Lockdown in London ... a day at Painshill Park
"To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything"
Wolfgang Von Goethe, 1787
As we had to cancel our return home to Sicily this April due to the Covid_19 outbreak we decided to celebrate in the UK and booked a country hotel in Dorset and lunch at one of our favourite celebrity chefs, Rick Steins restaurant, with Daisy.
However as the pandemic worsened hotels and restaurants closed in the UK and we needed to make alternative plans. The next best thing was maybe a picnic somewhere fabulous.
Painshill Park is an award winning 18th century landscaped garden in Cobham and is located about half an hours drive from us on the London-Surrey border. The gardens had been closed for social distancing reasons but luckily for us they reopened just in time for our anniversary and Painshill Park seemed like the perfect place for a romantic picnic and it is dog friendly too.
The gardens boast Victorian follies, a crystal grotto, a ruined abbey, a Greek style Doric temple and a vineyard.
Sounds familiar? It could almost be Sicily.
Painshill Park stands in a 158 acre estate and was created by the Honourable Charles Hamilton, a well to do member of Irish aristocracy, between 1738 and 1773 after he was inspired by landscape paintings and his travels through Europe on what was known during the 17th and 18th centuries as the Grand Tour.
The Grand Tour was the 17th and 18th century custom of a traditional trip through Europe undertaken by upper class young English and European men, including Goethe in 1787, of sufficient means and rank who were typically accompanied by a chaperone, such as a family member, when they had become of age, usually about 21 years old. The tour was commonly undertaken in the company of a 'Cicerone', a knowledgeable guide or tutor.
The custom, which flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large scale rail travel in the 1840's, served as an education in rite of passage and was associated with a standard itinerary.
By the mid 18th century the Grand Tour had become a regular feature of aristocratic education in Central Europe which was restricted to the higher nobility. The tour was once described as wealthy Englishmen taking a post-Oxbridge trek through France and Italy in search of art and culture with unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and enough free months or years to roam, commissioning paintings and perfecting their foreign language skills whilst mingling with the upper crust of the Continent.
The tradition of the Grand Tour declined as enthusiasm for neo-classical culture waned with the advent of accessible rail and steamship travel. Then came the era in which the travel agent Thomas Cook created the "Cook's Tour" bringing early mass tourism.
The itinerary of the Grand Tour was not set in stone though Paris and Rome were popular destinations for most English tourists.
The most common itinerary of the Grand Tour usually began in Dover in England crossing the English Channel to Ostend in Belgium or Calais or Le Havre in France. From there the tourist could rent or acquire a carriage. From Paris he would typically sojourn in Switzerland most often in Geneva. From there the traveller would endure a difficult crossing over the Alps which required dismantling the carriage and if wealthy enough he might be carried over the hard terrain by servants.
Once in Italy, the tourist would visit Turin and sometimes Milan, then spend a few months in Florence where there was a considerable Anglo-Italian society. After Florence he would visit Pisa, Padua, Bologna and Venice. From Venice he went to Rome to study the ancient ruins and the masterpieces of paintings, sculptures and architecture of Rome's medieval, renaissance and baroque periods.
After the 18th century the travellers started to visit southern Italy such as Naples to study music and the recently discovered archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Sicily was to become the next major destination of the Grand Tour.
Painshill Park is an award winning 18th century landscaped garden in Cobham and is located about half an hours drive from us on the London-Surrey border. The gardens had been closed for social distancing reasons but luckily for us they reopened just in time for our anniversary and Painshill Park seemed like the perfect place for a romantic picnic and it is dog friendly too.
The gardens boast Victorian follies, a crystal grotto, a ruined abbey, a Greek style Doric temple and a vineyard.
Sounds familiar? It could almost be Sicily.
Painshill Park stands in a 158 acre estate and was created by the Honourable Charles Hamilton, a well to do member of Irish aristocracy, between 1738 and 1773 after he was inspired by landscape paintings and his travels through Europe on what was known during the 17th and 18th centuries as the Grand Tour.
The Grand Tour was the 17th and 18th century custom of a traditional trip through Europe undertaken by upper class young English and European men, including Goethe in 1787, of sufficient means and rank who were typically accompanied by a chaperone, such as a family member, when they had become of age, usually about 21 years old. The tour was commonly undertaken in the company of a 'Cicerone', a knowledgeable guide or tutor.
