Day 205 - July 24th

Today we visited Wimpole Hall. The house, its 3000acres of parkland and farmland are owned by the National Trust and is the only National Trust property with a working farm. The estate was held by the Chicheley family for more than 250 years but was last owned by Capt George Bambridge and his wife Elsie, daughter of Rudyard Kipling. Elsie Bambridge bequeathed the house to National Trust when she died in 1976 and in 2024 received 370,000 visitors.

We started our visit in the beautiful walled garden. It was incredibly well tended with lots of flowers and also fruit and vegetables.

I loved these multi coloured sunflowers.

We visited the farm, but as it started raining whilst there we only said hello to the piglets.

We ended our visit with a look inside the house.

The house is a mixture of styles, reflecting its history and the various owners who have left their mark.

The library has only recently been opened up to allow visitors to walk through it.

While the house has grand public rooms, it also features cosier, more personal spaces that reflect the tastes of its last private owners, the Bambridges.

The "below stairs" spaces, offer a fascinating glimpse into the working life of the house.