Gallivanting in Buckinghamshire

Today's adventures found us visiting Cliveden, a National Trust Property that stands along the Thames River northwest of London.  It was about a 45 minute drive from the inn where we are staying, and we found ourselves traveling through lovely, but very busy, villages en route. 

We arrived around 10:15 and were quite surprised to find the parking lot full, requiring us to drive to the overflow parking.  We checked in at the visitor center and secured tickets for entry into the manor house for 11:50 which was the first time slot open.  It turned out that only 10 or 12 people were included in the tours,  but that certainly adds up in a few hours.

Since we had plenty of time to spare, we walked through the border walls of the estate and explored this magnificent fountain. 

From the front, it resembled a large sea shell. 

It is called the Fountain of Love and was sculpted in Rome in 1897 by Thomas Waldo, and American who was commissioned by Lord Astor to create the sculpture for Cliveden. 

It stands at the end of the grand avenue that leads to the manor which is used today as an exclusive hotel that is run by Iconic Luxury Hotels.  

Some of the celebrities known to have stayed there are Charlie Chaplin, Rudyard Kipling, George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt.  Michael Jackson managed to stay there for several weeks without the public knowing.  And the Beatles stayed there while they filmed HELP as some of the scenes were filmed on the grounds of the estate. 

The tour permitted us entry to the bottom floor, but consisted primarily of learning the history of the estate and the various occupants over the years.  No photos were permitted and there was actually only one grand room that we were able to view.

But the commentary was certainly entertaining as it seemed that the guide loved to tell the juicy stories associated with Cliveden, and the majority of the tour members were captivated.  There was a political scandal that occurred in 196 and our fellow tourists all nodded their heads and commented on how tragic the results were.  Marty and I were obviously out of the loop, but learned the saga later. (It was entitled the Profumo Affair. Let's just say that it involved the Secretary of War, a model, and a Russian Spy.)  

The manor house standing, is actually the third to have stood on this site. The first two houses were destroyed by fire in 1795 and 1849, respectively.  As a result, a water tower was built on site to safeguard the rebuilt manor house from any future fires. 

We soon learned that what appeared to be a clock tower, is actually the water tower. Another piece of trivia for you: The water tower features an ornamental clock on all four sides, and we were told that the chime was used to ring out midnight in the latest movie version of Cinderella.  (How many fascinating tips can one learn in a day?) 

Walking around the grounds, one can't help but be impressed with the magnificent layout of the gardens. The floral blooms were a delight!

We had decided yesterday, to take advantage of the glorious weather and book a boat tour on the Thames that the National Trust offers as one of its programs.  

We soon learned that to get to the dock, one had to walk down these 172 steps. 

Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but the design and the depth of the steps made the trip down a bit challenging. I might be feeling this tomorrow.  But once at the bottom it was easy getting to the boat dock where we met Gary, who was our boat driver and guide. 

He welcomed us as well as two other women who were quite the characters themselves.  

We traveled through locks

passed by some expensive river homes

saw some canal boats

were surprised to see a giant lion and giraffe

and even spied a kingfisher hanging out on this stump of a tree along the river. 

Now, THAT was exciting! 

Near the dock stands a natural spring with a bridge over it

and these steps to the river were built for Queen Victoria to use when she visited, for easy access to the river. 

Just look at this view from the front of the boat as we came to the end of our river cruise. 

Pretty amazing, don't you think?

 

The tour ended up running over the two hours, so it was getting close to the time when the trust site would be closed.  But since a hotel stands on the grounds, one doesn't have to worry about being locked in!

So, we decided to hunt down the War Memorial Garden on the grounds, which I do have to admit, was pretty difficult to find. 

During World War I, Cliveden hosted a hospital for the Canadian Red Cross.  In 1918, the original sunken garden was adapted to create a memorial garden for those who had deceased.  

There are 42 war graves here, two of which are American. 

Time was getting short, so we headed from the Memorial Garden to the car part, but as luck would have it, we could pass through the Long Garden on the way.

And that was just amazing!

I was particularly entertained by these pruned shrubs. 

It kind of reminded me of a creature from a Dr. Seuss book. 

As you can see, we had a glorious day.  We headed back to The Bell Inn, enjoyed a delicious dinner, and relaxed in our room in preparation for tomorrow's adventure. 

We're off to Oxford, and I've put Marty in charge of the planning.  How's that for excitement? (He left his fishing gear at home, so at least I know that won't be in the agenda.) 

I'll keep you posted. Until next time....

