25 June -

Last year when we visited Kenya, I came down with bronchitis. I'm hoping that isn't going to become a trend, but over the past few days I seem to have been heading in that direction. I was determined not to let it get in my way, though, because I was seeing my cousin Audrey and her husband, Steve. They live quite a bit north of where I was staying, but drove down to pick me up for our journey to Tatton Park, a National Trust Property. The GPS was a bit challenging, constantly recalibrating and taking us around the cow's barn, but eventually we got there. (Bravo Steve.)

As we drove to the parking lot, we saw the sign saying that the house was closed. Neither Audrey nor I had thought to check the Nat. Trust site beforehand, so that was on us. No matter, though, the grounds are absolutely beautiful. Along the drive in, there was a small herd of deer quite near the road.

We couldn't tell if the light colored one in front was albino, but he certainly stood out from the herd. Steve parked and we headed toward the entrance, past a field surrounded by espaliered fruit trees.

There was a lawn mowing robot at work that fascinated the group of children in front of us as much as anything else they were likely to see that day. It reminded me of my old Roomba, which used to vacuum in the most illogical pattern: 3 feet this way, turn, 2 feet that way, turn, get stuck under the chair. No chairs on the lawn, though, so alles gut, as they say.

The first things we saw were a charming wire gazebo covered with roses

and topiaried bushes.

I wasn't quite sure what the shapes were meant to be, random geometrics? oddly-shaped teapots? One of them looked vaguely like a cartoon duck.

For me, the biggest draw was the collection of old growth trees.

There's something about being among these giants that's hard to define. They're so majestic, they have survived centuries in many cases and have borne witness to so much human folly, including the mass slaughter of so many of their species. I found myself touching their barks and feeling a strange mixture of awe and sadness. A bit further on, we came upon this sign.

More lovely trees:

We walked on till we came to the Japanese garden. It's lovely, but I was disappointed that access to its interior was blocked off, making it impossible to really experience its calming influence.

It was quite a lovely walk through the grounds and made me wish we had done our research about open hours since the house looked so inviting. That's alright. It gives an excuse to return.

On the way out, we passed those deer again.

From Tatton Park it was a short drive to Dunham Massey, another National Trust site. The approach from the carpark to the entrance is breathtaking.

We walked through the deer park

and up to the house where the first building you encounter is the laundry.

Then the dairy, shown in its state as a coal store.

(My apologies to Steve for showing so many "rears views".)

Then it was off to the kitchen.

The butler's pantry:

The dining room:

I guess at this point I should backtrack and talk a little about the history of Dunham Massey. It has been home to two ancient families, the Booths and the Greys, and spans a history of 400 years. The manor of Dunham is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having belonged to the Saxon thegn Aelfward before the Norman Conquest and to Hamo de Masci after. The de Masci name later became Massey, The deer park at Dunham Massey was first mentioned in 1362, but wild deer and boar were hunted there many years before.

Dunham Massey estate passed through the female line in marriage to the first Booth, Robert Boothe of Barton in 1453. "Old" Sir George Booth, 1st Baronet, built the first mansion on the site in the early 1600s, but it was only completed after the Civil War by his grandson, "Young" George Booth. This George led a royalist uprising in the North, taking Chester on 19 August. Marching towards York, Booth was intercepted and eventually defeated. He escaped, allegedly disguised as a woman, but was later imprisoned in the Tower. After the Restoration, Booth was freed and rewarded with the Barony of Delamer and £20,000.

This portrait of Sir George Booth and his daughter hangs in the dining room:

In a move remarkable for the eighteenth century Booth ensured that his only child, a daughter, Lady Mary Booth would inherit and control the estate. She married her cousin, Harry Grey, and oversaw the remodeling of the landscape at Dunham Massey, some of which, outside the park wall, was reputedly undertaken by Capability Brown. Their son, George Harry Grey, commissioned a remodeling of the Great Gallery and the south front of the house. His son, the 6th Earl of Stamford and Warrington, inherited and introduced modernizations to the house. When the 6th Earl died, the 7th Earl inherited. He married twice but his second wife, a circus performer (!!) was rejected by the local gentry so they moved to Enfield Hall.

The 7th Earl died in 1883, and his cousin, the Reverend Harry Grey, inherited the title of 8th Earl of Stamford, but never lived at Dunham. At the time of his inheritance, he was living in South Africa, having left England due to alcohol and gambling addictions. He married three times and his last wife was the daughter of a freed, formerly enslaved, woman. Their marriage was recognized under South African law but not under English law, so he was stripped of his inheritance and Dunham Massey went to William Grey, 9th Earl of Stamford. With his wife, they led a program of restoration of the house. The house went through a redesign and renovation but just before its completion the 9th Earl died. He was succeeded by his son, Roger Grey, 10th Earl of Stamford, who donated the house, its contents, and the 3,000-acre estate to the National Trust at his death in 1976. At the time it was the trust's most generous bequest in its history.

The house is currently in the middle of another restoration. The mullions that hold the windows have deteriorated over time and are being replaced.

There have been many important visitors to the house through the years including King George VI and Haille Selassi, for whom this bedroom was decorated.

The Great Gallery:

The artwork in the great gallery is different than that of any great house I've visited; it features paintings of animals that were important to the family over the years, including pets and celebrated racehorses.

The State Bed:

Audrey and Steve in the Silver Room:

The Library:

The impressive 18th century wooden carving over the fireplace by sculptor Gribling Gibbons:

Roger Grey never married and in his final years confined himself mostly to his study.

The facade of Dunham Massey:

After leaving the house, Steve and I hurriedly made our way across the grounds to the rose garden, which was a riot of color and scent.

About this time, my phone ran out of juice so I was unable to record the particulars of our wonderful dinner at Bar Carouse in Rainhill.

Suffice it to say it was a sparkling evening full of great conversation, drinks and fabulous tapas!