Happy coincidences occur and one needs to embrace them when they do. This happened a while ago when driving through Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. The sign, Dyrham Park, caught my eye and...Well, you can see for yourself below I guess...
It's not every day one gets to visit a Manor that was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, a book compiled by order of William the Conqueror to record of the Great Survey of most of England and completed in 1086; But luck was on my side and on this particular day I had the opportunity so I hit the brakes and headed into the car park, my curiosity piqued.
Dyrham has been around for a long time but it wasn't until 1511 when a license was granted to empark the 500 acre property and that's when Dyrham Park was born. It's interesting to note that the name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Dirham which, as we all obviously know, means an enclosure for deer. The name was used because a herd of deer were walled within the park, and remain so to this day, albeit it different deer.
The house, as seen today, was built for a gentleman called William Blathwayt, Secretary at War to William III, and was begun around the very late 1600's right on the sight of the former Manor house. It's now owned by the National Trust who are extensively renovating the building and grounds and is full of artworks and furniture from all over the world. Beside it is the 13th Century church of St Peter, the burial ground for the Blathwayt family.
On arrival and after paying I was politely asked to carry a GPS tracker to help with research being conducted into how visitors use the park, where they go essentially. I said yes of course and as I wandered the grounds I took some interesting routes so that when they downloaded the trail...Well, let's just say they'll find some odd geometric shapes...Small things amuse small minds I suppose. It was a really nice walk though, great views and some company through the many fallow deer for whom the park is named for; They were quite friendly indeed.
Before long I made my way to the house itself, a Baroque-style house, with formal gardens, and entered to find an abundance of artwork from across the globe although much of it was Dutch as that's where William Blathwayt spent a lot of time. The collection is quite priceless apparently and has some unique pieces.
William Blathwayt was an influential and powerful man who sat very close to the king and he used the power and wealth to good advantage flowing much of it back to Dyrham.
Unfortunately some of Blathwayt's wealth was derived from the global economy around slavery and the house contains a couple of pieces that most would probably find quite unsavoury in these modern times. It's history though, and right or wrong I'm not one to feel comfortable with the current trend of erasing it; Neither is the National Trust.
Renovations continue at the house and as one walks around the extent of the decay and decline of the passing of time is evident. The staircase below is one such area currently undergoing some major works and the roof was renovated at great cost already and other areas are slated for repair and renovation also. It comes down to money though. Lack of it usually - A building like this is not cheap to maintain or repair.
The floor around the base of the stair is marble slabs and the post-support added in the 1800's is loading the floor causing the marble slabs to tilt. The National Trust excavated to determine the cause and found the entire floor is supported by timber beams, joists and floorboards. Their decay is the root-cause and the Trust are rectifying the issue. Of course, great care must be taken with the work as the staircase is old!
Other works are being undertaken however it didn't detract from my visit; In fact it added to it as I was able to see the before and potential-after scenario plus the methods used to perform the specialised work. What was old shall be new again, but look old still.
Dyrham Park consists of the house, orangery, stable block, church and grounds and there's a lot of area to cover. I was there for about three hours and probably could have wandered the gardens a little longer although considering it was an unplanned stop on the way to the Cotswolds I didn't linger; Yet I stayed long enough for a snack at the caf茅.
Any gardener would love to wander here and although it's very nice indeed, the engraving below shows just how extensive it once was. I wandered about, sat at various times and enjoyed the view and generally just soaked up the history of the place; It was quite relaxing and peaceful as there weren't many others there. im src 馃憞
The house sits in the center of the engraving with the 13th century church to the left. These days the general garden layout is still there but it looks vastly different.
It's not a great shot but you can see the house in the background and part of the formal gardens as they look today.
Some of the seventy or so fallow deer located at the park. Sadly in 2020 the entire herd was culled after a ten year fight by park staff against bovine tuberculosis. It's pretty sad to think that these little very same deer in the image are no more and it must have been very distressing for the staff.
The Blathwayt family owned the property into the mid 1950's and by 1961 the National Trust had acquired it. An extensive renovation of several million pounds was commenced in 2015 and these days the public are invited to view it and to understand some of its history; Sure some is unsavoury but history can be sometimes.
The Dyrham Park story extends back much farther than the Blathwayt story with people inhabiting the area since the Bronze Age. Also the battle of Deorham was fought here when the Saxons defeated three British kingdoms in 577 allowing them to venture further into Wales and Cornwall. I wonder how many deer survived the cookfires of those armies? A lot of history happened here and I'm pleased to see it preserved for the future and available for those who take the time to visit. It costs 拢8.00 to enter for an adult and I'd say it was money well spent - A great place for a walk and picnic, or cream tea in the caf茅.
I enjoyed the visit, the walk and learning about some of the artwork and renovations as well. I walked back to the car park stopping to return the GPS unit that was clipped onto me and had a chuckle at the geometric shapes they'd see when they downloaded my walking route...And so, part of me will remain at Dyrham.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
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