| Mid February is snowdrop time in the UK and after
the hard winter of 2010-2011 it is such a pleasure to get out and see
these harbingers of Spring. The Rococo
gardens in Painswick, Gloucestershire are well known for their fabulous
display so we crossed the Severn Bridge and took a closer look.
The information in the panel below is copied from
another website: http://www.hotelsingloucestershire.net/rococo-gardens/ |
| Located on the outskirts of
the Cotswold town of Painswick, The Rococo Garden was
originally laid out in the 18th Century and located in a
hidden valley with stunning views of the countryside.
Painswick house was built in the 1730’s. The owner,
Charles Hyett suffered from asthma and moved to the area, away from
Gloucester to escape the smog. His son Benjamin was the creator of the
garden and chose a hidden valley behind the house as its location. He
approached a local artist, Thomas Robins in 1748 and this painting
enabled the restoration of the garden in the 1970’s when it was
overgrown and run-down. |
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The weather was kind to us on this day. Just as well,
it has been very wet. |
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Countless numbers of snowdrops. Different kinds, but
not many labels. |
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Nice to see a splash of colour other
than white |
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These are the main event, though. |
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All rather Rococo... |
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The sun does come out from time to time. |
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A pretty skyline. |
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Can't beat a bit of back lighting with white flowers.
It did involve getting wet knees, though. |
One of the water features: a spring
feeding the plunge pool where young men used to, well, plunge into the
cold water that it feeds. |
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Taken at the main viewpoint of the
garden with views to the south west.
Jean wearing red which always helps the
intrepid photographer. |
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Saving the best till last; an Exidra, ladies and
gentlemen.
Wikipedia describes it thus: In
architecture, an exedra is a semicircular recess, often
crowned by a
semi-dome, which is usually set into a building's facade. The
original Greek sense (a seat out of doors) was applied to a room that
opened onto a
stoa, ringed with curved high-backed stone benches, a suitable place
for a philosophical conversation. An exedra may also be expressed by a
curved break in a
colonnade, perhaps with a semi-circular seat |
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