Unfortunately I wasn’t able to wave my magic wand and hide some of the people in this shot. It wouldn’t have been so bad but half of them are wearing bright pink, although thinking about it I suppose they match the cherry blossom.
To the right of the picture is a building that is known as the Hawk House. The first building on this site was described as a greenhouse and erected by Joseph Turner in 1766-7. In around 1912 Lord Howard de Walden rebuilt the Conservatory to a similar plan but topped it with a thatched roof, turning it into an aviary for his hawks.
Lord Howard was a late devotee of the cult of chivalry, and on occasion his falconer Mr Bradd dressed in medieval costume. The Hawk House was seriously damaged by fire in 1977. It was re-thatched and stocked with fantail doves.
Growing on the walls are Wisteria sinensis, purple vines and Jasmine nudiflorum. The back wall provides shelter for camellias, which were given by the late Sir John Carew Pole of Antony in Cornwall. *
*From the short guide to the garden.
A coincidence.. just before clicking on this post I ordered a book called the Hawk!
That is quite a co-incidence! What is the book about?
Very lovely image Cherie…people can be so inconvenient, lol
People, just so spoil photo opportunities don’t they?