Tuesday 23 April 2013

Tintinhull House and Garden, Somerset

I want to thank two of my blogging friends - Loi for introducing me to this garden on his blog and June who recently reminded me on her blog that it was somewhere that I wanted to visit.
Exquisite Crown Imperial Frittilary
Amateur gardener Phyllis Reiss designed this small garden in 1933 when she and her husband, Captain F.E. Reiss, bought the house. Her vision was greatly influenced by "Hidcote" and the Arts and Crafts style of garden.
White and blue Anemone blanda en masse
The house was built in the 17th century of honey coloured Ham stone, and reshaped in the early 18th century. It is rightly designated as a Grade l listed building.
Having no family of their own they had intended to leave the property to their nephew, but he was sadly killed in WWll, so in 1954 she gave the house and garden to the National Trust.
Initially the Trust let the house to tenants, including the garden designer and writer Penelope Hobhouse, but now it can be rented as a holiday let from the Trust.
This round window in the apex of the pediment showing a grotesque head at its centre is an intriguing design, both sides of the window can be opened.
I do have a weakness for door knockers, and this one is a fine example
This is the original 17th century part of the house

76 comments:

  1. Beautiful house ! Lovely garden ! I can oly dream to a holiday in such a marvellous place ...

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    1. It would be a lovely property to rent and fill with all of your family and friends, and have the garden to yourself once the garden is closed to visitors.

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    1. It is a gem of a house and garden - small but perfectly formed.

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  3. Dear Rosemary,

    Boxtree topiary, honey-coloured stone and straight lines! These pictures have given me joy this morning and I thank you for that. I am also a loyal fan of Penelope Hobhouse and I did not realise she had a prior connection with Tintinhull House and Gardens.

    I wish you a beautiful week.

    Stephanie

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    1. Thank you Stephanie - it really is a perfectly formed small house and garden.

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  4. Beautiful house and I love the Anemones 'en masse'!!! Love the pots with tulips as well, reminds me a bit of how it was here years ago. Since they didn't survive the winter last year, I didn't put as much pots with tulips anymore, just two actually, and they don't look like years ago either, must be the severe past winter again. Probably will forget about tulips in pots all together eventually. Love the weathered pots the tulips are in at the manor, or house. When is a house a manor? Or is a manor something else? I could look it up but no time right now.
    Marian

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    1. Dear Marian - the Anemone blanda would be an easy feature to emulate. Once you have planted a couple of dozen they would just multiply happily.
      Difficult to define a House or a Manor. Normally, but not always a Manor would be the central part of an estate i.e. owning land, farms, a church and possibly the whole village.

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    2. Thank you for the explanation Rosemary.

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    3. The pleasure is mine Marian.

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  5. A beautiful house and exquisite gardens..
    would love to see inside it.
    Would be a very interesting place to spend a family holiday.
    val

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    1. Dear Val - when visiting the garden you do have access to some of the downstairs rooms, and in fact enter the garden from the door that you can see.
      It would be a lovely place to rent for a family holiday, and would give a good opportunity to visit much that Somerset has to offer.

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  6. This is a very appealing house and garden, Rosemary, and you have made some wonderful pictures of the details. Love the door-knocker and the gates, the old walls, topiaries and of course the pretty flowers. Great post!

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    1. Dear Patricia - There were so many lovely details in both the house and garden that it kept my little camera very busy. It was a delightful couple of hours visiting.

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  7. This is lovely, Rosemary! Thanks for introducing this heavenly garden to us! CHrista PS. Thanks very much for your hint regarding comments of registered users only...

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    1. The house and garden were living in harmony together and it was a pleasure to visit. Hope the 'registered users only' helps.

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  8. Beautiful and your photos are lovely. I know what you mean about door knockers. Mine too, also doors, gates, chimneys and street lamps.
    Patricia x

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    1. Thanks Patricia - sometimes it pays to just look at some of the details as well as the whole.

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  9. Dear Rosemary, Love the facade of the house, reminiscent of the small Palladian country houses of the Veneto,Italy. As always, beautifully photographed...and the rest of the story so well documented. ox, Gina

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    1. Dear Gina - it is a beautiful house on just the right domestic scale - I could happily move in there myself. You are right about the Palladian country house style so redolent of the Veneto in Italy. It became the height of fashion here following so many wealthy young aristocratic men taking the Grand Tour.

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  10. That looks so inviting. Well kept grounds.

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    1. It is a small garden in comparison with many but perfectly formed.

