Posted:  Saturday 15 August 2009

South East Associates
Highclere Castle Visit, Picnic & Walk

- Wednesday 12th August -

Highclere Castle sits in 1000 acres of sweeping parkland designed by "Capability" Brown, and was the home of Lord Carnavon - of Tutankhamun fame - and is still the home of the 8th Earl and Countess.

We took a short walk in the grounds to see one of the many follies - the Temple of Diana - constructed by Robert Herbert, the second Earl.

At lunchtime, the weather was (just) clement enough to allow us to picnic in the grounds - at a safe distance from a toddler's Teddy Bear's picnic!

After lunch we had a guided tour of the house, the third built on the site, which was originally owned by the Bishops of Winchester as far back as the 8th century.

Then a medieval palace, replaced by an Elizabethan brick mansion, converted to a classical Georgian mansion, which was finally transformed into a dramatic castle, with added towers pinnacles and stone decorations in a manner that could only be described as Victorian!

It bears a striking resemblance to the architect Sir John Barry's most famous project - the Houses of Parliament.
The house contains much fine furnishing and paintings including Reynolds, Van Dyke and Gainsborough.

The 5th Earl famously employed Howard Carter to excavate in the Valley of the Kings, and the house now holds an excellent exhibition of the artefacts found, which we also toured.

After tea at Highclere, some of us visited and were given a talk at the nearby Sandham Memorial Chapel.  Built in the1920's, it is filled with Stanley Spencer murals inspired by his experience of WWI - an internationally recognised monument of British art, and Spencer's greatest work.

A full day out for sixteen Associates!

Kevin Williams

(ph  15/08/2009)

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