Lanhydrock....... — Steve Chivers Photography

Well dear readers, we are well and truly on a roll. Inspired by our recent visit to Castle Drogo (see Blog “The Last Castle”) and armed with our new membership to the National Trust, we decided to go to the the “Dark Side” and take a trip in to deepest darkest Cornwall and visit Lanhydrock House and Gardens.

So once again, we loaded up a rather superior picnic (made by Aunty Sarah who was determined to raise the catering benchmark to, as yet, unimaginable highs), we fired up the Polo and headed off across the Tamar bridge, to a land that charges you to leave! (Enough said on that point!)

Lanhydrock is located quite close to Bodmin and is about an hours drive from Plymouth. The National Trust @lanhydrocknt has done a stellar job in the way it maintains and runs the entire property. Car parking is a cinch, the main cafe is a delight and then, as you wander through the beautiful grounds, you come across this stunning property.

The Cornish flag flies proudly over the entrance

Still retaining the charm of a time that most have forgotten

Now the excellent cafe opens at 9.30 a.m. but the house itself does not open until 10.00a.m. The National Trust are super organized and on arrival at the main door, you are directed towards lockers, where you can leave your bags so that you may enjoy the property unencumbered. Also, it provided my first opportunity to “embrace the shadows”.

Already embracing the shadows - and this is just the locker room!

As we were waiting for the doors to open we were approached by an absolutely charming gentlemen in full character dress. He said his name was “Mr. Potter” and held the position of Assistant Head Gardener. He and his wife worked from a cottage located in the High Garden and asked us to pass by later in the visit. Meantime he was very happy for me to give him the full Noctilux treatment.

Now I was fully prepared for my visit with what I call my “National Trust Photo Kit”. For the low light indoor shots and portraits (The National Trust does not allow flash photography inside their properties) I have the Leica SL2 and 50mm Noctilux F 0.95 manually adapted. For the wider shots I have the Leica Q (type 116) which allows me a 28mm perspective, whilst still handling low light well, by way of the fabulous 28mm F1.7 Summilux lens.

My objective when visiting these properties, other than creating family memories, is to try and record the history and way of life from a more artistic perspective, at least by my eye. However, you the reader will be the judge of whether I succeed or not.

A Potted History:

The estate dates back to the 1500’s although the house itself was originally built in 1620’s ( the architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott) and until it was handed over to the National Trust in 1953, it was the home of the Robartes family. It currently stands in approximately 890 acres of grounds . Much of the present House dates back to Victorian times and its a Grade 1 listed building. In addition to the House Lanhydrock Parish church stands in the Grounds (more of that later).

The House has gone through a number of reincarnations. It was in 1881 that fire destroyed the interiors of the South and West wings. The property was later restored and went on to survive both the First and Second World Wars. I would direct the reader to www.nationaltrust.org.uk for a more detailed history of the family and the property.

When I walk through these wonderful properties you will see that various things catch my photographer’s eye. I love to explore the shadows, window light often generates a wonderful mood, and there is an opportunity to capture still life, whilst also recording a lifestyle that you would have had to be truly priviliged to enjoy, when most of the surrounding country was living in a state of abject poverty.

Now you never know what to expect in these properties but as we walked in to the receiving lounge I knew that I would not be disappointed.

Beautiful window light creating the mood

My usual priority is to arrive early, get ahead of the crowd and search out the main dining room. There you will general find a high degree of opulence and a glimpse of how the family like to entertain.

That would do nicely for my Sunday lunch

I am always a fan of some nice cut glass with accompanying Bokeh

Somewhere to keep a couple of bottles of the good stuff!

Of course, a restorative cup of tea or coffee to accompany the Brandy

Having seen where the food is consumed my next priority is to find the Kitchen. This is when you realize that catering for a household of this size was truly a monumental task.

Whilst I consider myself a modern man, I retain values which I would term as “Old School”, particularly in the area of personal grooming and the standards that one should keep. When visiting the private chambers of the Master of the House, you see just how the elite maintained their immaculate image (aided no doubt by countless butlers and servants).

De rigueur dress for the Lord of the Manner

White gloves were the “must have” accessory

I was also very keen to explore the gardens. They have been beautifully laid out with various cottages and buildings blending seamlessly in to the foliage.

As we strolled through the wonderful gardens I did not think that it could get any better. It was then that we came to the Local Parish Church. What a setting!

As we left this place of serenity our party all seemed to be very much in their happy place. Ever alert, I managed to capture this image of Aunty Sarah, who was having, what I would term as, “An Audry Hepburn Moment”!

So one last image for the gallery. At every place we visit the girls like to have an image captured on what they term as “The Bench of Contemplation”.

So there you have it dear readers. A glimpse in to the beautiful Lanhydrock House; or at least a glimpse of how I see it through the lens of my camera. I cannot recommend enough that you stop by this wonderful property and see whether the lens of your camera has a similar perspective to mine.

Stay tuned for more adventures, courtesy of the National Trust.