The old and the new(er)

Our first of four days in Cornwall! From our base in St. Austell, we planned on a visit today to Lanhydrock, a local National Trust property.

Cornwall now has its own set on Flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/81692166@N05/sets/72157646225135997/

Our start today wasn't too early - not helped by us waiting until the rain cleared away. After short-ish drive, we were directed through to a car park, after which we walked through an open grassy area, with quite a few trees, to reach the manor and grounds of Lanhydrock. Because we'd bought National Trust membership beforehand, we can get into all National Trust-managed properties in the UK free of charge. It adds up when you are paying 7 pounds per person per visit!

I wandered around the grounds for a fair while. They had roses and all sorts of colourful flowers just at the castle level, all of which were still in colour:

The colours near the manor

There was also a 'Higher Garden', which was comprised of several areas containing both a magnificent view of the manor and a massive array of flowers and walkways. There was even a cemetery as well:

Higher Garden

The manor itself was really big - we heard that there were over 50 rooms to see. There was so much STUFF there as well. The volunteer guides there put it well - the Victorians had an implement for EVERYTHING! From shoelace straighteners to different types of brushes. On the ground floor there was a massive kitchen area, complete with scullery, lardery, servery, staff quarters and a bakery, among others. There was also a storage room with ice water on a marble table - the old-fashioned refrigeration technique.

On the first and second floors were the more extravagant spaces, which were the domain of the Robartes family. Only one descendant remains - the family lost several family members during the Great War. There were ginormous bedrooms, a boudoir, and massive living areas. There is also the collection of religious books, one of the largest, most important of its kind in the world:

Inside Lanhydrock Manor

After walking back from the manor to the car (not before I indulged in a traditional Cornish clotted cream vanilla ice cream however), we plotted a route back to St. Austell. We decided to make a drop-of-the-hat visit to Restormel Castle, an old ruinous castle on a hillside not far from Lanydrock. On the way we even saw a residence of Camilla, Prince Charles' second wife and the Duchess of Cornwall.

The ruined castle wasn't a National Trust property and cost us money to get in. It was quite small for the price that we paid, but looked really nice in the afternoon sun:

Restormel

Back to St. Austell we trekked. Tomorrow is still up in the air, we might think small or big, depending on what the weather is doing. Catch you then!