Lovely grounds for Max to explore - he suits the estate very well! (If I absolutely have to choose one of the houses as a gift, I think I'll take the old rectory. Chaste and elegant.)
Also - yes, dirty pool by the NT. I can see how the maintenance would be a burden, but still...
Pictures of country estates should always have a spaniel somewhere in the foreground!
I agree - Philipps House would be too large for me to manage, and I find the portico a bit overstated, but I believe the old rectory would suit me very well.
"dirty pool by the NT"... It does seem so. When leaving a property to a charity, expect them to obey the letter rather the spirit of the bequest.
That's a lot of lawn that needs to be mown. Lovely grounds for a walk. I love the first lake photo with the reflections and ripples. I'm glad you found your way.
The park is huge, but generally there are cattle or sheep wandering around it to keep the grass down, except the area right beside the house which is protected by a ha-ha (you can just see a line of stonework in the top photo where a concealed ditch keeps the cattle away from the house).
The grounds are beautiful, and I'm so glad the sun came out for our visit. The weather was perfect.
Lovely proportions on both houses. Restrained and elegant at the same time. I hadn't realized that that's something I miss here. Maybe it's just my European eye, but often the proportions of American houses seem out of whack.
Yes, exactly. The old rectory is as lovely an example of undertstated 18th century style as I have seen anywhere.
I've never been to the States and haven't really come across much American architecture. But I do have the same problem with modern English builders who attempt to recreate the Georgian. They never get the proportions quite right. What should be elegant just looks false.
I agree about the vanity! Dinton House in Dinton Park sounds much classier.
From the way they've treated people in Dorset, I know that the National Trust could sometimes be incredibly heavy-handed in the past. But I think they've improved a lot in the last couple of decades. They're much more likely to consult local people these days.
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(If I absolutely have to choose one of the houses as a gift, I think I'll take the old rectory. Chaste and elegant.)
Also - yes, dirty pool by the NT. I can see how the maintenance would be a burden, but still...
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I agree - Philipps House would be too large for me to manage, and I find the portico a bit overstated, but I believe the old rectory would suit me very well.
"dirty pool by the NT"... It does seem so. When leaving a property to a charity, expect them to obey the letter rather the spirit of the bequest.
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The grounds are beautiful, and I'm so glad the sun came out for our visit. The weather was perfect.
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Yes - the old rectory is just so charming & elegant. One would not be surprised to see one of Jane Austen's characters walking in the garden.
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Yes, exactly. The old rectory is as lovely an example of undertstated 18th century style as I have seen anywhere.
I've never been to the States and haven't really come across much American architecture. But I do have the same problem with modern English builders who attempt to recreate the Georgian. They never get the proportions quite right. What should be elegant just looks false.
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I love English parkland.
How vain of the new owner to rename it after himself.
The National Trust has fallen in my estimation after that information.
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From the way they've treated people in Dorset, I know that the National Trust could sometimes be incredibly heavy-handed in the past. But I think they've improved a lot in the last couple of decades. They're much more likely to consult local people these days.
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