When the 350 acre estate was gifted to the National Trust in 1946,  the standing manor house stood as an exclusive hotel, and one of the contingencies was that any profit would go exclusively back into maintaining and preserving Cliveden rather being shared with the other National Trust properties. As a result, the exclusive hotel still stands, and was quite busy with patronage today.  

We began our day with breakfast at the inn, then headed south to a National Trust Property called Cliveden.  This is a 350 acre estate which is bordered on one side by the Thames River.  

It's a very busy place since the manor house stands as an exclusive hotel attracting numerous celebrities (although we didn't personally see any), and we were told that Megan Markel slept there the night prior to her wedding to Prince Harry.  

When the estate was gifted to the National Trust in 1946, one of the contingencies was that any proceeds collected at Cliveden would go directly to Cliveden rather into the general fund for the National Trust.  Although the hotel is run by an independent agency, a portion of the profits go directly to upkeeping the grounds and buildings on the estate. 

When we arrived we were surprised to see so many cars in the lot and we actually had to drive to the overflow in order to secure a spot!  But the place is so vast, that the crowd wasn't even noticeable.  We were able to obtain a ticket to tour the manor house, as they were offered every 10 minutes.  Our scheduled time was 11:50, and by the time we met the group and the guide, there was a sign stating that all tours had been booked. 

Another British Adventure

If you are looking for Marty and me in September, it wouldn't be too far fetched to find us traveling in some area of the UK.  Our annual visits to Scotland expanded to northern England, Yorkshire, northern Wales and as the southern peninsula of Cornwall these past several years. 

Well, September was packed with activities at home, including my 50th high school graduation reunion, so plans for a trip went the wayside.  And even though October days were busy,  we decided to continue the trend and make plans to visit an area of England where we have not yet traveled. 

Yesterday, we boarded a plane in Philadelphia for a direct flight to London Heathrow.  Our departure terminal was quite upscale compared to travel from that airport in the past.

We were able to see the Liberty Bell (Lego version)

Isn't that cool?

And Rocky Balboa too!

We generally fly from Newark, but with the convenience of a transport service to Philadelphia that rivals the price of parking ourselves, it makes perfect sense to take advantage of this opportunity.  We went with American Airlines,( despite our recent fiasco that left us stranded in Chicago), and I must say, we were both pretty happy with the accommodation and comfort of the flight, especially considering we had chosen the last row of seats on the plane.

But the last two rows are just two seats side by side which eliminated the third person and made a huge difference in comfort.  

While waiting to disembark, we chatted with the Steward on the plane, and we soon learned that he grew up in Beaver, PA, my hometown!  And his sister still lives in Brighton Township.  What are the chances of that?  Too bad I didn't think to ask him his name!

After collecting our luggage, we were soon on the road in a rental car with Marty behind the wheel, maneuvering the northern London traffic, which, thankfully, wasn't too crazy. 

Our destination was Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire.  The road to the parking lot was narrow and filled with deep potholes, so Marty was sure to take his time.  We arrived before the grounds opened, so we sat in the parking lot trying to catch a few zzz's since the night flight is only 6 hours long and doesn't leave much time for rejuvenation. 

We had originally decided that we would walk the grounds and tour the house first, then enjoy a cup of tea with a fresh made scone as is our usual National Trust plan.  But once we walked past the entry towards the stables, the aroma of something wonderful tempted us too much to wait.  So, we both enjoyed warm apple scones right out of the oven, and made from the fruit collected from the trees on the estate, while sipping a cup of coffee to hopefully energize us. 

The weather was gorgeous, and we were able to enjoy the tasty delights outside in the courtyard. 

Somewhat rejuvenated, we headed out from the stables towards the walled garden.

A unique sundial of sorts enhanced the entrance way.

Although many flowers had stopped blooming, there was an amazing array of color spread out within the brick walls. 

The back wall featured The Wycombe Worm, also known as the Hughenden Dragon.  

The legend behind the mythical creature dates to 1578, one of the many folklores associated with this area. 

From here we headed to the entrance to the house itself. The beauty of the changing leaves enhanced the side building attached to the main house. 

We were greeted by a A National Trust volunteer and given a brief history of the house before being sent on our way to explore the interior. 

This was the country home of the Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who served in that capacity under Queen Victoria.  He purchased it in 1848 and it was updated to the Gothic style in 1860.  Disraeli himself was of Jewish heritage, and as such, was the first Jewish man to achieve the highest political office in Britain.  He also enjoyed writing and was the author of fourteen novels. 

