Thursday 22 January 2009

The garden at Godolphin

I posted the first lot of pics of Godolphin House a couple a weeks ago and this is part two, this time concentrating on the garden. It's 700 years old although how much is original is hard to say - the stonework certainly looks it and probably is. This was late October 2008.

Anyway, the first three were all taken around the entrance to the house. Paths, old granite steps, beautiful aged stonework.







I was fascinated by this raised path that you can just see over the wall.



And here it is from the top.



Borders. This was the end of Oct. but there was still a certain stark beauty all around.



The kitchen garden.



The orchard.



I love these old stone steps built to fit around the base of this tree.



And this lovely little stone trough, hidden away.



An old barn.



More beautiful steps.



I like to think that people who've lived in the house used this as a trysting place. :-)



Autumn trees against the skyline.

9 comments:

DesLily said...

love it, love it, but you know that...as gorgeous as it is...makes me wonder how they cut all that grass 700 years ago!

monix said...

Really beautiful, Cath, I must put Godolphin on my To Be Visited list.

Ana S. said...

wow! These are just gorgeous.

Susan said...

These photos ARE gorgeous, Cath! Oh, now i really want to go and see them for myself, and lie around dreaming about all the people who lived and worked there. I love the haunting quality to your photos, the way they seem to catch time gone, and it's so peaceful and fascinating. Where does that path go, I wonder? All those lovely steps.....and green! I think I'm starved for green, everything is black and white, white, white over here! lol thank you for this post, Cath.

Cath said...

LOL, Pat! You know, I've got a feeling they didn't grow lawns from grass, like we do now. Not sure why I think that but camomile springs to mind which I assume would not have needed cutting. Of course, I'm probably completely wrong.

It's quite a long way down, M, but you could combine it with a visit to another NT place like Trelisick or Glendurgan, whicle you're down there.

Glad you like them, Nymeth!

Susan: Wouldn't it be wonderful to know about all the people who have ever lived and worked at these wonderful old houses? You can almost feel their presence when you walk around Godolophin. (It would be a wonderful setting for a YA ghost story.) I should probably try to find out more about the family. It's a very old Cornish family and their name crops up all over the history of the county but I can't remember anything specific. Anyway, I'm so pleased you enjoyed the photos.

Danielle said...

I've had this saved for ages. Love the photos. It's so lovely and green there, even for October!! I am tired of the bleak month of January and want to see more green.... :)

Cath said...

Glad you enjoyed the photos, Danielle. I suppose England is quite a 'green' country, due to all the rain and hardly any snow, I suppose. You're not the first American to comment on that and I suppose we don't appreciate it enough over here.

Anonymous said...

I love these photos of the gardens, especiallly the tree with the stone steps and the trysting place :)

Cath said...

Rhinoa: I'm really pleased you liked the photos. That little covered way *had* to have used as a trysting place. There's a short story there somewhere...