Tuesday 12 March 2013

SPRING IS NYMANS

On Sunday, the day before all this snow, we went to Nymans, an old manor house in Sussex, now famous for its gardens.  The original house was built in the 19th century, using recycled architectural materials, so that it has all the air of a mediaeval mansion.  The owners then set about developing the gardens into one of the most important in Britain.  So successful was the garden that many plants today bear the Latin tag Nymansensis, meaning that they were new species developed in Nymans. 

Sadly, the house burnt down in 1947 and the then owners decided to donate it to the National Trust, rather than try to renovate it.  Not sadly for us of course, since it is now open to the public.  The National Trust decided to keep it as it then was, with the result that the garden is now graced with a most attractive 'mediaeval' ruin. 

But, oddly, part of the living accommodation survived and is also open to the public.  That's the lounge above.  And the sitting room has a very early television - the only one I think I have ever seen with curtains.

                                                                          But it was the gardens we were there to see and there too misfortune had struck.  The Great Storm of 1987 had destroyed nearly 500 trees from the estate, totally annihilating the pine collection.  

Nevertheless there is still much to see.  Here are some of the quirky topiary,




which became a maze for little ones.  Here's Isaac, in there somewhere.


And of course, Imogen had to join in.






















Amazingly, considering the sub-zero temperatures, parts of the gardens were positively springlike.





















But I saw on the website yesterday that the gardens and house are now closed by snow.  What a difference a day makes.

7 comments:

  1. A really nice place, great for exploring and enjoying, although perhaps in warmer times. It's reminiscent of Aberglasney, in Carmarthenshire.

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    1. Yes, prettier in warmer times I think too. Why don't kids notice it's cold?!

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  2. What a great place for visiting! The kids look so happy to explore the "maze":)

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    1. Yes it was. Maybe if we adults could have entered the 'maze' we'd have been less cold!

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  3. Thank you again for a snippet of life that I will never see without you. The television in a screen reminded me of our first TV that had to be tucked away, in a corner beside the fireplace. Nowadays they take over the living rooms and the politeness of the times when we talked to each other....face to face. I AM getting annoyed about that,,,,,

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    1. It's interesting, isn't it, how younger people today first think of the technology, before they consider actually face to face contact. When I say it's a long way to visit, they say, 'haven't you got Skype'. When I say we meet friends half way between their house and ours, they say, can't you use e-mail . . . Our TV doesn't yet dominate the room, but I see one of my friends now has a massive thing mounted on the wall, which he swings out to view from various angles. I do miss long dinner parties with friends. On the other hand, now that we're all retired, they're far to busy to get together at the same time!

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  4. I guess we just have to get off of our butts and get with the times. My brother-in-law, who was a surgeon, commented while sitting in the garden, suffering with blood cancer, "It's out with the old and in with the new." He was a very pragmatic man. He was NEW to the profession once too. Eventually we just don't care about keeping up. I say that as I struggle to master Windows 8. I may have conquered 40% of its possiblities when it becomes obsolete. Maybe that should be 20%

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