One of my closest National Trust properties to visit is Ham House, and we have to stay local in the lockdown. A visit to the house and grounds was on my itenerary for early March in 2020, but the bloke was feeling lazy that weekend, so I agreed that I'd move it to visit the following weekend. That next weekend was the one of the lockdowns with everything closed. We did attempt to visit the grounds, but the National Trust had then opened them to invite everyone (not just members), and people flocked in. We saw how busy it was and promptly drove home. So, I never got to visit Ham House.
Although the house is still closed to visitors, we were able to explore the grounds and gardens toward the end of the winter (a year later than I had originally planned). To visit the grounds and house, there is a short walk from the parking along the Thames at Richmond; the house itself is just set back from the Thames.
Ham House dates from the 17th century, and it is one of the grandest Stuart houses in England. The house itself is rumoured to be one of the most haunted. Of course, we will have to come back another day in order to visit the house. I hope that it will be reopened soon as my National Trust membership runs out in a couple of months.
We listened to an audio tour while exploring the grounds. The above photograph shows the front of the house as approached via the Thames.
The kitchen gardens had an abunance of yellow daffodils and a parakeet. These birds are popular in London as they had originally been kept as pets.
On the other side of the kitchen garden are the formal gardens, which were filled with beautiful purple crocus flowers. They were so beautiful and so picturesque. The house appears to sit on a purple carpet. The formal garden design also dates from the 17th century.
At the back of the formal gardens is an area in woodland called "The Wilderness", which contains rows of trees and hedges that form a series of lanes connecting each oher amongst a few round summer houses. These small summer houses could be rotated for a unique view.
Some of the hedgerows created small secret garden spaces, and these were filled with beautiful daffodils. It is a nice place to get lost in, though it is a small area so it is not possible to get physically lost here.
Glimpses of Ham House can be seen from "The Wilderness" between the naked trees and hedgerows.
Signs of spring were beginning to emerge when I visited in mid-March. Blossoms were on some of the branches on some of the trees.
Another secret garden has been sculpted with evergreen and lavender with patterns cut into the hedges with little "windows" to peer inside to frame the space. This garden is used as a filming location.
That concludes my visit of Ham House. Overall, it is a small property with a diverse set of lovely gardens and a historic grand house. I hope to visit the house when it reopens and once it is safe to visit, so keep watching this space for updates.
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