A coffee break and a wander at Ham House

Being a member of the National Trust means that I can pop in to Ham House whenever the mood takes me and it took me on this Sunday morning.

I had been looking at the Glasshouse nearby in Petersham and fancied both a coffee and bit of a walk, so Ham House fitted the bill perfectly.

I was not that desperate to get to Ham House but it might have seemed that way as I found myself at the front of the queue to get in when the gates opened at 11am.

The coffee came first and that meant heading round to the right of the house to the kitchen garden. I had some cake too to fortify myself for the wander to come.

The kitchen garden is both practicable, it really is growing vegetables and flowers for use, and pretty. It is also neatly laid out in a grid with wide gravel paths that crunch reassuringly as you walk over them.

The kitchen garden is laid out in a uniform 4 x 4 grid. Some of these are grass, and grass is useful for the various events that are held there each year, but the kitchen garden has made some encouraging expansion in recent years and the number of grass squares has reduced.

This symmetry is the first aspect of the garden's beauty that you notice as it is approached from the elevated side garden.

The garden's other source of beauty comes from its mix of colours of shapes with the flowers and vegetables both playing their part.

The top picture is of one of the long flower beds, and on the right are some pumpkins. I have no idea what the things below are - I love the purple colour though.

There are three routes out of the kitchen garden and on this trip I took the one in the far corner away from the restaurant and that took me almost immediately into the Wilderness.

Here the defining feature is the maze of hedge-lined paths and wandering them is pleasure enough. When feeling a little more adventurous, and when time allows, I pop in to some of the gardens behind the hedges.

Like the kitchen garden, the Wilderness is a bit of work in progress and some of the hidden gardens have little in while others are well stocked with plants and cosy places to sit to enjoy them.

Emerging from the Wilderness, Ham House is revealed in all its glory.

This is, of course, the back of the house and I much prefer it to the font which I find a little fussy. The back is clean and, that word again, symmetric.

Off to the right is another garden hidden behind another, and taller, hedge.

Inside trimmed box and lavender provide further symmetry and further beauty. The lavender was replanted a year or two ago and it was good to see it back to full strength.

As almost always, this was an anti-clockwise tour of the gardens at Ham House and I paid no attention to the house itself, except to look at the outside of it. Even then the garden had me trapped for the best part of an hour before it had had enough of me and me of it.

It is fantastic to have something like Ham House on the doorstep (well, only 1.5km away) and, as with Kew Gardens, I prefer to make regular and frequent visits, which is easy thanks to membership on the National Trust.

Packwood House, Warwickshire

Another trip to Warwickshire meant another opportunity to visit one of the National Trust properties there.

Last time I went to Baddesley Clinton and Packwood House is just a mile or so further down the country road.

And as last time, I was far more interested in the garden than the house, though the house itself did have a fair dollop of charm.

Next to the house was a large square lawn with border and, alongside that, a tidy sunken garden with pond and classical statue. All very lovely.

Beyond that was the formal part of the garden's largest feature, a promenade of conical hedges.

The brick steps at the end led to a path that spiralled up a small rise offering elevated views back to the house and across the rest of the garden.

In that garden was a large pond (or a small lake) with a path around it and a jetty jutting in to it suggesting that boats once slipped gently across the surface either for leisure or to capture fish.

The house was not tall and it soon disappeared emphasising the natural feel of this part of the garden, though the feeling never went away that this was all carefully designed and built to look natural.

One reason for moving away from the house and garden was to get some views looking back towards them and from the path by the pond/lake the true nature of the hedges was revealed.

They looked fairly orderly when walking on the main route through them but this proved to be an illusion and the hedges were actually a pick-n-mix of shapes and sizes. I heartily approved.

On the other side of the road leading to the house was the Welly Walk. This was designed for children, as the jolly map provided made clear, but I like walking and I do not mind mud so I gave it a go.

It lived up to its name and a pair of Wellington Boots would not have come amiss.

Luckily the National Trust appreciated that not everybody brings their wellies with them and so they build stepping logs through the muddiest parts.

The jolly map made simple for children obviously had a serious design flaw and I missed the main path back to the house and I took a scenic detour through fields of sheep. This may have been part of the Heart of England Walk and some effort, and money, had been spent on signs, gates and new trees.

One of the highlights of the walk was the swathes of Bluebells that crowded round the trees in the quiet areas. The images of these was the more striking for the lack of colour elsewhere.

Packwood House is a modest house with a modest garden, in size terms, and rises above this modesty through the unusual hedges and the mix of formal and informal gardens.

Garden of Reason at Ham House

I go to Ham House several times a year because it is close, has an interesting garden and I can get in for free with my Art Card. And so I found myself there on a wet weekend looking for a quick respite from the stifling indoors.