The custom, which flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large scale rail travel in the 1840's, served as an education in rite of passage and was associated with a standard itinerary.
By the mid 18th century the Grand Tour had become a regular feature of aristocratic education in Central Europe which was restricted to the higher nobility. The tour was once described as wealthy Englishmen taking a post-Oxbridge trek through France and Italy in search of art and culture with unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and enough free months or years to roam, commissioning paintings and perfecting their foreign language skills whilst mingling with the upper crust of the Continent.
The tradition of the Grand Tour declined as enthusiasm for neo-classical culture waned with the advent of accessible rail and steamship travel. Then came the era in which the travel agent Thomas Cook created the "Cook's Tour" bringing early mass tourism.
The itinerary of the Grand Tour was not set in stone though Paris and Rome were popular destinations for most English tourists.
The most common itinerary of the Grand Tour usually began in Dover in England crossing the English Channel to Ostend in Belgium or Calais or Le Havre in France. From there the tourist could rent or acquire a carriage. From Paris he would typically sojourn in Switzerland most often in Geneva. From there the traveller would endure a difficult crossing over the Alps which required dismantling the carriage and if wealthy enough he might be carried over the hard terrain by servants.
Once in Italy, the tourist would visit Turin and sometimes Milan, then spend a few months in Florence where there was a considerable Anglo-Italian society. After Florence he would visit Pisa, Padua, Bologna and Venice. From Venice he went to Rome to study the ancient ruins and the masterpieces of paintings, sculptures and architecture of Rome's medieval, renaissance and baroque periods.
After the 18th century the travellers started to visit southern Italy such as Naples to study music and the recently discovered archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Sicily was to become the next major destination of the Grand Tour.
For many years Sicily became the last stop on the Grand Tour with many tourists deciding to stay on after being seduced by its beauty, history, culture and warm winter climate. The most popular destinations were Taormina and Agrigento which at that moment in time were the closest a tourist could come to see Ancient Greek archaeological sites and temples, which made the island an essential part of the perfect Grand Tour and with thanks to Mount Etna geology became another subject worthy of studying.
When Goethe arrived in Sicily he was in awe immediately with the island for many reasons but when he arrived in Taormina he fell in love forever. The colours, the scents and the views inspired him never to want to leave again.
Charles Hamilton went on two Grand Tours, the first in the Jubilee year of 1725 to 1727 and then again in 1732. We are not sure if Charles Hamilton ever did visit Sicily but after our visit to Painshill Park I am sure that he just may well have.
Last month on our anniversary which turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year so far we headed off to the gardens. We packed some sandwiches and snacks, a couple of mini prosecco bottles and a bottle of my husbands favourite Italian beer Moretti. I had baked his favourite Sicilian Lemon Drizzle Cake the day before so I cut and packed a couple of slices for dessert.
Born in Dublin in 1704, Charles Hamilton, the ninth son and 14th child of the sixth Earl of Abercorn, embarked on his two Grand Tours before acquiring the land at Painshill in Cobham, Surrey. With ancient artefacts in his luggage and Italian romance and natural beauty in his head along with the exotic plants he had seen on his tours, his vision was to create living paintings in a new style of magical garden. Inspired by Renaissance art and his travels in Europe he created gardens full of breath taking vistas with the landscapes forming living works of art into which he placed follies for effect.
On arrival at Painshill Park we were greeted warmly and given a map and we planned our route. There are three routes that wind around the beautiful Serpentine lake which is enjoyed by wildlife such as swans with cygnets, ducks with their ducklings and families of geese. We decided to follow the historic route which would entail walking through the living work of arts as Charles Hamilton's guests would have done, meaning that we would be able to admire along the way the garden buildings and views as they unfolded before us. This route is approximately 2.5 miles but there is also an accessible route of 1.5 miles and a further alternative accessible route.
As we walked along the trail with Daisy we passed firstly the 'Great Cedar Tree' of Lebanon with its multiple trunks, then we crossed the 5 arch renaissance style bridge and passed the mausoleum which was built to resemble a ruined triumphal Roman arch with niches in its walls that would have contained antiques brought back from Italy.
