Berrington Hall, Leominster, Herefordshire
The National Trust certainly sure know how to give you a good family day out in Herefordshire, and here’s another of them; Berrington Hall near Leominster is an imposing Georgian mansion house set in ‘Capability Brown’ gardens and pleasure grounds – Capability Brown designed several prominent gardens and landscapes and this was his final complete estate.
So, what’s to do here? Well, the house seems like a good place to start, so go and wander through the rooms and imagine what it was like to live here; see the grand Staircase Hall, the collections and the exhibition of 17th century dresses. If you like what you see, you can try on recreated historic costumes at the Dressing Up Station – make sure you take photos!
Then explore outside; first, the Walled Garden where you can see part of the very rare Curved Wall, glorious flower borders, and an apple orchard where most of the varieties date from before 1900. See the vegetable garden where produce is grown for the tea room, stroll in what’s left of the Edwardian Garden along the avenue of clipped golden yews and past the fountain.
Then go and play in the parklands; have a game of cricket or croquet on the front lawn in summer time, bring rugs to lie on and a big picnic, walk to the serpentine pool and the wildlife pond. Younger folk will love the play area where there are swings and slides, a willow tunnel and a wooden xylophone; the whole family can pitch in and build a den.
And finally, what better way to round off your visit than a browse in the second hand bookshop and cake in the tea room?
Opening times vary throughout the year so best to check the website.
T: 01568 615721 All information correct at the time of writing