Helmingham Hall in Suffolk has been the home of the Tollemache family ever since it was built in 1480. The Hall itself is not open to the public (they even have drawbridges to keep the riff-raff at bay!), but the glorious gardens are open. At present they are also home to an exhibition of sculpture entitled "Art For Cure", supporting a breast cancer charity. Lets just show you some photos....
(photo from Les)
I did do a bit of research, both before and after going, but didn't find a great deal of interest about the gardens. However you can't delve into the history of the British aristocracy without turning up an eccentric or two, in this case the parents of these two men: Leone Sextus Denys Oswolf Fraudatifilius Tollemache-Tollemache de Orellana Plantagenet Tollemache-Tollemache whose initials spell out "LSD of Tollemache" (the LSD stands for the monetary £sd, they say, but I'm not so sure!) and his brother, Lyulph Ydwallo Odin Nestor Egbert Lyonel Toedmag Hugh Erchenwyne Saxon Esa Cromwell Orma Nevill Dysart Plantagenet Tollemache-Tollemache, whose first seventeen initials make "Lyonel the second".
Take care.
Noel Coward's 'The Stately Homes of England' came immediately to mind when I saw the house and then the ridiculous names of the brothers. But the garden is lovely in the formalised way of stately homes. The flowers rampage with little time for ordered display, and the garden ornaments add a pleasing modernity.
ReplyDeleteI've just discovered this on Wikipedia - "The Tollemache family's names are parodied in Book 1, Episode 4 of James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake, as Helmingham Erchenwyne Rutter Egbert (HERE) Crumwall Odin Maximus Esme Saxon (COMES) Esa Vercingetorix Ethelwulf Rupprecht Ydwalla Bentley Osmund Dysart Yggdrasselmann (EVERYBODY)." As someone whose entire name is just sixteen letters long, I'm very jealous!
DeleteOoh. And ahh. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI love the mixture of garden art and art in the garden. And hope a cure for ALL cancers can be found.
Your photos of the house and garden are lovely. I like the peacock sculpture. I hope both of the long named Tollemaches felt safe behind their dawbrige:)
ReplyDeleteWow, that mansion is 400 year old! The garden is exquisite. The whole place is a work of art.
ReplyDeleteThe architecture of Helmingham Hall is exquisite as are the gardens. Often these days, I too would love to be able to pull up a drawbridge, and keep the world at bay.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful place to visit, the gardens are beautiful. They but hav eenough money to keep the house private or the would have opened it to the public
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean they have to let down the drawbridge every time they want to nip to the shop for a bottle of milk??? Interesting house but assuming it is a permanent home, how awful to live in such an enormous place and just have a few rooms in use. But the garden is a different matter John - super photos of both the herbaceous borders and of the box garden - I wonder how many gardeners they employ to keep it all in such brilliant condition. I am not a lover of dahlias - their colours are so 'in your face' unsubtle- but I loved your take on the herbaceous borders with their mix of the kind of colours and shapes which make such borders attractive.
ReplyDeleteThink of the forms you have to fill out where they allocate little squares, one for each letter, and try entering those monikers. When someone says, “Sign here,” that becomes a major request!
ReplyDeleteHi John - what a great place to visit - it looks stunning - I'd have had a hard time to leave the garden ... and the Tollemache's ... interesting characters - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThat's a grand pile. The gardens are super as are the artworks. I like the 'bleeding heart' sculpture that mimics the dicentra plant.
ReplyDeleteLove the sculptures, and was surprised when some of them came to my eyes...they are mingled with the plants so well in many cases.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of lovely gardens, John.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, I love the orange and purple bed. One of my favourite things is to find small sculptures and artwork as part of the garden itself rather than a separate entity. I'd like one of those peacocks :) Thanks for sharing your photos.
ReplyDeleteIt is so beautiful there. Such lovely flower gardens and art. What a grand place for a walk.
ReplyDeleteI always like the way they can trim hedges in these gardens.
ReplyDeleteThe garden and grounds are absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful photos, John.
ReplyDeleteThe garden is quite lovely, John. I like that peacock sculpture.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to the Kindergarten teacher of those two!
ReplyDeletePrecioso lugar y muy bellas fotografÃas.
ReplyDeleteUn abrazo
Crazy names but a joyous garden to visit.
ReplyDeleteWow. Imagine living in a place like that! I can't imagine the years it took to bring the garden to this point!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sculptures! Interesting gardens, and a moat!
ReplyDeleteThank you for another wonderful garden, John. This is why I like blogging (although I haven't posted for a while). I have just come from http://heresmygarden.blogspot.com where I enjoyed the garden at Kingston Lacy. I can enjoy the land of my birth without venturing from home. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteThose borders are gorgeous. The glass art work adds another dimension. I've never heard of the place or the brothers. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteA really lovely garden and the sculptures are so creative. I particularly love the peacock. Gosh! - those names are very very long!!!! Its amazing what a bit of research can reveal :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking me for a visit to this great Hall and beautiful garden. The names are hilarious.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely garden!
ReplyDeleteI can't begin to imagine living in such an edifice, but the gardens are stunning. What a burden of names given to the brothers--what do you suppose they were called when someone wanted their attention in a hurry?
ReplyDeleteWow! Lovely gardens. I do wonder what the inside of the house looks like! I just keep picturing Downton Abbey since I recently watched it.
ReplyDeleteI envy the many beautiful gardens to be found in England! Here, I would have to travel hours and hours to see anything like this garden. I enjoyed the surprise of the sculptures, and those thistles lurking in tbe back of that one bed. Bet the gardeners wear heavy gloves working in there!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful property!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful garden! Dahlias are lovely.
ReplyDelete