And so to Beds. Venetia Hawkes is in hot pursuit of days out in that county and neighbouring Northants and Hertfordshire.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Just off a slightly more modern track than the Ridgeway, the M40 as it goes north from Bucks, is Canons Ashby. A Tudor manor house, it was built from the remains of a medieval priory whose monks were accused of preferring to go to the pub rather than church services. What can we say?
The house is presented as it might have looked in the Victorian time of Sir Henry Dryden. Sir Henry inherited Canons Ashby when he was 19; and vowed not to marry till he’d paid off the debts inherited along with the house. He was 47 before he finally married his sweetheart, 42-year-old Frances Tredcroft. They were delighted to have a child, Alice, the following year. At first though, Sir Henry railed against having a daughter rather than a son. Complaining there were too many women in the house already, he dismissed two kitchen maids. Lady Frances quietly reinstated them.
Sir Henry came to dote on his daughter, who shared his love of history and archaeology. Alice was also an early enthusiast for the new art of photography, boldly driving herself around the countryside in a pony and trap taking pictures.
Evidence of their passions remain in the house – copper photographic plates with ghostly images, book-lined rooms, chunks of old stone-work, a desiccated puffer fish in a jar.
Elsewhere the house has Elizabethan wall paintings, graffitied with a tiny 18th Century drawing, all hidden and forgotten for centuries under wood panelling, only rediscovered in the 1980s. The high-ceilinged kitchen, dressed with copper pans, servants’ bells and rabbits hanging up ready to be cooked, is a Downton-esque delight. A children’s booklet of activities gleefully prompts “draw your favourite pants” on finding the Cook’s bloomers hanging up to dry. Jugs of garden flowers adorn the house.
Esta historia es de la edición October 2017 de Buckinghamshire Life.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 2017 de Buckinghamshire Life.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Now Domestic Goddess Mary Shares Secrets
Karen comes clean: she’s never sure whether it’s a job for disinfectant or bleach… but knows lemons go in gin and tonic.
Let Battle Commence
If you suspect people are using our countryside for illegal hare coursing, make sure they are reported to police.
Are You Sitting Comfortably?
Yes or no, we’ll begin… with the tale of a chair which relies on the skills of people across our counties including Wycombe furniture experts.
Christmas In...Newbury
Lanterns, late night shopping and tracking down the reindeer: it’s all happening in the West Berkshire destination for seasonal days out.
Take a Staycation in Our Beautiful Counties
Days out and breaks along The Ridgeway or beside our rivers and canals support rural tourism – and, best of all, it’s on our doorsteps
Shall We Dance?
It’s never too late to learn, as NICOLA SWANBOROUGH discovered when she joined one of NOCTURN’s adult contemporary dance classes for beginners
The Botanist, Marlow
Prepare for hidden treasures and that a gorgeous décor is somehow outshone by dishes arriving at the table,
When Your Name's in the Frame
‘What do you know about a man called Scaramanga, 007?’ M asks James Bond. We know perhaps a little more, courtesy of Sunningdale School
Chiltern Rollercoaster
Follow Steve Davison as he heads to Stokenchurch for a longer walk – with shorter option – through some picturesque rolling Chiltern countryside.
The Winning Wedding Formula
Berkshire and Buckinghamshire couples are invited to attend the 2018 edition of Bride: The Wedding Show at Ascot Racecourse from March 10-11.