We were having far too much fun for me to write daily bulletins on our France-England adventure, but now I can recap some of the highlights of the England leg.
From Paris, we took the Eurostar from Gare du Nord to Saint Pancras.
Unfortunately, we didn’t leave enough time to make the train – or perhaps it was simply that the French are not as well organized as they should be to process passengers in time – but either way, we ended up missing our train and having to catch the next one an hour later.
This was not as big an inconvenience as it perhaps sounds as we were met in London and made our way quickly to Long Melford in Suffolk for a wonderful lunch – albeit a little later than planned.
After lunch, we popped to Kentwell Hall, the moated 16th century stately home with its gothic touches and extensive gardens, all being lovingly and passionately restored by Judith and Patrick Phillips, who bought the place in 1970.
The property was mentioned in the Domesday Book in1086, so its history dates back even further.
To get to the house, we had to drive down what is said to be the longest lime drive/walk in England. Lime trees here are the originals and date back to Elizabethan times.
Judith met us and guided us up to the house and into the gardens, explaining as we went all the hard work they had done to restore the house. It is a monumental work, and thank goodness for their passion and enthusiasm.
Who knows what will happen when they are no longer able to care for the place, which has been used in TV shows and movies and for weddings and is popular today for events that allow participants to dress up in period costume and get a taste of life in the Tudor period.
The walled garden was particularly attractive with its massive, ancient espaliered apple trees, but it is the unspoiled beauty of the surrounding countryside that the Phillipses have added to the property that keep the natural, bucolic charm of the place intact. The garden also has a long hedge of yew topiaries that tell the story of the Pied Piper of Hamlin.
Judith is particularly fond of her horses, one of which is a famous Suffolk Punch with a very sturdy stature and magnificent tan coat. This was a fabulous first experience wth England and its lovely country houses and countryside and romantic, rambling gardens.
Judith was extremely generous with her time and answered all our questions and was a pleasure to spend time with.
From Long Melford, we headed on to Bury St. Edmunds and checked into our splendid lodgings, The Angel, right in the centre of town and opposite the beautiful Abbey Garden.
