Great Chalfield Manor

The view from the front

Went on a visit to Great Chalfield Manor today (As our guide said "If you are into the internet, look at http://www.greatchalfield.co.uk/). Well she was about 80. Ignore the slight out of focus photo on the website - this place if quite majorley cool. Built in the 1500c by Thomas Tropnell after he knocked down the original building on the site and created the manor, roughly as it is today. It's had the crap kicked out of it by a bunch of tenant farmers, who among other atrocities decided to tear down the minstrels gallery and burn it for firewood, and was then rebuilt by the present day owners the Fuller family. Better known for beer and rubber (really, they own Avon Rubber). These guys really restored it with sympathy and a great deal of care. Using drawings taken over a hundred years before, they recreated many of the original features (included the aforementioned minstrels gallery).

However impressive the inside of the building, the real jaw dropper are the gardens. The current lady of the house (pretty cool title, hu?) and one full time gardener have done an amazing job of creating a hugely colourful display from every side of the manor. After gifting the house to the National Trust in the 1940s it shows real love of the place to still be putting so much effort into the whole estate. It's clearly a very much loved place by the family (family photos of the last wedding sit in pride of place next to 400 year old tapestries) and all the rooms are still very much is active use.

If you're ever at the Bath junction of the M4 with a spare half day, set the Sat Nav to SN12 8NH and enjoy - you will not be disappointed.