Bolton Hall garden

When we were in Yorkshire I noticed this sign for an open garden day. I hadn't been to Bolton Hall for over forty years. On that occasion there had been an auction sale of unwanted household goods, what Americans would describe as a 'yard sale'. Some yard! I well remember what we bought; three Victorian chairs, all of them riddled with woodworm and a child's playpen. Our first child was at the crawling stage and we were delighted to bid for, and get, the enormous Victorian playpen. And enormous it was, it took up nearly all the space in the living room of our home. It was designed for the nursery of a far greater house than ours! One of the chairs was beyond saving but the remaining two, a small button-back rocker and a ladies' fireside chair, treated and reupholstered, are still going strong.

The Hall is imposing. Lord Bolton had been walking his dogs and was putting them into the house before people arrived.

The gardens have 'good bones', a strong structure of terraces leading you upwards to enjoy the lovely setting.

I would have loved to have seen any old photos of the garden in it's heyday. This upper terrace obviously had a hard pathway and deep border at some point

and the wall would have been heated to aid the production of fruit from the trees trained along it's length.

The Edwardian rock garden has been newly restored. It lies beyond the formal gardens in a dip of land.

It's a good place to sit out of the wind and catch a bit of sun. 

A small stream runs through the rock garden

with stepping stones

and a cupid who has lost his bow and arrow.

Just the sort of outing I enjoy!