An autumn stroll around the gardens and orchards of Barrington Court, near Ilminster, in South Somerset.

A couple of days after the Autumnal Equinox, with the weather calm and warm, my wife and I visited the National Trust’s Barrington Court in South Somerset.  We have explored the Elizabethan mansion before so we decided to make the most of the sunshine and stroll around the grounds. 

Heading for the gate to the Rose and Iris Garden we passed the Herbaceous Border which was alive with bees busily working away, especially on the Michaelmas daisies.  It was quite a contrast to our own garden; we now see only an occasional bee whereas just a month ago our lavenders were bustling with them.

Bees among the Michaelmas daisies in the Herbaceous Border at Barrington Court in South Somerset.

In the Lily Garden I spent some time taking photos of Strode House and the pond.  Built of red brick in 1674 for William Strode II, Strode House was originally a massive stable block for 12 horses and 2 coaches.  It was converted into a home for the family of Colonel Arthur Lyle, a director of the famous Tate & Lyle sugar refining company, who took a 99 year lease on Barrington Court in 1920.  The Lily Garden was designed by Gertrude Jekyll and the architect J. E. Forbes, a friend of Colonel Lyle.

Strode House at Barrington Court in South Somerset.

The pond in the Lily Garden at Barrington Court.

Moving on across the South Lawn we noticed a huge lime tree standing by the entrance to the East Orchard was graced with an abundance of mistletoe.  Inside the East Orchard we sat in the shade for a while watching the acrobatic capers of a couple of squirrels, and then walked on through the arches in the neatly trimmed beech hedges either side of the Lime Walk. 

Mistletoe in a lime tree at Barrington Court.

We turned back toward the Elizabethan mansion house and arrived at the north front, the main entrance, of Barrington Court.  Taking the path around the east wing back to the south lawn I noticed the churchlike diagonal buttresses on the corners of the house – a pleasing feature.

After a couple of hours in South Somerset’s fresh autumn air it was time to head back to the car; while doing so my wife noticed some cyclamen growing in the shade beneath three oak trees.  Needless to say, we took photos.

Cyclamen, caught in a sunbeam, beneath oak trees at Barrington Court in South Somerset.

Somerset landscapes and skyscapes on the day of the Autumnal Equinox.

After several days of very wet and windy weather the sky cleared on the afternoon of Sunday 23rd of September, the day of the Autumnal Equinox.  I decided to take advantage of the much better weather and have a wander with my camera for a couple of hours.  The landscapes and skyscapes below are the result.

The view to the west from Beacon Hill, Ilminster, South Somerset.

Agrarian landscape west of Seavington St. Mary in South Somerset.

Fields on the northern slopes of Pretwood Hill, near Ilminster in South Somerset.

The view toward Castle Neroche on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset, from the western slopes of Beacon Hill, Ilminster.

Wickerwork wild animals in the woods at Knightshayes Court in the neighbouring county of Devonshire.

Yesterday my wife and I visited one of our favourite National Trust estates, Knightshayes Court in the neighbouring county of Devonshire.  We arrived at 1pm and decided lunch was the first item on the agenda.  There was a queue in the well patronised restaurant, but we easily found a table and were speedily served a baked potato each and tea for two.  After our very enjoyable meal, having toured the house on a previous visit, we decided to explore the woods and gardens to the east. 

During a pleasant stroll in alternating sunshine and shade we came upon some intriguing wickerwork animals placed here and there alongside the footpaths.  Unfortunately I don’t know the names of the artists who created these remarkable works of art.

The deer, horse and foxes were life-size, but I have yet to encounter such an enormous badger!    

Wickerwork deer in the woods at Knightshayes Court in Devonshire.

Wickerwork horse in the woods east of the house at Knightshayes Court in Devonshire.

Wickerwork foxes play in the woods at Knightshayes Court in Devonshire.

A larger than life wickerwork badger emerges from the undergrowth at Knightshayes Court in Devonshire.

South Somerset's well-known Liberal Democrat listed among Quentin Letts' "Patronising Bastards".

My wife and I were in the centre of Taunton last Friday and, as is usually the case, we could not pass Waterstones without dropping in to view what was on offer on the bookshelves.  Quite a few books caught our eye.  In particular I was drawn to the following: Big Week by James Holland which tells how the fighters and bombers of the USAAF’s Eighth Air Force won air superiority over Germany in early 1944; Breakout at Stalingrad, an autobiographical novel by Heinrich Gerlach who himself was wounded and captured at Stalingrad; Patronising Bastards – How The Elites Betrayed Britain by Quentin Letts who describes himself as a “scurvy parliamentary sketchwriter, and Marches blunderbuss”.  Unable to resist leaving the premises empty handed, I bought Quentin Letts’ “peppery polemic”.      

Back at home I opened Patronising Bastards at page 7 where The Rt.Hon. Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon GCMG KBH CH, the most well-known Liberal Democrat in South Somerset, is the target of Quentin Letts’ wit.  He quotes Lord Ashdown, before the EU Referendum results started coming, as stating: ‘ I will forgive no one who does not respect the sovereign voice of the British people once it has spoken, whether it is a majority of 1 per cent or 20 per cent.  Either you believe in democracy or you don’t.’  However, Mr Letts writes: ‘Once remain lost, he rapidly tried to contest the result.’ Such an attitude reinforces my belief that the great majority of those in the British Political Establishment only believe in democracy when it suits them.  In my view the Liberal Democrats are not bad at local level as their councillors do seem to make an effort to sort out problems that impact on their constituents, but nationally they are much too politically correct for me.

