Gothick staircase hall, Croft Castle

By country house standards the staircase hall at Croft Castle, Herefordshire, is modest in scale. However, size isn't everything as the architect and interior decorator responsible for the work, Thomas Farnolls Pritchard (1723-1777), knew. The Gothick plasterwork in the form of ceiling rose, waterleaf cornice, wall arches, shell recess and quatrefoil dado rail is masterly and gives lightness and delicacy to the space. The slender balusters and clustered newels of the stairs perfectly complement the walls and ceiling.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Westbury Court Gardens

It's understandable that ephemeral items such as clothes are subject to fashion but less comprehensible why that should be the case with gardens. They are, after all, much longer lasting, and a design can take decades to come to maturity. However, garden styles have come and gone and different fashions have prevailed at different times.

In 1712, of fifty eight Gloucestershire country houses illustrated in a book, twenty featured gardens that were variations of the Dutch water garden. Only one of those remains today, Westbury Court Gardens, and that is but a fragment of the original design.It is dominated by two long, straight "canals" and has a Tall Pavilion (1702-3) to allow the concept to be better seen from on high.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100