The Vyne

Our next stop was another National Trust home and garden estate, the Vyne. The house and grounds and family areas are fine, but I think the Vyne has over-played its putative Tolkien connection. A "mysterious" 4th century Roman gold ring was found there, with an inscription, and it has been suggested that this was the inspiration for Tolkien's rings. Nevermind that Roman jewelry is found all over England, and the Roman world, nor that a magic golden ring that makes you invisible goes back Hesiod, nor that such a ring was a major part of art and high culture throughout Europe throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Kindly Professor T might have heard of such things. The Vyne plays it all to the hilt, nonetheless. The Tolkiens have disavowed any such connection and the Tolkien Society is "working" with the Vyne on "researching" the issue. All this is beneath the dignity of the National Trust, I think. But the playground, which is why we went, is pretty good.

Tolkienesque map of the Vyne; let's see, the Misty Mountains have got to be
in there somewhere...

Lots of National Trust sites have twig tunnels for the kiddies, but only the Vyne
has Smaug

In the gardens

The house

Great staircase

Library

Kneller's portrait of John Locke

Beautiful great hall

"...and in the darkness bind them!"

Grounds

Shelob?

In the "Hidden Realm" play area, where a hill and tunnels are made to look like
Hobbiton; here is Penelope helping other, older children in mud mound building;
she has at this point commandeered the shovel; it amazed me how willing she was
to approach and interact with older kids

Shimmering Lake: do not disturb the water...