Wondering through Wimpole

 This morning we said our good-byes to Aston Clinton and began our way to Moultin, which is a tiny village near Newmarket, just east of Cambridge. 

Our travels took us to the National Trust Site, Wimpole, which was located about 2/3 of the way to our final destination. 

This must be the largest National Trust Estate that I've ever seen.  2500 acres.  There might be some that rival it in size, but I cannot seem to recall any from our recent travels. 

When we arrived, the manor house was not yet open for touring, so we opted to take the suggested "walk" to the folly.   We had a map with dotted lines suggesting a pathway, but it was soon obvious that the only clue of the desired path was a section of grass that was mowed down.  Which sounds like a good clue, but to be quite honest, there were several such mowed sections making it difficult to determine which way we should go. 

Since this happens frequently, one might think the issue is with Marty and me.  But today, we were joined by a couple who lives an hour away, who was just as confused as we were. In fact, Marty used the GPS on his phone so that we could determine which way to proceed together.  Soon we could see the folly in the distance. 

When one visits a National Trust Site, one of the volunteers inevitably says,  "There's this lovely little walk" but it rarely is little.  In fact, this might have been close to a mile...uphill....through a sheep field requiring careful planting of one's feet while walking.  The view, of course, is magnificent, but the length of the trail can be bit taxing when one has some mobility issues, and remember, that distance is only half way.  At the end of the day, my watch told me that I had walked 6.9 miles.  

In any event, it was worth the effort, but it would have been far less stressful had there been a sign directing us. And, actually, signage at this particular site could use some improvement as we found ourselves a bit lost on more than one occasion. 

But again, I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let me tell you a bit about the Wimpole Estate.  These displays along the entry walk give a great visual of just how long a manor house has stood on this land. 

It passed through several owners over the years, primarily due to lack of funds to continue maintenance.  The last owner was Elsie Kipling Bambridge.  She was the lone surviving child of Rudyard Kipling.  She took her role as owner seriously and made many improvements to the house and gardens.  Elsie gifted the estate in 1976, upon her death, to the National Trust, to safeguard the work that she had done in keeping the estate and house functioning.  

When we first arrived, the house was not yet open, and we were persuaded to take that "lovely walk" that I mentioned earlier. 

So, we walked by the house

then began the long walk to the folly

After enjoying the amazing views from the top, we headed down to the barnyard, which is actually a small working farm to this day. 

We saw some piggies hanging out in the barn. 

Then we made our way to the walled garden which was rather grandiose in itself.

I was delighted to see so many flowers still sporting their beautiful blooms!

There were several fig trees as well, each one with fruit getting ready to ripen!

By now, the house was open for touring so we made our way to the front entrance. 

Although, I will admit, I never expected to see this!

Apparently the house is decorated in full force for a Halloween tour, which soon became quite obvious as we walked along. 

The foyer in the front hall had some unique tile on the floor

and it overlooked a chapel that is set a floor below. 

Walking into the saloon, I could spy the folly in the distance from the window. 

The yellow room was just that, and featured a cupola in the ceiling.  A lot of natural light could shine through. 

The red room followed suit, but as you can see, held a few interesting decorations. 

Continuing on, we came to the library.  Actually, this is just the entrance to the library.  There were three sections of books here as well as a wall to my back. 

That led to the main library which was very long and filled with books, some dating back to the 1500''s. 

Moving along the ground floor, we came to this drawing room.  The painting above the fireplace is actually a little boy.  It is entitled Master George Graham and was painted in 1774, in India, by Tilly Kettle.  The Bambridges were avid collectors of art and prints and the house features quite a large collection. 

This unique painting caught my eye.  No artist is mentioned, but it is believed to be Austrian or Italian, painted in the 18th century.  It is entitled, "Interior of an Assembly Room with Figures Dancing", which is exactly what it appears to be. 

We came to the grand staircase, which I did not photograph, as it was decorated with roping to emulate a large spider web loaded with spiders of all sizes.  That, and that dining table that featured skeletons at every seat distracted from the historical significance. 

At the top of the staircase, this huge portrait is hanging on the wall.  The subject is Bishop Burnett and it is believed that this painting has hung in the hall since the 2nd Earl of Hardwick lived here in the 1700's. 

This is Captain Bambridge's bedroom located at the top of the stairs. 

His wife's bedroom is situated next door, but I did not photograph it.  It is much larger, holding not only a bed, but a sofa, table and chairs as well. 

Heading down the stairs to the ground floor,  one walks past the entrance to a rare, 18th century plunge bath. It was built by Sir John Soane in the early 1790's and is considered to be quite rare.  It can hold up to 2,199 gallons of water.  Obviously, someone needed to fill it, somehow, with hot water, and drain it after's its use.  It's amazing that it still exists in such great condition.   

Finally, we were sitting in the chapel, also built in the 1700's, gazing at these painted figures on the wall that resemble statues. 

How amazing is that?

From here we headed to the Stables which in itself was quite impressive. 

We certainly had another full day, having spent nearly five hours on this estate!  But now it was time to make the drive to our B&B for the night.  It is called the Packhorse Inn and it stands near a Medieval Bridge called the Moulton Packhorse Bridge built in the 15th century.  It was originally built to carry packhorses across the water.   

Perhaps I'll get some photos of that tomorrow. We checked in, then enjoyed a lovely dinner in the restaurant.  

The two young men who were running the place this evening are super friendly and eager to please. You really can't ask for much more than that. 

So, for now I bid you good night!  Thanks for following along!

Until next time....