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  11. Hell Rosemary, I love the incredible textures on every surface here. It's too bad the Reiss's had no one to leave their property to. Although the public benefits, I wonder if it isn't important also to have some people lucky enough to grow up in houses and gardens like this one.

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    1. Dear Jim - these wonderful houses should really still be lived in and enjoyed by families, but times change. However, for people who would not normally have the opportunity to see such a lovely domestic house and garden it makes a pleasing visit. Far better than letting the property and garden become neglected.

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  12. There are so many things to enjoy about this house, but what I like most is that, even though well cared for, it retains a marvelous patina. Your photo of the gate and topiary reminds me of an old Dutch Master.

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    1. Dear Mark - you are right - the stonework has lichen growing all over it, there is verdigris on the door knob and the garden walls show signs of years of patch and repair, but the whole ambience is perfect.

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  13. Dear Rosemary, Thanks for sharing - the garden seems to have a lot more colour than when we visited only a few weeks ago! I think the long pond will be lovely when the lillies will be open.
    June

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    1. Dear June - the long pond was really the most empty of all the gardens, and as you mention should be lovely when the water lilies arrive, and the trees open up beyond the wall. Obviously a garden to visit in another season too.

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  14. I like the proportions of this house and the understated style of the gardens, which must have taken a lot of thought when designing and working on them. I've enjoyed the vistas and the architectural details such as the round window, the window latch and the stonework. Lovely photos, Rosemary.

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    1. Dear Linda - it is a house and garden that you feel you could happily move into - not too big nor too small. Many of the details in the architecture were charming.

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  15. Hi Rosemary, Tintinhull House and Gardens is obviously another great place to visit in the UK. You are so lucky that you live close by and can "just go there". I love the house with all the intriguing architectural details and the garden, oh my, what can I say, just stunning! How awesome it would be to stay at the house for vacation, but I guess that is a little bit out of our price range ;-)! You have featured this gorgeous estate in a very beautiful way. Thanks for this wonderful post!
    Christina

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    1. Hello Christina - I do hope that you may have the opportunity to visit this garden one day. The area of Somerset where it is situated has lots of National Trust properties to visit so it is a good location to stay. I do not know the price of renting the property or whether you can rent a part of it only. If you are ever interested you can look at the National Trust website for their holiday rentals.

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  16. So beautiful!!!! I adore that door in the brick wall…
    Hope you had a nice arrival home from your trip : )
    Marica

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    1. Dear Marica - so pleased that you enjoyed the post. Yes, we have been home about three weeks now from Spain so all back to normal again.

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  17. Oh Rosemary,
    What a beautiful house and garden! If I could, I'd move in tomorrow! Sigh... As always, your pictures are wonderful-- and I'm with you: I love the beautiful door knocker!
    Warm regards,
    Erika

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    1. Hello Erika - the domestic scale of this house makes it very attractive, and the garden too is almost manageable with a little help, so yes, I too, would be very happy to move into this lovely house.
      Glad that you enjoyed the photos.

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  18. Beautiful photos Rosemary. We've been to this NT property but it was so very very wet and cold we didn't stay for long. I think another visit is in order now that Spring seems to be finally here.

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    1. Dear Paula - if you give it a week or two then more flowers will be out - the tulips and may be the water lilies will start to appear in the long pond. It is so easy for us and you to visit - straight down the M5 and you are there in no time.

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  19. These old English houses preserve all their charme and atmosphere of a lifestyle démodé but still exciting !
    Esthetic , class and beauty ! Yes, it was a great post Rosemary !

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    1. I am happy that you enjoyed the post Olympia - it is surprising just how many of these houses and gardens we have in this country, but of course many of them are now just in the care of the National Trust.

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  20. Great photos, Rosemary. I love the architectural details you've chosen to highlight. They are just terrific. Wonderful job!

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    1. The details within the architecture were lovely, stonework, and ironwork all in harmony with each other.

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  21. The house and garden are very beautiful even though there are still very few flowers blooming. Another for my "must see" list.

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    1. The long pool was the barest area, but in a few weeks time when the borders are a riot of colour, the leaves are on the trees, and the water lilies are filling the pond it should look lovely.

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  22. Hello Rosemary

    What a splendid garden and no doubt it changes constantly as new blossoms bloom.

    I am going to put this on my list of "to see"

    Thanks and have a wonderful week

    Helen xx

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    1. Hello Helen - the garden was a little bit bare of flowers and the water features had not been switched on yet. Lots of flowers coming up in the borders - the long pond looks lovely later on when it is covered in water lilies. There are a NT properties in that area of Somerset to visit.