The first room that we entered was the dining room, set as it would have been for a visit from Queen Victoria.  The furnishings and dinnerware are all original. 

On the far war hangs a portrait of Queen Victoria, a copy that was gifted to this family. 

And above the fireplace is a copy of a painting of Disraeli. 

Just around the corner from the dining room was a long hallway that featured rooms that played a vital part during World War II. 

When Disraeli passed in 1881, his nephew inherited the estate.  It was rented out and passed through a few hands before it was requisitioned in 1941 by the Air Ministry.  It became a top secret mapping facility, having the code name of Hillside where a staff of over 100 men and women produced target  maps for the Royal Air Force Bomber Command. 

Several steps were involved in the secret mission: special crews were sent out to take aerial photographs.  The information was given to the Intelligence Section who scrutinized the items for accuracy.  Then, a special photographic studio which was also on site, enlarged the maps for easier viewing of the details. 

The significance of Hughenden Manor's role in map creation was very nearly hidden for all time when, in 1946, all who played a part in the Air Ministry were forced to sign the Official Secret Act.   When the house was gifted to the National Trust in 1947, there was no indication of what had transpired here during the War. 

But in 2004, a visitor to the estate was touring with his grandson when he was overheard saying that the house looked nothing like it had when he had served there during the war.  That piqued the interest of a volunteer, who attempted to ask questions but the man was bound to secrecy. 

The Ministry of Defense was approached and the department granted permission for all who had worked at Hughenden during the war effort to be released from their code of silence.  It was at this point that the real story was pieced together, and the collection increased to what it is today.  Pretty amazing, don't you think? 

Here's a photo of the back of the house taken from the mapping room.  The windows gave natural brightness. 

We left this area to continue the tour of the house, where we found ourselves standing in a library filled with books.  

These two books are under glass and on display. They date to 1828 and 1831 and are entitled Commentaries on the Life and Reign of Charles the First, King of England.  Both were written by Benjamin Disraeli's father, Isaac. 

On the same table there is this cast of a foot, made from marble, apparently in the likeness of the foot of Mary Anne Evans, Vicountess Beaconsfield, wife of Benjamin. 

Benjamin was her second husband, her first having passed at a young age, leaving her widowed.  Her marriage to Benjamin was at first for financial gain, but items in the house indicate that he also considered her to be a love match.  She was very much involved in the activities of the house.  This room features her portrait over the fireplace.

and it was said that she was responsible for many of the different designs of the house.  These cabinets were quite unique.  The top features a carving of what looks to be the head of a bishop. 

The view from her bedroom features this stunning Italianate garden.

On the top floor, there was an exhibit devoted to an 1875 Arctic exhibition which was decried as the Polar Failure. The exhibit features a rare Victorian folding camera

 as well as the box of photos that were presented to Disraeli at the time of the return of the crew. 

The exhibit tells the tragic story of the attempt of these crew members to reach the north pole, only to result in an early return due to disease and death of some of the crew. 

Large placards represent a  diary created by Clements Markham.  Height and weight was noted to chart the health of the crew members over time. 

A catlogue of photographs from the Arctic Expedition, dated 1875-1876 is held under glass. 

Although the expedition was considered a failure by the general public, since the north pole was never reached by the crew,  it should be credited with being the first mission to succeed in bringing back photographs made in the High Arctic. 

Just outside the collection was a room, shaded with heavy blinds, featuring comfortable chairs designed to watch a slide show of the photos displayed on a wall.  Marty and I decided to take a break and sit for a minute, but soon realized that could be dangerous considering our lack of sleep, so we popped up, went down the stairs and outside to take in the beauty of the grounds in the back of the manor house. 

This gate stands along part of the property.  The gold was shining in the sun.

Walking back to the car park you can see the beauty of the grounds in the distance. 

We stopped briefly to check out the church that stands on the grounds near the entrance.  It is not a part of the National Trust holdings, but it still functions as an active church. 

From here we headed to Aston Clinton, where we are staying for several days.  The hotel is called The Bell Aston Clinton, thereby the bell, not make from Legos. 

Dinner was in the hotel restaurant and it was fabulous!

I enjoyed the chicken and leek pie with buttered chive mash topped with green beans and broccoli rabe.  

Yum!

Now it's time for bed to catch up on the lost sleep of an overnight flight.  We're expecting another beautiful day tomorrow. 

Thanks for following along, and I'll keep you posted!

Until next time...