After breakfast we said adieu but not goodbye to the Cotford Hotel. We will be back.

We headed off to Croft Castle stopping briefly at the Hop Pocket for me to purchase the other colour cardi that I loved from the day before. Mr C and mum stayrd in the car. As I was purchasing the cardi I had a lovely chat with the sales assistant about the type of cardigan and a special broach to wear with it that he said they used to sell them but for some reason they weren’t available anymore.

Croft Castle was a little sparse inside compared to our previous visit, however I enjoyed the explanation of the two dragon statues outside the house. I learned that one is a Wyvern, a Welsh Dragon (black dragon), that has only two legs.

Whilst there we looked inside the medieval church of St Michael and All Angels and the walled garden which was especially spectacular due to it being allowed to grow more naturally without over pruning.

The café looked very busy so we continued on our journey eventually stopping in Ludlow for a takeaway lunch. Mum and I were told to find a suitable bench for an outdoor picnic, which we did. Twenty minutes later neither Mr C or the sandwiches had emerged from the café. Mum and I were left wondering where he had got to. When he emerged with drinks but no food he informed us that the café was rather busy and they would get around to our order when they could which would take some time. After waiting a further twenty minutes Mr C arrived with some food, although his sandwich had not arrived. He told them to forget it, luckily the sandwiches, when they arrived were large and mum and I were quite happy to donate a triangle of sandwich each to him.

After our slightly stressful lunch we unwound in the local bookshop. Mum picked up a couple of non-book items and I purchased Places of Pilgrimage by Ian Scott Massie which has given me ideas for future adventures (and blog posts).

We took a leisurely drive home and later Mr C and I enjoyed ‘Fine Dining’ at Chez Nous, Jamie’s Breaded Chicken with Rocket which takes moments to prepare. A fitting conclusion to a lovely few days away.

We set off on our journey later than we intended, partly due to the inclement weather. Along the way we spotted an ideal cafe for lunch, but the mornings downpour had turned the parking area into a field of mud! This meant we had to abandon the idea of lunch there, it also involved some off-road driving, across a field in order to get back to the main road.

We continued on our journey and ended up at the National Trust property Snowshill Manor for lunch. The cafe had a nice ambiance and the food was delicious. By the time we had finished eating it had stopped raining, allowing me to take pictures of the garden before entering the house. I found Snowshill Manor with its eclectic collections quite fascinating.

After visiting the Manor we made our way to Malmesbury and The Old Bell where we were staying for the weekend. When we entered the room we found that there was a rather unhappy looking bear in residence…

Mr C suprised me by producing a bottle of Lustau Sherry from his packing case. We enjoyed a glass whilst we got ready to dine in the hotel restaurant. The food was delicious and we had a nice relaxing evening.

6th June 2009

Robert Burns

Work is currently underway to restore the imaginary fishing village of Wolf’s Cove which previously stood around the large pool at Snowshill Manor.

National Trust SW reports in May 2013:

Snowshill has a lost village called Wolf’s Cove which will be excavated this year. It will then be completely reconstructed based on documents and archaeological evidence.

Quirky and true to Snowshill’s spirit of place. Wolf’s Cove was a model village with canals, harbour and railway created and developed into the 1930s and then removed in the 1970s.

The World of Wolf’s Cove:

Whilst living in Hampstead, Charles Wade built one of the first model villages designed for use outdoors, based on a Cotswold village, which he called ‘Fladbury’. Later, when laying out the gardens at Snowshill, he incorporated the village but changed it’s name to ‘Wolf’s Cove’ and added a port. The name was taken from a hulk he had seen  and sketched in Ipswich harbour.

An article in Our homes and Gardens in 1920 describes it in detail; ‘The river meanders through a pleasant meadow…. Here a punt is moored to the landing stage…. A watchman stands all day to prevent fishing in these preserves.’ In English Journey (1934) J. B. Priestley recorded his pleasure at seeing the village; ‘The miniature seaport…. has a proper harbour in one of the ponds of the garden. It has its quay, its fleet of ships, its lighthouse, its railway system with station, sidings and all, its inn, main street and side streets, thatched cottages and actual living woods.’

John Betjeman endowed the village with real characters to such good effect that his article about it in The Architectural Review (1931) persuaded at least one reader that the village really did exist!*

The building you can see in the last photograph is the roof-space of the Sancta Maria Byre. Wade converted this into a small room which he called ‘The Jolly Roger’.  Jolly Roger was intended to be part of the seaport of Wolf’s Cove, with the pond in front containing the ocean. In summer Wade used this cabin as a bedroom and would plunge into the pool every morning for a bracing wash.

*From the Snowshill Manor guidebook 2010 edition.

There is a recurring dragon theme in the gardens at Snowshill Manor.  The photo above is of a statue of St. George and the Dragon. It was commissioned by Charles Wade from a Tyrolean craftsman, A. Dapre. It is a copy in teak of a statue that is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum.  The replica is faithful in every detail except size – the original is approximately one foot ten inches high.*

*Info from the Snowshill Manor and Garden guide book 2010 edition.

The music room contains instruments from the 18th and 19th century, showing some fine examples of English craftsmanship. A Latin inscription above the door translates as ‘Man is carried to heaven on the wings of music’.  Within the room there is an angel with no wings hanging from the ceiling.

The instruments are displayed in groups around the room, more or less in the order that would be found in a small orchestra. Thus on the left are the strings, in the centre the woodwind and the brass, and on the right percussion.*

The woodwind section of the orchestra is well represented by the oboes and clarinets on the shelf, and the flutes on the wall are made from wood or ivory. Beside them hang two curious German flutes shaped like walking sticks. The three serpents, despite being made of wood and having finger holes rather than keys, are in fact classed as brass instruments.*

*From the Snowshill Manor and Garden guide book 2010 edition.

Henry Van Dyke (from the poem Katrina’s Sun-Dial)

The first hint of Charles Wade is seen even before entering the house: the post-box to the left of the door carries his coat of arms together with his motto NEQUID PEREAT, which means ‘Let nothing perish’. The phrase not only reflects the purpose of the collection but also the way in which Wad went about his work, whether restoring a broken object of using scraps of paper for drawing, including both sides of each sheet. this is a marked contrast with modern attitudes, where consumer goods may be recycled but rarely repaired, and basic materials are used once and thrown away.*

*From the Snowshill Manor and Garden guide book 2010 edition.

Built in the 15th century and extended several times since, Snowshill Manor owes its current form to many people but above all to Charles Paget Wade, who restored it to house his collection, displaying what were to him the essentials of colour, design and craftsmanship.

Nestling in  the head of a Cotswold valley, Snowshill Manor has the stature of an idyllic country house. The manor of Snowshill has a long history and was first recorded when the King of Mercia gave it to Winchcombe Abbey in 821 AD. After the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century, another monarch, Henry VIII, included it in his dowry to Catherine Parr. After a succession of somewhat less regal owners and tenants, Charles Wade purchased it in 1919. He spent three years restoring it in order that anyone with an interest in design and craftsmanship could marvel at and learn from his collection. The extent of his achievement can be seen today in the huge number of items on show in the twenty rooms of the manor house.*

*From the Snowshill Manor and Garden guidebook 2010 edition.

Cherie