Meon Valley Garden Club - Event Report for Ostrich Farm Visit

Event Report

VISIT TO ATHELHAMPTON AND HARDY’S COTTAGE

26 June 2005

This year’s coach trip took the members to Dorset where we visited Athelhampton House and Hardy’s Cottage.

After about two hours in the coach everyone was ready for a coffee break before embarking on a tour of Athelhampton House and its gardens.

As can be seen from the picture members were very pleased with the restaurant facilities at Athelhampton!

Anyone for coffee?

Athelhampton House

Athelhampton House is one of the finest remaining examples of 15th century architecture in the UK. The family that own the house occupies it, but one wing (complete with ghost we are told) is open to the public. We enjoyed an interesting tour, including the great hall, wine cellars and quaint bedrooms, which all gave an interesting insight into the history of the place.

Athelhampton is probably better known for its gardens than anything else and there was a lot to see.

One of the better-known features at Athelhampton is the sunken lawn, shown here, which contains a fishpond and fountain and now dominated by the yew trees at each corner. These are hand cut by the owner each year; apparently something he has done since he was a boy.

Another interesting area of the gardens is the Corona, which is in Elizabethan style, with tall obelisks mounted on the circular hamstone wall. The red and purple herbaceous planting in the beds complements the central feature of a lead vase catching the water from the fountain.

Clipped Yews

I can't see any blackspot!

Other points of interest were the octagonal cloister garden, the rose garden, with some very old rose varieties, the canal and the white garden. One of the newer additions was the boardwalk, which followed the river around the property and conveniently took us back to the restaurant where everyone enjoyed lunch before setting off for Hardy’s Cottage.

As there was no coach parking facilities at Hardy’s Cottage the members had to be dropped off on the main road, some considerable distance away.

After a pleasant walk we eventually arrived at the cottage and we were not disappointed. It is a delightful old building set in a traditional cottage garden. It looked as if little had changed since the time when Thomas Hardy used to sit on his bedroom window seat writing poetry and some of his famous novels.

Is it far?

Are you sure we left the coach here?

After a thoroughly enjoyable tour of the cottage and garden the members had so much to talk about after what they had seen that they barely noticed the long walk back to the main road.

There the coach was waiting, ready to take us home. After a long and enjoyable day it was not surprising that one or members took the opportunity to have forty winks on the journey home.

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