The City of Wells and The Autumn Colours of the West

We depart Sussex and make our way west. Having made a suitable comfort stop we arrive at Stourhead NT. Stourhead NT is renowned for its breathtaking 18th-century landscape garden featuring a beautiful lake, temples, grottoes, and follies, alongside an interesting Palladian house and rich art collections, offering stunning scenery which is particularly lovely with displays of beautiful Autumn colour. Later in the day we continue to our hotel.

After breakfast we are joined by our Blue Badge Guide who will accompany us today.  First, we travel to historic Glastonbury a town associated with the legend of King Arthur, and famed for its alternative lifestyle and music festival. We enjoy a 45 minute guided tour of Glastonbury Abbey, whose buildings, ruins and parkland are said to conceal Arthur’s burial place. After free time for lunch in Glastonbury we visit Cheddar Gorge, a towering limestone gorge in The Mendip Hills. Time to view the gorge and have a cup of tea before we head back to our hotel.

We enjoy a free day in the smallest city in England today which happens to be market day. Small but perfectly formed, Wells offers numerous historical marvels such as the famous 14c Atronomical Clock. The Bishops Palace and Gardens and, of course, the outstanding Cathedral with its magnificent West Front and stunning stained glass Jesse Window. We enjoy a guided tour of this wonderful building which is right on the doorstep of our hotel. One must also visit the unique Vicars Close a 14c residential street, widely considered to be the oldest intact medieval  street in Europe. If shopping is your thing then there are some great independent shops to browse.

This morning we take you on a trip down memory lane as we visit a gem of a museum, Oakham Treasures. Oakham Treasures is the demonstration of one man’s passion for collecting memorabilia throughout his lifetime. The owner, Keith Sherrell, born in 1939, is a 5th generation West Country Farmer, and began collecting farm machinery in the 60’s as a sideline to his business of buying and selling used farm machinery. As Keith says, ‘I started buying a bit more, and selling a bit less. The things I really loved I kept and it went on from there’.  More recently, Keith turned his interest into the retail area and has steadily built up a huge and varied museum across all aspects of the old high street including an old grocery store, haberdashery, hardware store, chemist, tobacconist, off licence, and sweet shop.  Later in the day we make the short drive to Tyntesfield NT where wee spend the afternoon. Tyntesfield was not intended to be an extravagant statement of wealth, power or politics. Its purpose was simple: to serve as a family home.  Originally a smaller Georgian house, Tyntesfield was transformed into a Gothic Revival masterpiece. Its bespoke architecture reflects the devout Anglo-Catholic beliefs of the Gibbs family. Here they invested their wealth derived from controlling the import of Peruvian ‘guano’ fertiliser. Time to visit the house and grounds before we head back to our hotel.

We depart the hotel and make our way to Bowood House. Steeped in history, Bowood House has been home to the Lansdowne family since 1754 and has seen vast changes over the years. We enjoy a guided tour of the house of which the highlights include: Queen Victoria’s wedding chair, Napoleon’s death mask, the Laboratory in which Dr. Joseph Priestley identified Oxygen gas and a wonderful collection of art and historical treasures. Time for lunch and a look at the grounds before we continue our journey back to Sussex. Having made a suitable comfort stop we aim to be back in the Maresfield area by approximately 18.30