Antony....... — Steve Chivers Photography

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones: So let it be with Ceasar.”

Oops wrong blog! Well dear readers as we flash back to that famous speech by Mark Antony in the play Julius Ceasar, by that famous Bard, William Shakespeare, its only equivalence to today’s blog is the reference to “Antony”. Indeed, our “Antony” is situated in the county of Cornwall, just outside Torpoint, and comes in the form of a beautiful 18th-century house and gardens managed by the National Trust.

Regular devotees of my blog will already know that Mrs. C and I are great “National Trusters”. These wonderful properties always reveal a great deal about the history of our country, more often than not are situated in the most beautiful of settings and most always provide an excellent pot of tea and accompanying delectable treat….hold that thought!

Now Antony House has been on our National Trust “hit list” for quite some time. It is rather unusual in that the house is only open to the public between March to October and then only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

So we packed a rather tasty picnic, fired up Bucephalus and dialed Antony House in to the sat-nav, destination Cornwall, or what native folk (“Kernowyon”) refer to as “Kernow”.

Now the Kernowyon are a strange bunch, but sharp as a sausage when it comes to extracting money from visiting folk. To get there from where we live you have to cross the River Tamar, by either the Tamar Bridge or on the Torpoint Ferry. Most unsuspecting Emmets ( the Cornish term of tourists ) can’t believe their luck when told that entry to Kernow, via ferry or bridge, is free. What they don’t tell you is that to get back across the river will cost your three pounds! Moreover, should you need to fill up with petrol then the most expensive gallon of petrol ever is available on the Cornish side of the Tamar bridge. Okay my usual Cornish rant is over and despite all the above, Kernow really is quite a wonderful place to visit.

Now the journey from where we live in Plymouth to Antony is only 30 minutes and involves taking the Torpoint Ferry. Its a sort of “floating bridge” and you simply drive on, cross your fingers and hope it doesn’t sink, then drive off. The entire ferry experience is about ten minutes or in Kernow-speak, “ that will be 15 pence a minute please my lover”!

The crossing from Devonport to Torpoint.

Once the ferry beaches on the hallowed shores of Kernow, the ramp goes down and we are away. Fifteen minutes later we are driving through the entrance to the Antony Estate.

Now, as previously mentioned this is Kernow and so when they say opening time is 12.00 noon they mean 12.00 noon and if you arrive a minute early you will find the gate to the car-park padlocked and the house firmly closed. So always best to arrive fashionably late.

For this visit my photography kit was the Leica SL2 and the manually adapted Leica 75mm Apo Summicron M lens. Interestingly this was the second lens that I bought when I entered the world of Leica M lenses but seems to be the least used. I tended to gravitate between the 28mm Elmarit, 50mm Noctilux / Summilux and 90 mm Summarit. So I am now making the effort to make use of this wonderful unappreciated piece of Leica glass.

Upon arrival we decided to first take a walk around the gardens, not only to experience the wonderful scenery but also to capture the splendid Antony House from a number of different perspectives.

The gardens were originally designed by the landscape architect Humphrey Repton, widely regarded as the greatest English landscape gardener to follow the renowned Capability Brown. The gardens feature sweeping views out to the river Lynher and intriguing sculptures.

Indeed, as we walked through the main garden entrance we came across a rather unusual piece of art. “Water Cone” by William Pye is a rather fascinating bronze water feature standing on the west lawn. It is said to have been inspired by the manner in which heavy rainfall runs down tarmac roads in rippling waves. For me it was much simpler; the light was great and I just loved the backdrop of the lawn and trees in the distance.

The west wing and lawn with the William Pye “Water Cone”.

Regular readers will know that Mrs. C likes to plan these visits with a military precision and it was not long before the “analogue satnav” made an appearance to ensure that we did not miss anything of significance.

As I always say my photographic appreciation of these houses and gardens may differ from yours. However, I am trying to show what I see, through my lens and I hope that you are then motivated enough to pay a visit yourself.

I wanted to capture a sweeping view of the rear of the house and this next image includes, on the left of the frame, the famous Black Walnut Tree that was planted in the 1790’s. It has been recognised by the Queens Green Canopy as one of the 70 ancient trees dedicated to the late Queen Elizabeth for her Platinum Jubilee.

Rear view of Antony House with the famed Black Walnut Tree on the left of the image.

Having explored the gardens it is time to enter the house. Before doing so a quick explainer about the house and its owners.

There house itself was built between 1718 and 1724 for Sir William Carew, although the estate has been the home of the Carew family since the mid-1500’s. The Carew family have a history linked to the English Civil War and John Carew was one of the judges who signed the death warrant for Charles 1st. However, that proved to be an ill-advised move as after the Stuart Restoration in 1660 he was tried for his role in the regicide, was found guilty of treason and was subsequently hanged, drawn and quartered

Sir John Carew Pole, the 12th Baronet gave the house and formal gardens into the care of the National Trust in 1961, on the understanding that the family could continue to reside there. Indeed, Sir Tremayne Carew Pole, the 14th Baronet and his wife Charlotte currently live there with their two children.

The house hosts a splendid collection of portraits, including a portrait of Charles I of England. The collection also contains some works by the renowned artist Sir Joshua Reynolds.

There are aways certain images I like to capture in each house I visit. One of my stock images is to capture the bokeh of the glassware on the dining room table. The Waterford Crystal on display at Antony did not disappoint.

Another peculiarity within National Trust properties is that they never put up signs that say “do not sit here”. Instead they place the barbed head of the Teasel plant in the middle of the seat.

Antony House has its museum-like sections but also is still very much a home and maintains the feeling that there is a family present.

As always I can only give you a brief glimpse of these wonderful properties when in fact you probably need several visits to fully appreciate the history and treasures that they contain.

Of course, after all that creative exercise it was time for afternoon tea and the Antony House cafe, in its rather splendid building did not disappoint. Mrs. C and I enjoyed a tasty fruit scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam accompanied by a traditional pot of tea. We were definitely in our happy place.

Getting all arty whilst chowing down on traditional Cornish cream tea.

On the way back to the car I took the opportunity to capture some images of the estate:

Mrs. C having a moment of contemplation.

Views down to the River Tamar with the Royal Albert and Tamar Bridges in the distance.

Ah yes, no blog would be complete without catching the beautiful Mrs. C unaware, as she sits on “The Bench of Contemplation”.

So there you have it, Antony House, just 30 minutes from our doorstep and so much to do and see. I hope you have enjoyed our little autumn day-out and should you be passing over the Tamar and in to Kernow, take a detour and make the most of the beautiful Antony House.

This year is passing so quickly but Mrs. C and I have yet more adventures planned. So stay tuned. keep smiling and wishing all you photographers “good light”.

Warmest regards from a mild and sunny Plymouth U.K.