A  Day At Squerryes Captured On Film.

 May 26^th 2011 dawned a blustery day with a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers, following weeks of hot, dry sunny weather. Not to be deterred members of our U3A garden group boarded the coach armed with rain hoods, mackintoshes and umbrellas to visit Squerryes Court, Westerham in Kent. Our agenda for the day – coffee, followed by an in depth guided tour of the house, luncheon, and finally free time to explore the grounds and gardens.  On arrival we were indeed greeted with hot coffee and biscuits, a welcome panacea. I noted free admission to the house and catering was included for our Coach Driver, a thoughtful gesture.

The house, owned by the Wade family since 1731 was interesting for its wonderful collection of old Master Paintings, antique furniture – I loved the piano and 2 very old clocks, many old chests with various wood inlay, some appearing Chinese although we were reliably informed  this was not so, and porcelain especially many very large blue and white jars and vases, again  Chinese in style.  Wonderful views of the garden could be seen from most rooms. Despite the additional charge for the guide it proved very worthwhile. Following lunch the rain showers came, but after sheltering we were lucky enough to get 2 hours of fine sunny weather in order to view the grounds and get our photographs. The formal garden, with borders of box hedges and conifers were immaculate, but for me the main attractions were the lake and woodland walks. Despite the hilly terrain I enjoyed the freedom of the walks climbing high to see the views over the North Downs and farmland beyond. The original Ponticum Rhododendron bushes were at their best, their b looms so much more delicate and colourful than all hybrids. A memorial to

General James Wolfe could be reached following a climb of steps arising  from the garden.

Many thanks to Mary, our Group leader. We all enjoyed a very happy day at Squer reys, as, I hope this photo gallery confirms.