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Wednesday, 9 October 2019

More Than Just Trees

It continues to amaze me that, after eight-and-a-half years of writing this blog, I still find places within an hour or so of home that I've never visited before. Yesterday it was Lynford Arboretum in Norfolk which, it turns out, has a lot more to see than just trees.


A line of flooded sand and gravel pits along the valley of the River Wissey provide a home for water birds, and in summer they're a favourite picnic destination for families.


There's even a beach! Or more exactly there's a large area of sand left behind by the quarrying operations. 


This whole area is surrounded by trees in the shape of Thetford Forest, which is lowland Britain's largest area of commercial forestry, created in the wake of WWI to increase the country's reserves of wood. Nowadays the Forestry Commission manage the land for recreation and wildlife as well as timber production. Persistent high-pitched yipping calls from the treetops gave away the presence of Crossbills feeding on the pine cones, getting a clear view of them was another matter!


The Arboretum owes its existence to the former owners of Lynford Hall (now a hotel). The present building is just the latest mansion to stand on the site. It was built in the 1860s for Mr Stephens Lyne-Stephens who was reckoned to be the richest commoner in the country. A huge area of formal gardens, including the Arboretum, was laid out around the Hall. Some of those gardens are retained as the hotel's private grounds but much of it is now in the hands of the Forestry Commission, who own most of the Hall's former estate.


I've often shown you pictures of Highland Cattle, with their huge horns and shaggy coats, on the blog, but I think this is the first time I've shown you one of their little calves. Cute or what?


It's strange to suddenly come across a beech woodland in the midst of the largely coniferous forests, presumably inherited from the old estate.


And even stranger to find a small, Victorian church in amongst all the trees. It's actually a Catholic church and was built for Yolande Duvernay, a former ballerina and one of the most beautiful women of her time. She became the mistress and later the wife of a rather plain, plump, balding man who was some eleven years older than her. The fact that he was immensely wealthy must have helped (!). Yes, she became Mrs Stephens Lyne-Stephens and on his death inherited his huge fortune.


This little woodland church was small beer for Yolande; she also paid for the huge, cathedral-sized Catholic Church in Cambridge. She led a very colourful life and is the subject of the book The Beauty of Her Age: A Tale of Sex, Scandal and Money in Victorian England by Jenifer Roberts.


Time to get outside again and continue our walk.


For some reason I lingered to view this overgrown and neglected doorway around the back of the church, which seemed to capture the sadness of this redundant little building.


The path weaves its way back through the trees, many of which are non-native species which survive from the Victorian landscaping of the grounds around the Hall.


Just a touch of Autumn colour was beginning to show as we get closer to the Arboretum. It's going to look magnificent in a week or two, though I don't expect to re-visit this year - we'll find some autumnal shades somewhere though, I'm sure.


There was something else I was hoping to see while I was here.....


…..from a distance you could easily mistake these little fungi for some late summer flowers; they are certainly colourful enough!


One that had been kicked over revealed its even more vivid underside.


These fungi were so tall that I could get my camera down to ground-level and look upwards at them. But someone was looking at my antics with distaste....


A green man had been carved into one of the dead tree stumps and it's now rotting and disintegrating in a very pleasing fashion.

There are several well-marked walking routes in the area so I'll probably be back again to investigate further.


Take care.

21 comments:

  1. And even if you didn't find new places few of us would mind a return visit to some of the old haunts.

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  2. It must have been a sunny day by looking at the blue sky. What a great way to spend the day and explore the beauty of the surroundings of Lynford Arboretum. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. So much beauty in this post, from the wispy clouds to the green glow of the trees. Gotta love that calf too. Great post!

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  4. A wonderful area, and yes, the calf is quite photogenic.

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  5. That looks like a wonderful area to explore. Beautiful beech grove and an interesting church. The "sex, scandals and money" sounds interesting too!

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  6. How awesome to still find such fabulous places like this. Thanks for taking us along and, as always, the fun facts that go along with the finds.


    My Corner of the World

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  7. So many wonderful places to visit in your neck of the woods.

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  8. What a great find! Thanks for the tour :)

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  9. Lovely shots as usual - but I think that single colourful Autumn leaf sums up the time of year perfectly.

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  10. Hi John - what a delightful find ... with such an interesting history ... but your walk is just wonderful to envisage ... and I love the fungi photos ... while the green man carving is just amazing. I'm glad you'll go back and give us more insights anon ... cheers Hilary

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  11. These are great photos to capture the early autumn mood...love the closeups, and what a strange chapel (architecture I mean)...I hope the larger cathedral looks a bit more (how shall I say it) dignified?

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  12. What a grand place to explore. Such a variety of beauty there. And yes, that calf is so cute!

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  13. That calf is darling...I have got to remember to send a friend here. This is sure a beautiful place...I hope someday you go here when autumn is in full swing.

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  14. The calf is rather cute. I like the shaggy look it has. The scenery is absoutely beautiful.

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  15. The calf is gorgeous, reminds me I need a hair cut

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  16. Looks like a beautiful spot to explore. That's a very nice looking Victorian church. A fun thing to come across while walking in the forest. The little calf is indeed very cute!

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  17. Lovely post and super photos, as you say so much more than just trees:)

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  18. There's always someone looking with distaste when we're trying to get that awkward shot ☺️ The calf is adorable John and the shots from this walk a delight to see. Gorgeous unexpected beechwood forest ✨

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  19. The little highland calf has already perfected the Grumpy Look! The exterior of the ballerina’s church is so pretty. Lovely shots of the fungi.

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  20. my friend Rose, sent me the link to this post and simply said, go to this blog and scroll down until you see why I sent you the link. It is that amazing beautiful and oh so precious Highland Calf... I love cows and have a thing for shaggy Highland Cattle. After viewing your photos on the last five posts I see you have much to show of animals with 4 legs...I had to check out where you got your post title and the title is perfect. I would love to see your country. I am in USA in the sub tropics, which means we have nothing like your gorgeous country side... beautiful blog. You have a gift for photography. my favorite photo today other than the calf is the stone steps near the bottom

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  21. What a beautiful place to visit. So calm, green and interesting not like British politics at the moment. It must be nice to escape to these pleasant places. Love your photography and different camera angles.

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