Aren’t these pretty? They are obviously some sort of wild primrose as they appear to be self seeded in just one little patch of heath.
(10/4 Thank you to both Julia and Lorna who have pointed out that they are cowslips – not, as Julia adds, often found these days.)
I set off this morning bright and early intending to go to the far top right hand corner (if you were looking at the map) of the heath – the most north easterly point – as I wanted to show you the allotments. However, as you will see I was totally frustrated both by the sun and by the fences…..
(If you want to see the video you will need to click onto the blog as the email notification does not include the video.)
I could just continue to walk you through the gardens but I am thinking that you might now be intrigued by Athlone House. So, if you have five minutes to spare:
The house’s Wikipedia entry gives a pretty good run down on its history. Built in 1872 and owned by a series of industrialists until the Second World war when it was taken over by the Royal Air Force. After that it went into serious decline ending up as a pre-convalescent home belonging to the Middlesex Hospital. From 2003 onwards it was subject of endless legal battles between developers who wanted to knock it down and planners who wanted it restored. Finally it was bought, in a state of considerable disrepair, by the present owner, the Ukranian oligarch Mikhail Fridman. He is rumoured to have paid £60 million for it and spent, to date, £86 million on it! You can read an interview with him here in the Ham&High.
Sadly you cannot really see anything very much of the house and its restoration, which has been going for years – maybe they will invite the locals in for a viewing when it is finished?…. – but I can at least show you this little bit of garden which, for some reason, appears to be open to the public.
Enough, I think for one evening…. Tomorrow we are going to visit Sue in Dorset to see her woodpile and her hedge laying and walk through her woods.
Meanwhile I will leave you with one more of those magnificent trees.
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The flowers are cowslips. Not seen very often these days.
They look like cowslips – Primula Veris – and Horace would be proud of your beautiful photographs of the trees!
Thank you!
Wow! that is praise indeed Lorna – thank you…… And for those who might wonder why Horace would be proud of my photographs – and why I am so flattered – see this post.
Delightful photo of cowslips❣️I love your blog as it brightens my day whatever the weather 🌈
So glad!!
Looks like cowslip to me – will send you pic of mine
Ooh yea, please do….
Loving looking at the buildings especially the red brick one. Looks like the place we should be moving into – a tiny portion of it anyway! – if we still can in 2 weeks, please God or whoever, so I can get out of a VERY HOT top floor flat with no garden, which is no fun currently. We also saw bluebells this morning for the first time this year. So joyful. When do we get to see a bit of you, Michelle, and show us your new house so I can see!
Very hot top floor flat with no garden sounds HORRIBLE, Micki. Do hope you get to move….. Well, lovely though your new abode I am sure will be, I suspect it will not have cost £86 million to refurbish…… which is what that red brick one is rumoured to have cost!!!
I think everyone will see all too much of me in the awards presentation at the end of the month but since I try not to go onto the heath at weekends and leave it for those who don’t have gardens I’ll give you a tour of the residence and garden, such as it currently is, over the weekend.