Newark Park, 1

Still in the mood for something new (to us), we continued further out into the countryside to see the National Trust's Newark Park home and garden. It is not one of the great houses nor great gardens--never associated with nobility nor any important historical figures, nor great wealth--but there is much to like about it, its origins as an Elizabethan hunting lodge, growth over the centuries as a wealthy family home, decline and the real prospect of demolition, and its eventual salvation by an American ex-pat. He was Robert Parsons, a Texan stationed in the Cotswolds in WWII, who fell in love with England, earned his MA in architecture at Harvard, returned to England, apparently enjoyed a successful-enough career in antiques, and then spent the last 30 years of his life, with partner photographer Michael Claydon, saving and restoring Newark Park. Everyone loves a good salvation and redemption story, right?

Everything was going swimmingly, Vicki advancing ahead,
when this peacock seemed determined to block my passage

Fiercely; I actually had to back away and off the path...

Somehow I evaded the bird and advanced

England, spring

Oft-photographed view of the place

There is, of course, a larger used bookshop within,
normal for the Trust

Parsons and Claydon were rather, um, eclectic in their collections
and decor, so don't expect any systematic treatment here; but note
the enormous breakfront...

Curiosities; and beautiful, still-operating radio

A succession of models of the house as it grew over
the centuries...presented to us by a volunteer, older than
we...

[click to enlarge]

Incredible that this stuff is still in production and available: Morris

Parsons; more later

Among the artwork, antiques, etc.

Dress-up; but we didn't

Looking out the window to the enclosed garden

[click to enlarge]...dating back to the earliest days

Great find and restoration

Painswick And Church, 2

 Continuing our visit to Painswick...

Nave abaft the beam

In the storage/spare parts section of the church; the
Lamb of God thing was very important to the wool
churches...

Interpretive stuff

Or use Google Lens

No gift shoppe through which to exit

Continuing our exploration of the pretty little village

Situated up on the ridge

More excellent interpretive signage

So very Brit-ish

Interesting and most definitely will be on the quiz

So what time is it?

Nice village

Painswick And Church, 1

After the Rococo Garden we drove into Painswick, the gateway to the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds stretch across five counties, as everyone knows, 800 square miles, known for its honey colored Jurassic limestone (but no dinosaurs) and for its postcard-pretty little villages, etc. Actually, Painswick was one of the nicer ones. 

Helpful map

Always read the fine print

Specimen Cotswold prettiness

Now we are in the churchyard of St. Mary's, Painswick's
parish (Anglican) church, with its--legend says--99 sculptured
yew trees; legend has it that if one were to plant a 100th tree,
the Devil would kill it; a 100th tree was planted in 2000 and
continues to flourish; the current count is 103

Really big cemetery

"Bring us a leaning shrubbery"

Theft-proof yew tree

In Painswick we learned that these are called "table-top" tombs...
designed for family cemetery picnics 

Helpful map of churchyard

Must be its age...

Nave; very wool-churchery, though lacking in some 

characteristic Cotswold respects, e.g., a glazed arch over

the chancel; look here for an example

Nice interpretive signage

Not much in the way of sculpture; there were some apparent
funny faces on the corbels outside, but they were mostly 
melted away, as happens with outdoor limestone

Organ pipes