- The Big House -
Trip Log: Saturday 22nd February 2025 and I'll be making the most of a free family day pass which Mother WME won in a recent competition. Judging by how full the car park is, we're not the only ones eager to maximise what feels like a rare day of sunshine, although not all of the visitors will be mooching around the mansion. Having successfully been zapped through at reception, we pass a busy stable block courtyard to approach the main house in all its 1780s finery. Designed by George Steuart, this is undoubtedly an imposing sight constructed from ashlar sandstone with curved colonnade wings and flanking pavilions.
- Pass the Port please -
The interior of the mansion is used to tell an Upstairs Downstairs-style story of noble life over the centuries. The Ground Floor showrooms convey a distinct sense of opulence associated with grand living and society entertaining, from dining halls with elaborate dessert feasts to an inner library where valuable books are stored inside locked lattice bookcases. Collections of Regency furniture, exquisite silver and precious porcelain represent the tastes and fancies of the Hill family; we particular admire an agriculturally-themed gallery dedicated to the Hereford breed of cattle, or square cows as Jane likes to call them!
- Ringing Requests in the Servants Quarters -
Continuing below into the basement, we can form an impression of what conditions would have been like for Attingham's team of servants. A bell system indicates where in the house someone's attention might be required, and we can inspect the precision of any linen storage or try to avoid bothering the cook in the kitchen. It is intriguing to think just how many roles were involved in keeping everything running, and of the hierarchies these may have entailed. Dinnerplates record the names and duties of various grooms, scullery maids, butlers and footmen, although I think I'd have probably been the 'Odd Man' if in service myself!
- Attingham Park Architecture -
Taking the opportunity to try on hats of differing persuasions, we note a larder stocked high with chutney jars and manage not to get press-ganged into any washing chores. Back outside, the service yard is a feast for the eyes in its own right and it's only proper to pause for a cake courtesy of Lord Berwick's Tearooms - the scones are virtually sold out so I placate myself with a date and pecan flapjack as a tasty treat. The wider grounds encompass woodland walks, riverside pasture and landscaped parklands, plus at this time of year there is a spectacular snowdrop trail to follow through the trees.
- Forcing Rhubarb in the Walled Garden -
It might be the tail end of winter but that won't preclude us from wandering around the Walled Garden, lovingly restored as a provider of home-grown fruit and vegetables after a period when the facility had become almost abandoned. You don't expect much to be growing in February yet there are hints of life among the furrowed beds while the ceramic pots used to force rhubarb are all lined up in a neat little row. Helpful notices advise us as to which plants propagate best on south- or west-facing walls as a dragonfly sculpture takes pride of place.
- Garden Glasshouse -
Later in the year, we are led to understand that fruit will be trained across the brickwork albeit one quarter of the garden is retained as standard lawn which gets mowed once per annum. An inviting doorway leads then into the glasshouse section which offers fledgling plants extra protection from the elements; the gardeners bothy is occasionally open and boasts displays pertaining to all things horticultural. An adjacent orchard is a pretty spot, covering two acres and said to contain as many as 37 different varieties of apple.
- River Tern Scenery -
In terms of its topographical positioning, Attingham Park is set on the banks of the River Tern just north of its confluence with the River Severn at Atcham. It's a delight to simply roam the woodland trails even if I am keeping half an eye on the Wolves score (playing Bournemouth away in a crucial Premier League fixture). Doubling back past the big house, we briefly cross into the Deer Park to see part of the 130-strong herd of fallow deer from a suitably respectful distance - they seemed quite calm considering there was a Woolf in their enclosure! The herd was established in 1798 by Thomas, the second Lord Berwick, and is nowadays managed by a team of rangers under the guidance of the National Trust.
- A Mytton & Mermaid pint -
Our Attingham appraisals concluded, we switch to pub matters in which case the obvious place for refreshment is the Mytton & Mermaid, a Brunning and Price affair on the B4380 directly opposite the park's gatehouse entrance and its Qui Uti Scit Ei Bona inscribed arch. Knowing in advance this was likely to be expensive, I am nevertheless pleased to see a fine range of local cask ales and ciders while there's no denying this is a high end establishment with refined dining settings. Long Mynd Cider and Holden's Mild are duly sampled, sitting in the picturesque beer garden taking in gorgeous views of Atcham Bridge and the River Severn basking in the sunlight. News of a rare Wolves win brightens the mood still further, making for a pretty perfect afternoon all round. Cheers!
