ANGLESEY ABBEY

Today we decided that we would take a break from the garden work and go and visit one! The National trust property Anglesey Abbey is only an hours drive from us and we have been there before a few years back.

It has beautiful gardens and a lovely country style house to visit. We were looking forward to seeing any changes that had occurred.

They have built a lovely big new building at the entrance that houses , the shop, tea rooms, toilets and ticket office plus improved and made bigger the car park. Which was quite full when we arrived just before one pm. It is a very popular site due to the gardens and grounds.

We'd walked through most of the winter garden, not taking photo's because the plants although lush and green were still in leaf and the garden is arranged to show the beautiful different coloured stems of the Dogwood, Cornus .
It leads you to this grove of Silver birch trees whose white trunks look lovely in the light of day and beautiful in winter,

There are statues scattered all around the grounds.

At this time of year they have a beautiful show of Cyclamen either side of a path through the trees.

The path.

A beautiful sight.

We came across these amazing climbing stems that had worked their way over a large brick wall.

They make a great photo and are so old to be so thick because..

they belong to a Wisteria that's taken it's self up into the branches of this Ivy covered tree.

The path carried on through this doorway in the wall.

Which takes you to the Mill, which we did not photograph as it was covered with scaffolding and plastic to protect passers-by, but you then walk along the river on which two swans were swimming.

Then round into the Herbaceous garden which is in a Half circle, with deep borders all round sheltered by a beech hedge.

These are Summer borders so not too much colour left but still a little here and there.

 Amongst the deep borders are benches to sit and enjoy the view of the flowers.

This one is a seat for the devil!!!

I loved the detail and look of this bench and the pots of box either side.

Next is the Dahlia garden, always beautifully full of colour .

Start at the far end with red and run through orange, yellow, white, pink ,lilac and back to deep burgundy red.

Wonderful colours from one end to the other.

 At each end of the Dahlia garden are statues.

A little burred because Paul kept walking!!

 We arrive at the house.

The last owner of the abbey was Lord Fairhaven.

More Dahlia's on display in the house.

These were the only photo's we took in the house, you could not use a flash and the rooms were quite dark.

Back outside after leaving through the servants entrance.Lord Fairhaven was a very fussy man but also very kind to his workers. After the war he houses all his staff out in the village so they could have a family life away from the house and even hired a house for his chauffeur's family when he stayed at his house in South Wold for the summer !

 Why this horse is sitting in a water cistern I have no idea!

On the way back to the entrance we came across this tree hanging with ball of colourful Dahlia's.

The gardeners had also laid a line of Dahlia head's in a line leading people along a path.

More statues.

These two stand either side of the path out.

Looking back for a last view.

To find a last view through a hole cut into the shrubs across the way.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this look at Anglesey Abbey, well worth a visit if you find yourself in the area.

*********************************************************************************