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  23. What an absolute gem, Rosemary, and one I'd never heard of. I love the beautiful marriage of architecture and horticulture and just adore walled gardens. Thanks so much for telling us about this beautiful place.

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    1. Although we were rather early to visit the garden regarding flowers, it was good to see the bare bones of the garden which shows how important it is to get the structure right.

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  24. Such a lovely house and garden! I'd love to see that in nature..

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    1. It is not a very large garden, but all of it is perfectly formed and enjoyable to wander around.

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  25. Stunning property Rosemary and one I am not familiar with. The honey coloured stone façade is totally dreamy set off beautifully with the Buxus.
    The Imperials are gorgeous aren't they. We grew them in Barnes where we had space around our pond and they did really well. They don't 'alf pong though:)
    Loving the start of garden tour season at last.
    Have a lovely week.
    Paul

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    1. Dear Paul - I expect that you will be off visiting some lovely gardens to show us soon.
      I have this Crown Imperial in the garden and also the yellow one, but looking at them they all appear to be without buds which is very disappointing - it means I have got to wait another whole year to see the flowers.
      You are right, you do not want them planted too near to your garden seating area.

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  26. Must be a wonderful fantasy, staying at this old estate, imagining for a while that you have gone back in time and this home belongs to you :)

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    1. I suspect that if a family were to rent the house, which accommodates 8 people, for a holiday then most days they would be out exploring the area. The garden is open for 5 days per week from 11 - 5 so you would have it all to yourself until mid morning and then everyone would have left by the time you returned back in the evening. So dreams and fantasy would be a possibility.

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  27. A beautiful place to be and how great it must be to own a house and garden like this Rosemary. It looks wonderful.
    Have a wonderful evening.

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    1. I wonder if houses that are built today will last as long? Considering that this property is about 350 years old and the garden is 80 years old, they are both looking very good for such old ladies.

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  28. Hi, Rosemary -
    Thank YOU for the link :) I just love this garden and all the "outdoor rooms." Beautiful photos! Did you visit recently? Looks like early spring. Really appreciate seeing the bones and structures!! --Loi

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    1. Dear Loi - we were there last Sunday - the borders were only just beginning to sprout, and as you will have seen no sign of life in the long pond. Yes, the garden has good structure and even though there was little growth it still looked appealing.

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  29. I just want to be there, what a wonderful place! x

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    1. That area of Somerset is a very good location to visit - there are about 5 NT properties all very near to one another plus some very interesting historic small towns.

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  30. It looks a lovely place to visit with camera. I particularly like the shot with the leaves bordering the photo at the top.

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    1. Definitely a garden to visit with the camera poised at the ready. Sometimes the shots that you think will not be so good turn out to be more successful when they get on the computer.

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  31. We may design beautiful buildings and stately homes, which are, indeed, truly magnificent, but why is it that, amongst all the beautiful images, the one I loved the most is the one showing "anemone blanda en masse"... yes, masses of beautiful flowers, gift of nature which noone designed, cost nothing to "make" but, there it is, to remind us that beauty, real beauty is only be found in nature, our mother.

    Beautiful post, Rosemary. Sorry I always come up with these comments!

    HUGS

    ANNA on a SUNNY DAY!
    xx

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    1. Dear Anna - hope you have enjoyed your sunny day - it lifts the spirits to have the sun shinning and the flowers blooming.
      I looked at those Anemone blanda and thought - "Anna would like those" - so took the photo, and I was right.
      Cheers Anna
      CIAO♥

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    2. Thank you, dear Rosemary! You are fantastic!

      BIG HUGS

      ANNA
      xxx

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  32. Lovely place, though rather large for a holiday let.I suppose the interior isn't as interesting as the garden, and that's why it is not open to the public in the regular way

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    1. You do get access to some of the downstairs of the house, in fact you enter the garden from the room where the door is shown in the middle of the house. It does have some interesting furniture and paintings and some lovely wood panelling but not as pristine as many NT properties. The house sleeps 8 so a good house to rent for a family gathering.

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  33. What a stunning place wouldn't mind spending a week or two there !

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    1. I agree - it would be lovely to rent the house for a family group.

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  34. so beautiful, love the details:-)

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    1. Dear Jana - it was a house and a garden which revealed lovely details as you wandered around.

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  35. What a magnificent place! Your photos show it off to perfection...

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  36. Oh my goodness ... you should have popped in for a cup of tea. We live just 2 miles away!

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    1. Gosh! you just never know how close we may be to each other - we probably pass fellow bloggers on the street and don't realise it.

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