circa 50 years ago.  The interesting part is that such an old-fashioned looking clock would in fact be radio controlled -- it says it's an "atomic" clock.

A Delft multi-level tulip vase.  The vase is between two and three feet high.

One of two grand staircases.  It was used as a set for a scene in tonight's episode of Doctor Who.

The dining room.

One large room had this grand piano which anyone was permitted to play.  The young lady was playing Für Elise.

A real door, but it opens not onto a hallway but onto a trompe l'œil painting of a hallway.

A detail from a very large tapestry that wrapped around on to three walls of a fancy sitting room for the guest wing.  We see Diogenes telling Alexander the Great to step aside because he was blocking the sun.

The kitchen was well lit with natural light.  These items were on the shelves.

The view from the kitchen window.

A beautiful hydrangea in the garden outside the kitchen.

As we left, we passed this really great classic car in the visitors' car park.  It's an Alvis, a British brand that lasted into the 1960s.  I hope the owner notices that the left rear tire (or rather, tyre) is almost flat.

An excellent outing.