Hazelwood
Residents' AssociationHazelwood
Residents' Association
Tatton Park Visit June 7th 2008
Tatton Park comprises the Mansion, Old Hall (not open on the day of our visit), Farm, 50 acres of gardens restored to how they would have been in Edwardian times and over 1,000 acres of parkland containing red and fallow deer and sheep. Tatton Orchid Festival was held on the day of our visit with beautiful and imaginative displays of every type or orchid in and around the house.
On our way to Tatton we popped into Knutsford with quaint cobbled streets and shops selling unusual pottery, knitted items, designer handbags and clothing (amongst other things). There are two theories on the origin of the name Knutsford. One meaning 'Canute’s Ford' (where King Canute forded the River Lily in 1016), others think it means 'Neat's Ford', a crossing place for cattle.
It was beautiful to see a herd of deer in the parkland alongside Tatton Park’s driveway. The Courtyard was home to an old style colourful merry-go-round, shops selling gifts, plants, food and even meat from the Tatton Park Estate. The restaurant had an array of good quality food, especially the clotted cream scones which had to be shared with the cute chaffinch and wagtail bobbing in and out of the tables!
The Egerton family have owned Tatton Park since 1598. The Old Hall was the Tatton’s main house, dating circa 1490, until the Egertons came to live on the estate in about 1716 when they remodelled an existing house to form the Mansion House. The present neo-classical building and its portico were completed in 1791 with various additions and alterations during the course of the 19th century. In 1884 the house was one of the first outside London to have an electrical system. It was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1958.
Some of the rooms in the Mansion House were surprisingly light and airy. Much of the furniture and ornaments displayed had been made specifically for Tatton Park, some of it being made specifically for Tatton Park by Gillows, the famous furniture maker. In the Entrance Hall hung the painting ‘The Cheshire Hunt’ depicting, as its name suggests, a hunting scene featuring members of the Egerton family. Amusingly, there was a list detailing who the hunters were and the names of their dogs! The skilful art of rosewood and brass positive and negative marquetry was displayed on the bookcase in the Music Room. After the feminine elegance of the Music Room and Drawing Room, the Library was very masculine with imposing bookcases housing over 8,000 books. The oldest book, a treatise in Latin on architecture, dates from 1513. Some of the books were 2ft long – a bit big for bedtime reading! The Dining Room’s Rococo style with plaster frieze incorporating shells, leaves and scrolls contrasted with the more formal neo-classical style of the previous rooms. At the top of a grand staircase the Upper Landing displayed ten full-length portraits known as ‘The Cheshire Gentlemen’ and not only did their eyes follow you wherever you went, but also their shoes! The bedrooms are very pretty and all named after their décor. Four poster beds had been cut down and refashioned, one of the end posts having been converted into an electric standard lamp! The servants' bells were still in situ near the Butler’s Pantry, all being different sizes so that the staff could tell which room had called by the tone of the bell. We were able to view the stark white tiled Kitchen and Scullery (with its teak sinks), Still Room, Butler’s Pantry and Linen Room. The china closet in the Housekeeper’s Passage displayed glasses and china used by the family.
The gardens begin through a Wisteria entwined pergola in a walled vegetable/fruit garden leading into Charlottes Garden, the first formal garden completed in 1814, with formal lawns, flower beds, a handkerchief tree, arbor and fountain. Dominating the skyline to the right is the stunning topiary, an art introduced by the Romans and revived by the Victorians. Immaculate round shapes and a bird (probably a peacock but looks more like a duck) painstakingly cut out of Yew.
Unfortunately, the spectacular Rose Garden contained only one open rose, but would have been a most beautiful sight. The quaint Tea House was used by Lady Egerton to sit undisturbed. In stark contrast, the Tower Garden has a more masculine feel, dominated by the Tower, originally used to watch for sheep stealing, with its unusual climbing hydrangea clinging to the side.
Over the Golden Brook a picturesque small wooden bridge crosses the water and leads to a clump of Gunnera with its gigantic umbrella like leaves and flower stems that look like bottle brushes.
Walking through the Arboretum, dating from 1795, there are numerous trees and rhododendrons, which were still ablaze with colours.
The wonderful Japanese Garden can only be viewed from the perimeter of its bamboo fence unless you are able to join one of only two tours taking you through the garden itself. Even so the oriental splendour can still be seen. The aesthetic Shinto Shrine with the ‘almond eye’ bridge adjacent, quaint little Teahouse and authentic Japanese artefacts are set in an abundance of brightly coloured Acers and Bamboo.
The Choragic (meaning chorus) Monument of Lysicrates is a little bit of ancient Greece standing at the end of the Broad Walk, a rhododendron and tree lined road back to the house, this being the house’s original driveway. Along the way the African Hut reminded Maurice Egerton of his love of Africa and served as a Summer House. The unhappily named Leech Pool is much prettier than its name suggests with Azaleas and Rhododendrons in hot colours planted around the pool.
One of the earliest features of the garden is the Maze
which was on a very early plan of 1700
The statue of Neptune stands proud in the
centre of The Italian Garden with its highly manicured formal box hedging,
miniature conifers and gravel paths. Its backdrop is a spectacular view across
the countryside.
The Fernery feels very tropical housing giant Tree Ferns, exotic plants and Creeping Fig covering the wall. The goldfish thrived in their pool underneath the ferns.
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