Fenton House dates from the 1600s and was built in Hampstead as a merchant's house. The house contains an orchard, kitchen garden, and a sunken garden. The garden has been transformed in the past 30 years and is designed in the Edwardian style of garden. The original owners had created the kitchen garden and orchard for the house, and this weekend is the annual "Apple Days at Fenton House" weekend. The weekend includes several activities for children, apple-tasting, apple juice tasting, food, crafts, and musical artists playing some of the house's instruments.
At the time Fenton House was built, it was the only house in the area, and the area was famous for "highway men" (robbers), so the owners had a wall built around the house. The house came under National Trust ownership when the last owner, Lady Binning, passed away.
The house contains many musical instruments from Benton Fletcher collection and paintings from the Peter Barkworth collection. Chinese porcelain and 17th-century needlepoint is also popular at the house as one of the residents was a collector. There was so much porcelian that many of it is housed at the Victoria and Albert museum or on loan to other museums.
Currently, the house has installations commissioned and in place by Gitta Gschwendtner (known as "Please Sit") to allow the visitor to sit and admire the rooms. Each designer has created a chair or furniture to encourage visitors to sit and enjoy the rooms. Each seat was inspired by something in the room that it occupies.
This room (above) contains a doorway that leads to another doorway behind the fireplace, which is a small private room where the occupier could undress or use facilities. This was before the time of toilets. In the room is a single chair "Jacob's Chair", which is inspired by a needlework of "Jacob's Ladder" biblical story, which can be used as a seat of reflection or "head in clouds". It was created by Gitta Gschwendtner.
The bedroom seat is "Good Taste is Waste or Everyone Loves Poodles", created by Frith Kerr.The bed, pillows, and shoes with green pom-poms are inspired by a collection of porcelain poodles in the room.
The drawing room (above) contains a chair designed by Maisie Broadhead, named "Part of the Furniture". It was inspired by the last resident, who became a recluse after the death of her husband. She would often sit in this room in mourning clothes and do little else.
Upstairs includes more porcelain and musical instruments. There is also a view at the top onto a small balcony with amazing views over the city of London. Hampstead is on a hill, so the views are amazing from here. One view looks over the garden and also of the houses across the road, one of which is owned by director Ridley Scott and another by the writer of the book "Rebecca", Daphne du Maurier.
After looking around the house, I explored the garden. I was happy to see several flowers still in bloom despite the rain and cooler days this month. The garden is very beautiful. There is also the kitchen garden with vegetables. I saw some white strawberries that have started to grow again with strawberry blooms, rhubarb, and apples.
Aster
Asters
Sedum (foreground, I have some in my garden)
Dahlia, seedum, asters
Dahlia
After looking at the flowers, I wandered to the orchard. The orchard is 300 years old and contains thirty types of apple trees, many of which are rare and old varieties of apple. Apple varieties could be tasted by visitors, and apples could be purchased for 30p each.
Anyone who knows me knows I am very picky when it comes to apples, and they have got to be crisp. (I got a little bit spoiled as I had access to fresh apples growing up on a farm with an orchard.) I tried one of each of the varieties on offer on Apple Day at Fenton House, and the apples were fresh. I found one that was perfect and reminded me of the apples who grew on the old apple orchard (which contains apple trees that probably date from the 1920s or 1930s, but they could date prior to that too). Anyway, here's a photograph of the apples and description.
Sparta: This is a crisp apple with a sweet and slightly tart taste. I really enjoyed this variety, and it has an attractive deep red colour. The apple dates to 1936. It was meant to be a cross between McIntosh and Newton Pippin, but they were incorrect on the Newton Pippin and don't really know what it was crossed with. It is very similar to the flavour of McIntosh but is crisper, which is perfect because McIntosh is a little too soft for my taste.
Lord Lambourne: This variety dates from 1907 and is a soft and very sweet apple used for desserts. The apple is a soft apple and not one of my favourites.
Egremont Russet: I enjoyed this apple as it was the old that reminded me of the fruit produced from the old apple trees. It is a crisp and heavy-bodied apple with a sweet (but not too sweet) flavour. It was apparently creatd in 1872 and was popular in Victorian times and is a popular garden apple tree.
Blenheim Orange: This apple dates from 1740 in Woodstock, ENgland and is used more as a cooking apple. I found the flesh too soft.
Howgate Wonder: This apple dates from 1916 and is related to the Blenheim Orange variety. It is a cooking apple but can also be used for eating and has a slight tast taste.
Bramley Seedling: This is a tart cooking apple dating from the early 1800s and has become a popular variety of apple.
Fiesta: An apple also known as the Red Pippin, it was created from combining the Idared and the Cox's Orange Pippin. It is a sweet and soft apple, and it reminded me of a pear taste. It is the most recent variety and dates from the 1970s.
In addition to apples, apple juice and cider was for sale by bottles or by the glass. The apple juice could be bought cold or heated.
After the apples and a walk around the garden and orchard, I took another last look at Fenton House. I loved how the trees were shaped, and there seems to be a lot of holly in this part of Hampstead with red berries growing on the bushes.
Apple Day at Fenton House proved to be popular with families. Have you ever visited?
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