South Downs

Final day of our wanderings through Hampshire, and through the South Downs.  Many lovely villages and towns on our route. Places like Petersfield and South Harting would be worth another visit at a later stage. 

In the South Downs we visited two properties with outstanding gardens. Both these houses saw the crippling effects of fire in the 20th Century. 

The first of these was Hinton Ampner, an early 20th Century restoration in a Georgian style. Just before the restoration  had been completed the property was requisitioned  by the government as a wartime priority! 

Part of the  beautiful gardens at Hinton Ampner. 

The magnificent Georgian reception room. (Columns are made from wood and coated to appear to be marble!)

Valuable objects collected on many of their Grand Tours

The dining room - most aristocratic houses had their own porcelain dinner sets, with their own coats of arms, made in China. Canton porcelain makers were making, to order, two two-hundred piece dinner settings each fortnight and shipping them to Europe. 

Even wine coolers!

Wonderful setting with great views across   the wooded South Downs. 

Colourful walks around the garden. 

Very old espaliered apple trees. 

The ha-ha at Hinton Ampner - the small brick wall stopping the native wildlife from getting into the garden without spoiling the view! It wouldn't be too effective with some of our critters. 

We moved on to Uppark House and Garden for lunch and a visit to the house. The outstanding position of this house is the most impressive feature. Located on a hill on the Sourh Downs you can see the English Channel and Portsmouth.

Uppark House situated in a prime location.

The 300-year old dolls house is one of the interesting items in the collection. It is thought to have been more of an adult plaything than something for children. 

Uppark was built in the 17th Century and furnished from family members collections during their Grand Tours. Many of these items are still on display throughout the house. 

One of the family, Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, caused a scandal in marrying his dairymaid. He also was involved with the notorious  Emma Hamilton when she was just a sixteen year old. Interesting to see the marketing material which says she was one of the guests to visit the house! Harry actually set her up in a small house on the estate. 

A very stately house. 

The writer H G Wells spent much of his childhood at Uppark - his mother was the house keeper. He refers to Uppark in a number of his books, and it is even thought that for the book The Time Machine he took the underground tunnel as its inspiration. 

We later traveled on to the village of Midhurst for our overnight.