Soon we started to feel hungry and it was time to look for the perfect picnic spot and we found the gothic temple. This was one of Charles Hamilton's great surprises with the landscape falling away dramatically down to the serpentine lake with views of the 5 arch bridge and other buildings that we were yet to discover. The narrow openings of the Gothic temple form a frame like a living painting. We were ready to eat and so we spread out our picnic blanket on the grass close to the temple and tucked into our anniversary picnic lunch. The gothic temple has a real wow factor and was recognisable from the Netflix series Black Mirror.
After our yummy picnic we headed out through the gardened amphitheatre which is used for summer concerts and special events and has a statue of Charles Hamilton. From here we could amble along the vines of the Painshill vineyard which felt a bit like wandering through our favourite vineyards on Mount Etna. The vines produce Painshill own sparkling white and rose wines.
After this we headed down to the lake where we explored the atmospheric ruined abbey then off we wandered along to the crystal grotto. The crystal grotto is a magical, naturalistic cave with shimmering rough rock and stalactites covered in shimmering crystals. It is thought that Charles Hamilton drew inspiration from natural caves along the Roman coastline however I likened them to the grottos that can be seen on Isola Bella, our small little island in Taormina, which was bought by the Englishwoman Florence Trevelyan. Florence was a gardener and conservationist who bought the island in 1890 building a house and gardens on there with sparkling grottos. Like Charles Hamilton at Painshill, Florence also created public gardens in Taormina adorning them with what is known to the locals as the "Curious and Eccentric Victorian Follies".
Charles Hamilton went on two Grand Tours, the first in the Jubilee year of 1725 to 1727 and then again in 1732. We are not sure if Charles Hamilton ever did visit Sicily but after our visit to Painshill Park I am sure that he just may well have.
Last month on our anniversary which turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year so far we headed off to the gardens. We packed some sandwiches and snacks, a couple of mini prosecco bottles and a bottle of my husbands favourite Italian beer Moretti. I had baked his favourite Sicilian Lemon Drizzle Cake the day before so I cut and packed a couple of slices for dessert.
Born in Dublin in 1704, Charles Hamilton, the ninth son and 14th child of the sixth Earl of Abercorn, embarked on his two Grand Tours before acquiring the land at Painshill in Cobham, Surrey. With ancient artefacts in his luggage and Italian romance and natural beauty in his head along with the exotic plants he had seen on his tours, his vision was to create living paintings in a new style of magical garden. Inspired by Renaissance art and his travels in Europe he created gardens full of breath taking vistas with the landscapes forming living works of art into which he placed follies for effect.
On arrival at Painshill Park we were greeted warmly and given a map and we planned our route. There are three routes that wind around the beautiful Serpentine lake which is enjoyed by wildlife such as swans with cygnets, ducks with their ducklings and families of geese. We decided to follow the historic route which would entail walking through the living work of arts as Charles Hamilton's guests would have done, meaning that we would be able to admire along the way the garden buildings and views as they unfolded before us. This route is approximately 2.5 miles but there is also an accessible route of 1.5 miles and a further alternative accessible route.
As we walked along the trail with Daisy we passed firstly the 'Great Cedar Tree' of Lebanon with its multiple trunks, then we crossed the 5 arch renaissance style bridge and passed the mausoleum which was built to resemble a ruined triumphal Roman arch with niches in its walls that would have contained antiques brought back from Italy.
Soon we started to feel hungry and it was time to look for the perfect picnic spot and we found the gothic temple. This was one of Charles Hamilton's great surprises with the landscape falling away dramatically down to the serpentine lake with views of the 5 arch bridge and other buildings that we were yet to discover. The narrow openings of the Gothic temple form a frame like a living painting. We were ready to eat and so we spread out our picnic blanket on the grass close to the temple and tucked into our anniversary picnic lunch. The gothic temple has a real wow factor and was recognisable from the Netflix series Black Mirror.
After our yummy picnic we headed out through the gardened amphitheatre which is used for summer concerts and special events and has a statue of Charles Hamilton. From here we could amble along the vines of the Painshill vineyard which felt a bit like wandering through our favourite vineyards on Mount Etna. The vines produce Painshill own sparkling white and rose wines.
