Taking advantage of what the forecast promised to be
a fair weather day, we visited Kiplin Hall and Gardens, situated off the beaten track in the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside near Richmond. The Jacobean Hall was built by George Calvert, Secretary
of State to James 1 and founder of Maryland USA. Four families, all blood relatives, have owned
and lived here and left the paintings and furniture they collected as well as
the art work, literature and furniture that they produced. The last member of the family, Bridget Talbot,
had no offspring neither did her siblings so when she died in 1971, she bequeathed
it to charity. I'll leave the rest of the history for you to discover.
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| This lake was the result of gravel quarrying in the 1990’s. The income from the sale of the gravel was used to pay for the restoration of the hall. |
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| The Folly |
Geese and swans can be seen on the 1 mile walk around the lake. The island is a safe haven for them. There is a wide variety of wild flowers and trees with benches dotted about to appreciate the scenery.
The gardens are a delight. We had our picnic in the walled garden with its swathes of flowers, edged with fruit trees, an allotment and ornamental pond.
There are other walks around the grounds, none very strenuous, so allow a good few hours for your visit.
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Another one to put on my list of places I really want to visit! Hopefully, it will be possible next year.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea to dig out the gravel, sell it for money that goes to the restauration for the hall, and then have the added benefit of a lake, too.
Lovely gardens and a wonderful building. I haven't visited a garden fo months, this has inspired me!
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