This is, let's see, what must the the northern face of the manor house. There was once an avenue of elms here, which were wiped out with all the other elms in England (except on Brownsea Island) by Dutch Elm disease; if you look closely, you can see the stumps in between the newly planted trees in their little cages. This is part of the cow pasture, actually (hence the caged saplings); to the right of this aspect is my cell-phone tree and where I was chased by cows.
This is the opposite (southern) face of the manor. It is guarded by a pair of diminutive stone elephants which stand one on either side just outside the porter's lodges.
This is the paving of the path that circles the fountain once you are inside the gates.
From a leaflet:
The core of the house was King John's hunting lodge and was enlarged, decorated and altered in the 17th century. The figures of Justice and Mercy stand over the south porch reminding men of the days when the Chase laws were adminstered here.
Below is an inner, hedged garden; I phoned H from the far left corner of this garden, whispering into the phone so 1) I wouldn't bother other people (not that anyone else was near), and 2) so Lord S would not hear and have me kicked out—or worse, thrown into the dungeon!
The hedged garden leads into another hedged garden and another; those beyond this have windows trimmed into the hedges. It is a very charming effect. See the horses grazing in the pasture beyond?
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