A trip to Polesden Lacey
As I have mentioned many times before, I am one of the guides at Arundel Castle whilst it is open over the spring to autumn season. In practice, this amounts to seven months and during the other five months of the year, the castle undergoes its deep clean and any more extensive restoration projects that are required.
Due to the way the staff are organised and the fact that we are all part-time there are probably eighty or ninety guides in total. With that many people involved, there are always some that you connect with more than others and who you see socially outside of work.
Which is a rather long introduction to saying that over the winter I meet Ann, another castle guide, from time to time, usually for a meal or a coffee somewhere. However, we do sometimes make a complete day of it and go somewhere special.
In January, Ann took me to Polesden Lacey in Surrey for our annual day out.
On the way, we stopped at Denbigh’s Vineyard, which lies at the bottom of Box Hill. I’ve been past it several times before, but always on the way to somewhere else and I’ve never had time to visit it. This time we popped in for a coffee (and a rather delicious slice of gooey chocolate and orange cake!) and a look round their gift shop. I definitely think it would be worth returning to go on the tour of the vineyard and hopefully, taste the wine too.
We then headed on to Polesden Lacey and despite the fact that we were visiting in January, we arrived in brilliant sunshine. Admittedly, the weather was not very warm, but I always enjoy a walk in cold sunny weather. After all, you can easily add an extra layer of clothing.
As we had arrived at the beginning of lunchtime, we decided to eat first and then visit the gardens and the house. One of the old outbuildings had been converted into a restaurant, serving the usual soup, sandwiches, jacket potatoes, some main courses and, of course, cakes! Considering the time of year, I was surprised how busy it was.
Refreshed, we made our way to the gardens, where the snowdrops, aconites, hellebores and early irises were in bloom. There is always something special about seeing these early flowers, as they are harbingers of spring with their bright petals and fresh green foliage. An extra splash of colour was provided by the bright red stems of the dogwoods near the gardener’s cottage, which seemed to shine in the sunlight.
The garden must be delightful in summer, especially the area that is planted with old fashioned roses. A few stray blossoms were struggling to survive when we went, giving a glimpse of what to expect in June or July. The fragrance must be delightful then too.
On to the house itself and we were disappointed to discover that the upper floor was closed for renovation works. Instead, we made our way round the ground floor, accompanied by the sound of piano music wafted from one of the rooms – a pianist was playing that afternoon.
The original house was built in 1336, but it was remodelled in 1630. That house was demolished in 1824 when Joseph Bonsor bought the estate and commissioned Thomas Cubitt to design a new one, which is largely the building that exists today. It passed through various hands, until it was bought by William McEwan in 1906 for his daughter Margaret and her husband, Captain the Honourable Ronald Greville. They undertook further alterations to the property and also filled it with their collection of art, porcelain and silver. Sadly, Ronald died shortly after they moved in, but Margaret continued to live there for a further 30 years, during which time she became known as a society hostess. The Duke and Duchess of York spent two weeks of their honeymoon there in 1923.
Mrs. Greville left the property to the National Trust in 1942. There was a second fire in 1960, which caused damage, but little loss and the house has been repaired over the intervening years.
It is beautifully decorated and contains some gorgeous works of art, but like so many other National Trust properties, the lighting is so dim that it is difficult to see what you are looking at. I realise that this is a deliberate policy aimed at preventing light damage, but I feel that it discourages visitors. We would have taken more time looking around the interior, if we had been able to read things such as labels under the paintings and the titles of the books on the shelves.
On the way home, Ann wanted to show me the small village of Shere. We parked opposite the village church of St. James, just as the sun emerged from behind the grey clouds that had been gathering during the afternoon. As a result, the church was bathed in a glorious golden light, as you can see in this photo.
The village itself is a cluster of narrow streets, with a wealth of old buildings, some of which are houses, whilst others are shops. We browsed in a few gift shops and then visited one of the local pubs for a quick drink before we came home.
It was a lovely day out and I am grateful to Ann for suggesting it and doing all the driving.
