A delightful outing

Yesterday was a lovely day.  The sun shone, and it was warm enough for me to wander around outside without a coat.  I met a friend at Lytes Cary Manor in Somerset.

Although it is only just Spring, the garden is a delight, with individual 'rooms', shaped formally, the topiary both controlled and informally 'cloud' trimmed, and the pollarded trees adding to the sculptural qualities.

The stone colour of the house, paths, and walls is an attractive soft grey splashed with beautiful lichens.  It was the first visit for both of us, and we were delighted to see enough details to attract us there again and again through the seasons.

Outside the formal gardens there was a riot of delicate shining blossoms.

The long view from the front of the house shows the water tower.

In the orchard there were daffodils and fritillaries under the trees, so difficult to photograph adequately, but this ball of mistletoe caught my eye.
There were lots of details, some of which I was able to capture before the battery on my camera gave out.

Inside the house were more delights.  I was particularly taken with these few items of the many many fascinating objects.  All the following images are taken from the Lytes Cary Manor pages of the excellent National Trust collections record.

There were two of these on a side board in the Great Hall which still has its original carved wooden roof (see image of roof here).

 

 

The last two are leather figures from the 16th century which were standing either side of a fireplace, each over a metre tall.  On the collections website it does not say what was their purpose.
(I have managed to find out a little more about them here.)
There is also a beautiful small chapel with a lovely stained glass window seen from the outside here.

The only undelightful aspect is provided by the refreshment facilities: do not expect much more than tea and coffee.  But a long natter catching up with a good friend makes up for everything, really.  It was an excellent day out.