Be that as it may, Lord Ashdown comes in fifth on Quentin Letts’ list of the Top 100 Patronising Bastards, but another former Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg, comes even higher in second place!

I look forward to reading more of Mr Letts’ humorous takedowns.    

Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, highlights how British Government spending discriminates against England.

I have just come across a tweet from the Scottish Conservatives lauding the “Union Dividend”.  The tweet proclaims: “This week we once again saw the benefit of being in the UK.  Thanks to the Union every Scot received an extra £1,576 above the UK average . . . .”  Do not the Scottish Conservatives wonder how these words will be received by the English and Welsh? 

In such circumstances it is timely of Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, to have just written an article on his blog, using figures from a House of Commons research paper, highlighting how British Government spending discriminates against England.

Here are the basic facts given in the first three paragraphs of Robin Tilbrook’s article.

“The House of Commons Library published a paper in November last year which was brought to my attention recently.  The report has the figures for the financial year 2016/17 of the Barnett Formula.  The Barnett Formula determines that differential spending on UK citizens depending on which of the UK countries those citizens live in. 

The summary of the House of Commons research paper shows that England has the lowest national average spent on every man, woman and child.  This was £8,898 in 2016/17.  In Northern Ireland by contrast, it was £11,042. 

If you live in the English “Regions” of the South East, East of England, East Midlands, South West or West Midlands you get less spent on you than even the average of England.  It is only in London that British Government spending is more than even one of the other Nations of the UK.  It is slightly more than Wales.  London has £10,192 for every man, woman and child, instead of the Welsh average of £10,076!”

The entire article is well worth reading, here is a link:

http://robintilbrook.blogspot.com/2018/08/england-discriminated-against-by.html

Marcus Fysh, MP for Yeovil, calls for further dualling of the A303 and A358.

Following the recent fatal crash on the A303 just west of Ilminster Marcus Fysh, the MP for Yeovil, has reiterated his call for further dualling of both the A303 and A358.*  The 3 lane Ilminster bypass section of the A303 is a dreadful stretch of road and does indeed need dualling as well as having, in my opinion, a speed limit of 50 mph.  Furthermore, many drivers approach and enter the roundabouts each end of the bypass – Southfields and South Petherton – at uncomfortably high speeds, both for themselves and those already on the roundabout.  As for the A358, I hate to think what turning right to join it will be like if it is dualled – such a manoeuvre is difficult enough now!         

As a former Bristolian I well remember the Long Ashton bypass on the southwest approach to Bristol and the awful accidents which occurred there until the layout of its 3 lane section was improved.

Unfortunately, I suspect dualling of the single carriageways on the A303 and A358 will only lead to traffic reaching the next bottleneck slightly quicker than before, and the extra capacity created will soon be filled by travellers from new towns such as the one proposed to straddle the A303 near Yeovilton.**

Even if Mr Fysh’s calls are heeded I doubt if the A303/A358 will be any less hazardous overall while an awful lot of money will have been spent just to cut a few minutes off the journey between London and the Southwest.  Perhaps drivers should simply be made to slow down, and allow their passengers to enjoy the wonderful scenery as they pass through Wiltshire, Somerset and Devonshire!

*http://www.chardandilminsternews.co.uk/news/16601929.a303-fatal-crash-causes-mp-to-issue-fresh-dual-carriageway-calls/

**https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/a303-garden-town-radical-plan-1002907

A stroll around Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset.

Last week my wife and I had cause to visit Taunton.  We parked the car in the Orchard multi storey car park and, while my wife met up with a friend from her university days, I went for a quick stroll around Vivary Park with my camera.

The gates to Vivary Park on Upper High Street in Taunton, Somerset.

Just inside the park’s impressive cast iron gates on Upper High Street is a war memorial remembering the fallen of World War One and World War Two together with 3 who lost their lives serving in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s and 1 who died in Afghanistan in 2009.  The memorial was erected in 1922.

The war memorial in Vivary Park, Taunton, Somerset

A little further on is a fountain in memory of Queen Victoria which was unveiled in 1907.  It was built by the Saracen Foundry of Glasgow which, in 1895, also built the park gates mentioned previously.

The Queen Victoria Memorial Fountain in Vivary Park, Taunton, Somerset.  The Keep of Jellalabad Barracks is in the background.

The plaque on the Queen Victoria Memorial Fountain in Vivary Park, Taunton.

At this point I took cover in a wooden shelter as a shower of rain passed.  From the shelter I took some photos of the very well-kept flower beds and the Keep of Jellalabad Barracks which towers over the eastern side of the park.  

Jellalabad Barracks was completed in 1881.  It takes its name from the siege of Jellalabad in 1842 during the First Afghan War.  The 13th Regiment of Foot, which later became the Somerset Light Infantry, held the fort at Jellalabad for 5 months before being relieved.  Hugh Popham writes in his The Somerset Light Infantry (Hamish Hamilton, 1968): “The honours quickly began to flow.  Even before the regiment left Jellalabad it was announced in the London Gazette that ‘Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to approve of that Regiment assuming the title of the 13th or Prince Albert’s Regiment of Light Infantry; and its facings be changed from yellow to royal blue’.  By the same order, a ‘mural Crown, superscribed Jellalabad’ was added to the Colours and appointments, where it has remained ever since, to mystify those to whom the First Afghan War is as remote as the Peloponnesian.”  I suspect Afghanistan’s troubled history is far better known today than when Hugh Popham wrote those words 50 years ago!

With more rainclouds on the horizon I took advantage of a sunny spell and hurried off to Taunton Library in nearby Paul Street.  There I settled down in the Military History section where my wife and I had arranged to meet before heading back across the Blackdown Hills for home.