Howick Hall...

I had a restless night last night as it was so warm so snoozed the alarm four times when it went off at 7am. As a result we were a little later to breakfast but it is Sunday after all, so allowed a wee lie in :-))

The weather forecast for today was mixed with rain due early afternoon.  After dithering for a bit over where to go, we decided to take our chances with the weather and visit Howick Hall Gardens and Arboretum.  This was recommended by friends K&M.

Howick Hall is ancestral home of the Grey Family.

Charles, 2nd Earl Grey (1764-1845), is the best-known member of the family. The leading Whig politician of the early 1800s, becoming Prime Minister in 1830. He introduced the Great Reform Bill of 1832. The first major step towards modern parliamentary democracy,

"Howick is also the home of Earl Grey tea!  The tea was specially blended by a Chinese mandarin for Charles, 2nd Earl Grey. It was created to suit the water from the well at Howick. Using bergamot in particular to offset the taste of the lime in it.  Lady Grey used it in London when entertaining as a political hostess. As a result it proved so popular that she was asked if it could be sold to others. Consequently this is how Twinings came to market it and it is now sold worldwide.  Sadly the Greys, being unbusinesslike, failed to register the trade mark. As a result they have never received a penny in royalties."

Charles, 5th Earl Grey, (1879 - 1963)  his wife Mabel and their daughter Lady Mary Howick created the gardens and arboretum between 1920 and 2001, completely removing the very formal Victorian gardens that previously existed at Howick Hall.    They established and maintained an informal and natural style of gardening first advocated by William Robinson in the late 19th Century.  

We didn't see all of the garden due to accessibility issues (some of the site is very steep, and of course the 64 acres covered by the arboretum are by their nature not wheelchair friendly) but I was pleasantly surprised by how much of the garden was accessible.  

A highlight for us was the Sensory Garden set up in partnership with the North Northumberland Branch of the National Autistic Society. It was a joy to spend time in and I've included a collage of images from the Sensory Garden in extras.  Lady Mary's (5th Earl's daughter) private garden was also open today and it is beautiful.  
We also visited St Michaels and All Angels Church within the grounds.  I do love ancient graveyards and this one was full of very interesting gravestones, including the graves of five French sailors lost when the Tadorne ran aground off Howick in 1913.  I could wander for hours.  

As we came back down the path to leave the graveyard I said to D that I never feel scared or creeped out in a graveyard, in fact I always feel at peace and quite safe.  As the word safe left my lips there was a fierce gust of wind and I was hit square in the face by a bunch of spiky green sweet chestnut burs!  Ouch!  I think that's what's called speaking too soon!

Although Howick Hall looks rather grand, it's not been lived in since the 5th Earl died in 1963.  The family moved out shortly after his death and in 1973 the present Lord Howick converted the West Wing into the family home, where they now live. The ground floor of Howick Hall is open to the public and contains the visitor centre.  It gives a glimpse of how grand it was.  

Of course we couldn't visit without popping into the Earl Grey Teahouse for lunch.  I had a simple cheese, ham and pickle toastie and it's one of the best I've had in a long time.  Sadly neither D or I had Earl Grey tea as neither of us can abide it.

We managed to spend the whole afternoon without getting rained on.  There were a few spots when we got back to the car but by the time get got back to the hotel the sun was shining and the wind had dropped.

We had our final dinner in the hotel restaurant at 7.00pm.  We've gotten into such a lovely routine over the last week, it's going to be a shock to the system to have to cook for ourselves again and clear up afterwards!   

We don't have to check out till 11am so no need to rush in the morning. We will enjoy our breakfast before heading home, but it's not quite the end.  We couldn't pass Eyemouth without popping in to say hello to our pal LeeAnne.  A wee highlight to ruin her day sweeten the end of our holiday :-)

The other collage in extras has some shots taken in Howick Gardens.  My main blip is the back of the house.  The other side is the pretty side :-)