Batsford Arboretum

[smallhobbit]

Batsford Arboretum is near Moreton-in-Marsh, not far from Stow-in-the-Wold, which we reach via the Slaughters (Upper and Lower).  You turn left instead of right which takes you to Bourton-on-the-Water.  Yes, it's in the Cotswolds!

It was a lovely sunny day - which brought a significant number of people out.  The clue is in the word arboretum, so basically trees, but it didn't strike me as very pretty.  We were also surprised at how small it was, we set off along one path and were surprised at how quickly we reached the end.

This is Batsford church, which is just outside the boundary.  The church was rebuilt in 1861 of Ashlar limestone, a local Cotswold stone:



The gardens were created in the early 1890s by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford (grandfather of the Mitford girls) who had worked for the Foreign Office in the Far East and wanted to have a garden based on his observations at the time. 



Amongst other things he included a Japanese rest house.  Photographed because of the dragon on the roof.



He also had the stream built:



This is Sister's Pool with waterlillies:



It was a pleasant visit, but not somewhere I'd go back to.  We'd had it recommended by a friend of SM's and it was somewhere we hadn't visited before, so it was worth a trip.

On the way back we decided to celebrate the break by having lunch, and ended up having an excellent meal at a local Beefeater, which we had to agree, was the highlight of the day.

Comments

[kingstoken]

Lovely pics

[smallhobbit]

Thank you!

[luthienberen]

Pretty! Like the dragon on the Japanese house. Yay for good food! :)

[smallhobbit]

Thank you!

One of the things we always enjoy when on holiday is eating out, so it was good to have the opportunity.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Nice and sunny! Glad you had a good time (and a good lunch)!

[smallhobbit]

Yes, it made a change. And thank you!

[howsmyenglish]

Batsford Arboretum is near Moreton-in-Marsh, not far from Stow-in-the-Wold, which we reach via the Slaughters (Upper and Lower). You turn left instead of right which takes you to Bourton-on-the-Water. Yes, it's in the Cotswolds!
Omg, I can't believe all these names are real! :D

Lovely post! I particularly enjoy such posts now that I rarely leave the house.

[smallhobbit]

Oh yes, all entirely real - I forgot to mention the nearby Bournton-on-the-Hill.

Thank you - I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[howsmyenglish]

In the German town I used to call my own, there is a street (I lived across the road from it), whose name in "On the hill". It used to make me so happy, that name. I don't even know why. Probably because it's an echo from the times when geographical locations didn't need to be more precise than that. "On the hill" was enough information. Or... I don't know... "under the bridge" :D In this globalized time, when I don't know which country I'm from, things like that give me some sort of foothold I guess.

[moth2fic]

Sounds lovely! I have never been all that impressed by places calling themselves arboretums. I have usually found them too small! I prefer bigger parks with special planting - Tatton Park near here is a case in point.

[smallhobbit]

You'd think an arboretum would be big, given all the trees. Like you I much prefer bigger parks. I doubt this was any bigger than Dewstow Gardens, where we'd been a couple of weeks earlier, and nowhere near as pretty.

[corvidology]

I would always turn right. :D

Also, icon in honour of Lower Slaughter.

[smallhobbit]

But naturally!

And thank you for sharing the appropriate icon :)

[margaret_r]

The arboretum might be small but it does look very pretty, and such a lovely day:) Makes me long for the sun!

[smallhobbit]

It was pretty but we both agreed we'd have liked seeing more flowers among the trees.

Our sun is very intermittent at the moment.

[therealsnape]

Lovely! Batsford Arboretum is one thing we didn't get round to when touring the Cotswolds, how lovely to get the virtual tour now. The Slaughters and Stow-in-the-Wold are fond memories.

eta, also, even at the time I wanted to see it for the Mitford connection - I share the British fascination for them, and Nancy has has a great influence on my writing. So this is a post full of happy thoughts for me - thanks!

[smallhobbit]

I'm delighted you enjoyed the post. The arboretum would have been an ideal location for the Mitford girls growing up - until their father sold It, being unable to afford the upkeep.

[cherchebi]

I love the look of the church

[smallhobbit]

We didn't go inside, although I gather it has items of interest. And because it's a rebuild for us it's not a particularly old church.

ETA: Welcome to DW!

[rusty_armour]

I'm sorry that Batsford Arboretum was a bit of a disappointment. It looks delightful but I can understand why you expected something bigger. In any case, you took some beautiful pictures. I especially like your photos of the church and Sister's Pool.

[smallhobbit]

It's an interesting place to visit, and had we known more we wouldn't have expected quite as much. I'm delighted you like the photos - the church is beautifully designed.

[adafrog]

Pretty.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you.