Another National Trust house with fabulous gardens. Feeling a bit nostalgic about this one – for some years I’ve been a regular visitor. It’s been a useful (calming) stopover coffee place on my way to visit my parents, and more recently to help clear my childhood home. But now that the house is dealt with and my mother has moved into residential care many miles away, I no longer have any reason to be in this part of the country. It all feels pretty strange – but at least it’s not so overwhelming as clearing out the belongings of someone who has died.
For me, Hinton Ampner (near Winchester) is mostly about the gardens – but the house is pretty too. It is on a smaller, more domestic scale than a lot of NT places, so it is perfectly possible to imagine living there. That drawing room has wonderful windows with fabulous views on two sides – and those sofas are very enticing!
Plus, the NT shortbread is up to standard….
SpinningStreak 