My friend Jean and I ended our day out in Suffolk at Ickworth House, not too far outside Bury St. Edmund's. The house is lovely and the grounds beautiful.
Ickworth was home to the Hervey family for just over five centuries, 1432 - 1956. However, The Rotunda as we know it has only been around for the last 200 years or so.
As much as I love to see Upstairs I always find fun in seeing the Downstairs. Its interesting how they let daylight into the servants downstairs quarters, without being able to see in or out from the gardens. They did this by putting the quarters at the base of the rotunda dug into the ground like a basement, with a gravel path around on the outside and a small wall. So from the outside it looks like part of the rotunda, unless you are up close and look down.
Here you can see the house keepers sitting room that looks out onto the wall, no view, but has nice natural light.
Here we are at the end of the day sitting down for a nice cup of tea at the Porter's Lodge, before we drive back to my sister's house.
They have a lovely nursery and nursery shop. Jean bought this plant for my sister, rather than flowers for the funeral, something to plant in the garden to remember my mum.
Christy
I like the downstairs in big houses too. A satisfying end to an enjoyable day.
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