After this we headed down to the lake where we explored the atmospheric ruined abbey then off we wandered along to the crystal grotto. The crystal grotto is a magical, naturalistic cave with shimmering rough rock and stalactites covered in shimmering crystals. It is thought that Charles Hamilton drew inspiration from natural caves along the Roman coastline however I likened them to the grottos that can be seen on Isola Bella, our small little island in Taormina, which was bought by the Englishwoman Florence Trevelyan. Florence was a gardener and conservationist who bought the island in 1890 building a house and gardens on there with sparkling grottos. Like Charles Hamilton at Painshill, Florence also created public gardens in Taormina adorning them with what is known to the locals as the "Curious and Eccentric Victorian Follies".
Due to social distancing the crystal grotto was closed to the public but we could get an idea of its magic without going inside. Thousands of crystals, including originals recovered from archaeological work have been used to restore the grotto.
We carried on our walk and found the Turkish Tent which gave a stunning view across the park and the Surrey hills. Then onto The Temple of Bacchus, which was built in 1762 to house a statue of Bacchus (known in Greek mythology as Dionysius the god of wine) that Charles Hamilton had brought back from his Grand Tour. The building is of the design of a Greek Doric temple just like the amazing ones we have in Sicily at Agrigento, Segesta and Selinunte. The original temple building collapsed but it has recently been rebuilt and been lovingly restored to its former beauty.
By this time the temperature had reached a scorching 33 degrees and Daisy was starting to feel the heat and so we decided to call it a day meaning that unfortunately we did not get to see Gothic Tower, the Hermitage or Watermill. Legend says that Charles Hamilton's hermit only lasted three weeks as a recluse in the hermitage before he was spotted drinking in the local inn.
From the Hermitage a path leads through the 'Alpine Valley' to the four storey Gothic tower which was constructed in the late 1750's and it is thought that Charles Hamilton used it to exhibit his collection of antiquities. It is built at the parks highest point and you can climb its 99 steps to take in views across four counties. In here you can enjoy lunch, cake, hot drinks, ice-cream or homemade scones in Mr Hamilton's Tea Room.
We were sad to cut our visit short and not complete the historic route but at least it gives us a very good reason to return in Autumn.
We had a fabulous day walking through the living art, strolling around the lake, past woodlands, spring flowers and fascinating plants whilst enjoying the magical ambience.
While we are not entirely sure if Charles Hamilton did actually visit Sicily on his Grand Tour his inspiration for his beautiful gardens certainly made us feel as if he did and it helped greatly with our home sickness for our beloved island.
We carried on our walk and found the Turkish Tent which gave a stunning view across the park and the Surrey hills. Then onto The Temple of Bacchus, which was built in 1762 to house a statue of Bacchus (known in Greek mythology as Dionysius the god of wine) that Charles Hamilton had brought back from his Grand Tour. The building is of the design of a Greek Doric temple just like the amazing ones we have in Sicily at Agrigento, Segesta and Selinunte. The original temple building collapsed but it has recently been rebuilt and been lovingly restored to its former beauty.
By this time the temperature had reached a scorching 33 degrees and Daisy was starting to feel the heat and so we decided to call it a day meaning that unfortunately we did not get to see Gothic Tower, the Hermitage or Watermill. Legend says that Charles Hamilton's hermit only lasted three weeks as a recluse in the hermitage before he was spotted drinking in the local inn.
From the Hermitage a path leads through the 'Alpine Valley' to the four storey Gothic tower which was constructed in the late 1750's and it is thought that Charles Hamilton used it to exhibit his collection of antiquities. It is built at the parks highest point and you can climb its 99 steps to take in views across four counties. In here you can enjoy lunch, cake, hot drinks, ice-cream or homemade scones in Mr Hamilton's Tea Room.
We were sad to cut our visit short and not complete the historic route but at least it gives us a very good reason to return in Autumn.
We had a fabulous day walking through the living art, strolling around the lake, past woodlands, spring flowers and fascinating plants whilst enjoying the magical ambience.
While we are not entirely sure if Charles Hamilton did actually visit Sicily on his Grand Tour his inspiration for his beautiful gardens certainly made us feel as if he did and it helped greatly with our home sickness for our beloved island.
For more Information on Visiting Painshill Park,
Events, the History of the Gardens
and Charles Hamilton's Grand Tour
visit www.painshill.co.uk
Please note: Dogs must be kept on a short leash
If you enjoyed this Blog post then you might enjoy these ones from my Blog archive
"Taormina ... Victorian Follies"
"Taormina ... the British Legacy"
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