Housesitting in Harlow

We are spending the week with "Little Cat". She is queen of the house! She would not sit on my lap all week, until her people came back, and then she did it!
Ightham Mote Gardens

The gardens are beautiful; at this time of the year we've been seeing lots of dahlias. There are many water features, such as lakes, ponds, a creek, waterfall, fountains, and of course, the moat!Leia mais
More of the Manson Interior

Here are the newer parts (Victorian era and after):
-Parlor/Breakfast Room
-Bedrooms
-Library
Mansion Interior

Here are some of the oldest parts of the house:
-The Great Hall
-The Drawing Room with its 1600s Jacobean era (after Elizabethan era) fireplace and overmantle
-The Chapel with its painted ceilingLeia mais
Medieval Moated Manor

This 14th century house was owned by many people over the years: knights, courtiers to Henry VIII, sheriffs, high-society Victorians, members of Parliament, and more. So it is kind of a blog of itsLeia mais
More of Lancing Chapel

The choir stalls came from Eton College when they remodeled. The carvings are so beautiful!
Here is a side chapel and also a smaller one, for individual prayer.
A very inspiring place, whichLeia mais
Lancing Chapel Nave

This is the largest college chapel in the world! All we could say was, "Wow"! It's more like a cathedral. The apse is 90 ft from the floor. And the rose window, completed in 1977, is the largest inLeia mais
Chapel Narthex

The statue of Our Lady greets us just inside the new entrance built in the 1970s. The painted ceilings are beautiful!
Lancing College Chapel

The chapel is a huge building of sandstone in Gothic style. It is not only used for church, but also as an assembly hall and auditorium. We heard this college has a great music program. It would beLeia mais
"Higher Learning" at Lancing College

While driving by on the way to Brighton, we saw this college up on a hill overlooking the South Downs and the sea. It looked so pretty we decided to go there today. It is a Catholic day and boardingLeia mais
Life "Below Stairs"

The lower level shows how the servants lived and worked. We found out the definition of Still Room--a separate kitchen area (distillery) where cordials, spirits, perfumes, and preserves were made, teaLeia mais
Views and Gardens at Uppark House

The gardens are being restored to their 1800s designs.
Uppark House and Garden

Uppark is an 18th century Georgian mansion in the South Downs (the hilly area south of London). In 1989 a fire destroyed a large part of the mansion, but luckily, it happened during the daytime, soLeia mais
Worthing Pier

Worthing has a pier like Brighton, but instead of an amusement park, it has the Southern Pavilion, which is an Art Deco cafe in the daytime, and a venue for music and other events at night. All alongLeia mais
Worthing: Another Seaside Resort

Worthing and Brighton were fishing villages before they became resorts. Then bathing in seawater began to be recommended as a cure for illnesses. Men and women used separate areas of the beaches.Leia mais
Brighton: By the Beautiful Sea

Brighton is a seaside resort on the southern coast of England, only 10 miles from where we are house-sitting. In the Georgian era, the Prince Regent, later crowned King George IV, spent a lot of timeLeia mais
Rose Gardens, Waterfall, and Fish Pond

Sir Winston handled all the gardening except the rose gardens. That was Lady Clementine's domain. She especially loved pink roses. Then for their 50th anniversary, their children gave them aLeia mais
Churchill's Gardens

Here is another overlook from which to view the hills and gardens.
Chartwell Home Interior

The house is much as it was when the Churchills lived there, with the same furniture, photographs of family, friends, and famous people, displays of Churchill's uniforms, and gifts from foreignLeia mais
Chartwell: Churchill's Home

Chartwell was the much-loved Churchill family home from 1922. It is a peaceful country home in Kent, with beautiful hillside views. Churchill loved gardening, and created ponds and lakes on theLeia mais
Elizabeth Ilive, Countess and Scientist

Elizabeth was the mistress and later the wife of the 3rd Earl of Egremont. She was a devoted mother, and also had a laboratory where she could study and experiment. She invented the cross-bar lever toLeia mais
The North Gallery

This part of the house was built to showcase classical sculptures, and more paintings!
The Carved Room

Another huge gallery of paintings, framed by fantastic wood carvings, including animals, plants, and a violin!
The Grand Staircase, and Medieval Chapel

The Grand Staircase (first three pictures) contains murals painted by Louis Laguerre in 1715-20. They tell the story of Prometheus and Pandora, featuring some of the family members in heroicLeia mais
Petworth Art Collection

This house contains the finest art collection in the National Trust, including paintings by Van Dyck, Turner, and Gainsborough. We wish we knew more about art! Many of the rooms were not used often,Leia mais