I expected nothing more that the familiar garden but found myself at an art exhibition.

Garden of Reason is a display of modern art spread all around the gardens. The most striking piece is a pyramid of bright red metal staircases on the large lawn at the rear of the house, which looks on as if unsure of what is going on.

In the Wilderness, my favourite part of the garden, there is a central oval where all the paths meet and decisions are made on where to explore next.

Distracting you from this decision is a series of plinths with completely different art works on each one.

I picked this one because it is the most outrageous but I could also have picked what looks like a buckled road sign.

Exploiting the length of one of the straight paths is an optical feature flanked by hedges. Unfortunately when I was there any clever effect was destroyed by a combination of the rain that had clouded the lenses and (I presume) small children who had knocked some of the lenses out of line.

Nothing to do with the exhibition, but it was good to see another drinks area on the rear terrace giving the opportunity to sit and enjoy the garden over a coffee and, let's be honest here, a slice of cake.

Moving to the north side and the former Cherry Garden, the ornamental lavender (recently replanted) and conical hedges have been joined by a set of blocks.

The sign clearly says that they are not to be climbed on but I had to wait some time to take this picture while a small boy had to be coaxed down by his not overly concerned parents.

The small boy thought that their attitude was "ridiculous" and that touch of unknowing child-speak made the wait worth while.

Completing the tour of the house brings us to the front where we discover two large balloons in the alcoves either side of the front door. I've always found the front of the house to be a little too fussy (the back is much better) but somehow the addition of the balloons make it look simpler.

Despite their patterning, I could not get the idea of Rover from The Prisoner out of my mind and kept expecting one of the balloons to head towards me while making an unnatural wailing sound.

Elsewhere in the garden there was an interesting sound installation on the subject of tulip bulbs - rather hard to photograph that one.

Garden of Reason is a series of events as well as installations so I am sure to be going back.

Rear terrace at Ham House

Ham House is my local National Trust property. It's only about 1.5 Km away and I have free entry thanks to The Art Fund so I pop-in a few times a year.

When I say pop-in I mean in to the garden, the inside of the house is of little interest to me.

To be even more specific it's the back of the house and the gardens there that I go to see.

The back of the house is bright and orderly, unlike the cluttered front. And it helps that it is South facing so the sun bleaches the brick and the light plays with the white of the windows.

Running across the back of the house is a wide terrace gravel terrace that shrieks order and cleanliness. It's width and height providing a clear break between the house and the garden.

As the terrace steps gingerly down from the house to the garden it plays host to a line of bright orange urns that stand motionless as if protecting the house from what might emerge from The Wilderness beyond the lawns.

The garden begins with another gravel path, the first of several that cut through the lawn to make a pattern of squares.

A row of climbing plants soften the drop and make a bold line of green that can be seen from the garden but not from the house.

Either side of the house a hedge maintains the straight edge of the terrace and in front of this is a deep colourful border that rejoices in not being straight or ordered.

Ham House is not as big or as grand as some other country mansions but it's attention to detail in things like the rear terrace make a visit there always rewarding, though, to be honest, being free to me is the biggest thing in its favour.

An early visit to Ham House

I normally only go to Ham House once or twice a year on special occasions, i.e. when it is free to enter! I'm not particularly mean (honest) but it is on the small side for a stately home and so there is not that much to see in the gardens to justify the entrance fee.

But now the good news.

I have been a member of the Arts Fund for several years and now that gets me free entry to some National Trust properties, including Ham House. I took advantage of this today making a flying visit (less than an hour away from home from start to finish) by bike to enjoy the gardens in the early spring sun.

The gardens are my favourite art of Ham House and they are nicely laid out in different sections providing a range of colours, shapes, smells, and experiences. And my favourite favourite place is the former Cherry Garden on the east side of the house which is now resplendent in lavender, box and yew.

The best thing about going this early in the year is that there were few people there (and most of these were clustered around the cafe) which meant that I was free to take lots of photos without having to worry about bright red coats ruining the shot.

A visit to Ham House, finally!

I've lived in North Kingston for the last twenty years, and in Ham for the last ten, and in the time I have walked past Ham House many many times but I only visited the place for the first time this weekend.

The inside of the house is interesting but not exceptional and I managed to see all that I wanted to see in around 45 minutes. I found the garden a lot more interesting. The main garden to the rear has a lawn area then a maze of paths and small gardens to explore. On one side of the house is an ornamental garden and on the other a kitchen garden that is currently being restored. The former Orangery is now a cafe that does a rather nice fruit cake.

There are a lot more pictures of Ham House in my other blog.