Lost gardens of Heligan

Are you on a slope, Roders? Or under the influence?? Seriously - a lovely happy photo!! :D

 

Dendrobe :D :D :D
And I do agree with Dendrobe - Roders - lovely pic indeed!

Royster

 

Hoping to take the Devil's Spawns to Heligan this weekend. After reading this thread I realized we haven't been for years and a lots changed. So praying for fine weather

 

Windy,do go as it is lovely.I love the Italian Garden,well in fact I love it all.The nice thing is as well it is open all year round apart from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day..I think thats right.

Royster we will all have to put up the photo's so you can get an idea about the place....truly beautiful

 

I'll try and take loads of piccies although the Devil Spawns have a habit of standing in the way :rolleyes: They seem to think I want to take photos of them :confused: :rolleyes: :D

 

Windy :D :D :D :D

 

I would like to say thankyou to all the people who have visited the Eden Project and found it boring.We have been waiting for it to get better since it opened and looked sparse,also having a dog with nowhere to leave her on a hot day decided to give the Eden Project a miss,and opted instead for the Heligan gardens.

Now after reading all the comments made on the Eden thread I am glad of our choice because to us the Lost Gardens of Heligan cannot be beaten between the two of them...

 

I've heard it's gorgeous. I would love to go especially to see the tree ferns.

 

luckyboo,do go and make it a day out,you won't be dissapointed.We usually go in the summer months and even the kitchen garden looks good with all the flowers and vegetables

 

Hi kandyfloss, I really hope to. Maybe next summer as you said. And it will definitely have to be at least two days. We'll need a couple after a return journey in one day :D

 

Cliveden in Buckinghamshire is now a most beautiful place to visit. The house was leased to an american university for many years and though they were not a destructive element as far as the place and extensive grounds were concerned, there was very little of the house to visit as it was all in use as residences. This also meant that the grounds were not maintained to the very high standard they are now that the Trust lease the place to a Hotel consortium . I had the good fortune to live in the grounds when I was involved with the running of the Orangery Tea Rooms there and saw the gradual improvements taking place. As for the Gardens - the huge banks of rhododendrons and azaleas are a sight to behold in the early season and of course other seasons equally have their huge flowering masses of bulbs and shrubs not to mention the trees, which Bucks is famous for producing. A very amusing occurence used to take place during the high visitor levels in the summer. People would all gather round the very large ornamental lake to sit and watch the huge Golden Carp and other species, moorhens and ducks and to generally cool off after all the walking. The fish would keep in the lower depths of water as a rule. What the visitors didn't know of course, is that when the gates were closed and therefore all visitors gone, as if by some unheard signal the lake would suddenly be teeming with all the fish at the surface to eat the flies etc and the other wildlife coming out in droves!
There is a very much cared for formal garden leading down to the Thames at the rear of the house and this can be seen from all the formal and residential rooms at the back of the building. A great many of the areas of the outside building have been gradually upgraded and rebuilt (on a recycling use of the stone, bricks, timbers etc) and my son was involved in this work, so we know all about the great care taken some 25 or so years ago when it was really not the ususal thing to conserve so carefully. It is possible to view quite a lot of the formal gardens from the terracing at the rear of the house, so those with mobility problems can be saved a lot of walking. It seems strange that all the history making governmental sheenanigans took place there with Profumo et al,but
it is now so peaceful. I must say that one day I intend to visit the hotel as a guest and enjoy what was once my workplace and home!

[ 28. October 2006, 03:00 AM: Message edited by: eleagnus7 ]

 

Here are my pics from our visit, it really is the best place to visit!









[ 14. May 2007, 10:35 PM: Message edited by: D1zibl0nde ]

 

For those of us unlucky enough to live in Cornwall, Heligan is giving free entry on proof of a Cornish home address eg driving licence, from the 15th of May 2007 for 15 days. I just might take advantage of this.

 

Celia,why do you think you are unlucky to live in Cornwall.?You obviously don't see the beauty that is right under your nose.Failing that you can always move to somewhere less picturesque :D

 

Sorry Kandyfloss I was trying not to be too enthusiastic and upset those not lucky enough to live here, I wouldn't swap my location for anything. Having had root canal work done that day my sense of humour was a little warped :rolleyes: