Jo’s Monday walk : Lotherton Hall

I’m still in garden mode today.  That’s what inevitably comes from a visit to England.  At the suggestion of two good friends a jaunt out to a rather wonderful Edwardian country estate took place.  Celebrating 50 years of being open to the public, Lotherton Hall is a pleasant ride out of Leeds City Centre on the number 64 bus.  Amazing how quickly you can leave the city behind and be surrounded by rolling English countryside and pretty villages.  And wonder of wonders, the sun was beaming down!  Gardens first, in case the weather changed its mind.

The hall was once owned by the Gascoigne family and the formal gardens were designed between 1893 and 1914.  The rose terrace is overlooked by a remarkable bronze sculpture, ‘Peony Priest’.  I didn’t take as many photos as I normally would because I was in excellent company, and there was much catching up to do.  As well as that, a Vintage Fair had taken pride of place in the gardens.  Stalls with all manner of garments, glassware, china and books filled the lawns.  A little browsing and, to save the contents of our purses, you understand, it was into the Coach House for coffee (and a scone with jam and cream  🙂  ).

A tiny chapel in the grounds is dedicated to St. James and dates back to 1170.  It was restored during the First World War for the use of soldiers recuperating at Lotherton.  The serenity must have seemed a boon to them.

Elsewhere in the grounds a Beatles Tribute Band was tuning up.  Serenity destroyed, but there were lots of toe tappers.  Our visit to the hall was accompanied by the familiar strains of ‘It’s been a Hard Day’s Night’.  It was all I could do not to join in the chorus as I looked through the window.

The hall itself truly captured my imagination.  It brings to life another era, and tells the stories of the Gascoignes and the families that worked for them, in an ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ fashion.  Sir Alvary Gascoigne had a highly successful diplomatic career and this is reflected in the exquisite furniture and fabulous chinoiserie throughout the house.

I’m sure that many people would enjoy this step back in time, but the Lotherton Hall experience doesn’t end there.  An enormous range of birds, many of which I have never seen before, inhabit the aviary.  Moving from one compound to the next presented continuous surprises.  I’m not a fan of zoos in general, but there were lots of happy children and their parents in the park.

We’d done a lot of wandering and it was time for a substantial meal.  My friend’s suggestion of the ‘Crooked Billet’ pub, just 1.6 miles away, was a huge success.  The proof of the pudding is in the eating, isn’t it?  And surely Eton Mess can’t be fattening!

Their only son is getting married this Friday.  I wish him and his bride a wonderful life together, and hope they’ll be as happy as his Mum and Dad.

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More walks to share this week.  Thank you all for contributing and for reading.  Join me any time you like, here on Jo’s Monday walk.

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I’m stealing from a master this week.  I’m sure most of you will know the work of Lignum Draco :

Le Mont Saint-Michel

And, just over the water, Jude focuses on what she does best- a Cornish garden :

Trelissick Garden in Summer

While Margaret does her best to cheer us, with a dash of ‘je ne sais quoi’ :

Le Jardin Extraordinaire : a late summer treat

This lady never ceases to amaze me with the places she goes, and the resulting photographs :

A stroll around a stadium

While Lady Lee has the best holidays ever :

Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion)

A challenging walk from Cheryl, but well worth it, I know you’ll agree :

Hyangiram Hermitage Hike in Summer

While Irene takes us to some stunning heights in Hawaii :

Top of Diamond Head

And Teabee reminds me of the beauty of English heather :

Randonée/Hike to High Rigg, St. John’s in the Vale, Cumbria

Alice’s turn to take us through some locks this week  :

Lockport Flight of Five

Drake shares another snippet of his fascinating life :

Not bad but Baden-Wurt..Berg

And Janet demonstrates her fondness for animals :

Jo’s Monday Walk…the dog days of summer

If you’re just feeling lazy, Sandra has the answer :

Afternoon Tea at the Empress, Victoria, BC

But Cathy strides on with determination in every step :

(Camino day 33) Hospital de Orbigo to Astorga

Nothing left to do but wish you all a great week.  See you soon!

117 comments

  1. It looks as good as you describe it, Jo and all so well preserved. I, too, loved the Peony Priest, and I liked the incongruous positioning. The piano is amazing, too, well just about everything is. Yorkshire has so much to offer in the way of old houses, years since I’ve been there but when I was in Harrowgate about 4 years ago I did one or two tours from there and enjoyed it tremendously. I keep promising myself I’ll go back but something else always seems to intervene. Unfortunately, with increasing age, most of my friends are opting for cruising these days – and I hate cruising!

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  4. I absolutely adore the Peony Priest, Jo! What a surprise it is on these gorgeous grounds. There’s so much to comment on in the gorgeous furnishings, too. I love the piano, but each piece appears to have a history. I am so glad you even summoned sunshine for such a fabulous field trip, Jo. Special friends and special occasion! Lotherton Hall is a gem!

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  6. What a lovely estate, Jo. Thanks for the tour, The Peony Priest seems a bit out of context relative to the remainder of decor, but it is so well placed in that hedge. And the Eton Mess … I’m hungry. 🙂

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    1. I had to get up close because I could hardly believe what I was seeing initially, Draco. The diplomat had a fascinating life, but it all ended in tears when his only son was killed in the next war.

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  7. What a simply delightful place and visit. That ‘Peony Priest’ statue is quite marvelous. Imagine having the opportunity to travel the world (back in that day) and to be able to collect all that amazing art. It boggles the mind even with the Beatles theme music for background.

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    1. They seem to’ve been a good family, who did their bit for king and country. The only son of the diplomat was killed in the last war, which resulted in the estate being sold. They’re all just possessions, at the end of the day, Gunta. But very beautiful, some of them. 🙂 🙂

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  9. Love those walks and photos, Jo but you know I was looking for the reward of a delicious dessert and was so happy to find it. Eton Mess, eh? YUM YUM YUM

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  10. Pingback: Nishiki Market – Ladyleemanila

    1. I had discounted this place when I was looking for places to take our young un while we were in Leeds, but the day worked out very well for us. We may get to take him another time. 🙂 🙂 Thanks, Gilda.

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  14. What a beautiful place, inside and out. My mouth was watering at the scone with jam and cream. Nothing like good Brit scone with jam and cream. It’s been so long! My mum used to bake the best scones. And I remember a tiny place Don and I had a serving each in Devon on the cliff top walk there many years ago.
    Alison

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    1. A Vintage Fair and Beatles Tribute band isn’t necessarily something I would have chosen, Alison, but we needed a convenient meeting place and this worked out very well. 🙂 🙂 I’m always a sucker for a good scone with a dollop of cream.

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      1. Ok, on the one hand experiencing other places through blogs is fine, but then … it only makes you longing to see them yourself. 😉 Still: I’m happy I’m following your blog.

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  19. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk…going to the dogs | This, that and the other thing

  20. That is an exquisite home and garden to visit. It is stunning. And the Beatles and a village fair on top of that. I would have been in heaven.
    https://junkboattravels.blogspot.com/2019/09/road-grill.html

    Off topic, I put together a post of our 2001 Algarve visit https://junkboattravels.blogspot.com/2019/09/algarve-portugal.html. We are busy researching where we would like to book a couple of months over the winter. Any ideas?? We also want to spend some time at either ends in Lisbon and Porto. We are thinking of just renting cars when we need them. We are good with buses and trains to get around.

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