Originally we were going to Cholmondeley Castle and Gardens for a Classic Car event to be held on Sunday 20th September. However, like so many similar events this year it had to be cancelled because of renewed Covid-19 concerns.
I had booked three nights at the Rossett Hall Hotel and I was going to make the most of it. We had intended to have a look at the Cholmondeley Castle Gardens while at the Classic Car event, so, now we could spend more time doing that and exploring the vast Cholmondeley Estate with all its magnificent features.
This is what the Cholmondeley Castle and Gardens website says about the estate -
"The Cholmondeley family have lived on these lands since Norman times, with the castle built in the early 19th century by the 1st Marquess. Nestled within historic parkland our 70acres of beautiful gardens offer magnificent displays through the seasons and are filled with colour and botanical delights. Discover the romantic Temple and Folly Water Gardens, Rose Garden, Glade, Arboretum and the ornamental woodland upon Tower Hill. The newly created Lavinia Walk is a 100m long double herbaceous border and is dedicated to Lady Lavinia Cholmondeley and continues her legacy within the heart of the garden. The Castle and gardens also provide a stunning backdrop to a host of great events held throughout the year, offering something for everyone."
At the end of our visit we felt that we had walked every inch of that part of the estate which is accessible to the public. It probably wasn't true but it certainly felt like, not in terms of feeling exhausted or having sore feet ("speak for yourself" says my wife) but in terms of all the different and varied things that we had seen.
One thing that I must recall is the chance encounter I had with a local resident. She was walking her dog up towards the castle. After exchanging pleasantries, she told me that her late husband rode with the local hunt for twenty five years; Lady Lavinia, Marchioness of Cholmondeley rode in the same hunt. The lady I was talking to was full of praise and admiration for the late Lady Lavinia and pointed out that it was her and her husband, Hugh, the 6th Marquiss of Cholmondeley, who was responsible for restoring the castle and gardens to the magnificent order they are in today. It was an enchanting meeting, I wish I had been bold enough to ask the lady her name.
Let the following photos tell their own story -
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| The Estate Chapel |
Nick
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