The Vyne, National Trust
The Vyne is a gorgeous National Trust property that we’ve visited a couple of times, and that has a five century history, where Lords, Ladies, and a Speaker for the House of Commons have lived, and Tudor Kings have visited.
The first thing we did on our recent visit to The Vyne, after going through the visitor reception area, was walk along the path that leads to the house, or takes you around the lake and to the walking trails.
We decided to cross the bridge and head towards the house, where on our way we went inside the walled garden, which had seasonal produce inside it that we could purchase.
After the walled garden, we walked passed the children’s play area (which we definitely want to visit next time), through the Lime Tree Avenue, and then saw the Summerhouse.
We weren’t able to enter the Summerhouse, but we were able to walk around its formal gardens, which consist of plants that compliment the shades of the Summerhouse during different seasons.
After exploring the formal gardens, we went inside the house, which is approximately a third of its original size, which amazed me because it’s currently huge.
The house was full of treasures, including plates from Venice, which are amongst the most important Grand Tour objects in Britain, antiques, and some recently restored 16th century stained glass windows in the Chapel.
My favourite area of the house was definitely the staircase, which was designed in 1770 by John Chute, the Speaker of the House of Commons who previously lived in the house.
The staircase has beautiful details on the walls, an intricate ceiling, and is a gorgeous blue.
The last room just before you exit the house is the room I remember from our first visit, which was originally used as an Orangery, but after discovering that it wasn’t suitable for growing plants, it was turned into a children’s play area.
After we finished exploring the house, we headed back to the path around the lake and saw a section of the lake where a cast iron bridge once stood, which collapsed in 1986, and a wooden hut where you can bird watch, or take in the natural surroundings.
We’ll definitely visit The Vyne again, so we can walk along some of the walking trails that lead into the surrounding woods, and visit the children’s play area.
The Vyne is located on Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 9HL. For more information on The Vyne please visit their website.
Related posts:
National Trust visits
6 great day trips in England
What are some of your favourite day out locations?
I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.
