We arrived at Heathrow yesterday in glorious sunshine, such an welcome surprise! The easiest exit from the airport ever, I was behind the wheel of our rental car and heading down the M25 well within 1h20m of landing! With 6 days here in England we decided to concentrate on seeing the gardens and country houses of Kent and so I booked us a central place for the whole visit instead of our usual shuffling around from inn to inn. We're thrilled with what we booked - comfy lounge, a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, every amenity. Why didn't we ever do this before?
However, being so self-sufficient led us to being ever so tardy in our departure this morning. "Tea in bed, mum? Here you go." And "hmmm, think I will have that 2nd cup of coffee". Eventually we forced ourselves out the door, laden with every possible layer of protection against the elements, to first visit Chartwell, Churchill's beloved home.
Winnie bought Chartwell in 1924 and he loved it so much it was only near the very end did he agree to be buried elsewhere. He added on to the house greatly when he bought it but his lofty 2nd floor study has features dating back 1496! Tons of memorabilia, photos, uniforms, letters, etc. featured throughout the house really give a sense of the impact and importance of this great leader while his many paintings and its pleasant decor imbue an intimate sense of the man. No photos allowed inside, so here's a poor pic of the exterior:
Next we visited the epic Hever Castle & Garden. It was the childhood home of Anne Boyelyn and has the finest collection of Henry VIII + many wives period paintings outside London. William Waldorf Astor bought the moated home in 1903 and set to out-Tudor any other Tudor building! Wooden carved paneling is everywhere, with intricate minstrel galleries and balustrades; fancy 16th C. tapestries; and he even fixed up the ole drawbridge. The gardens are also magnificent - a bit too chilly for us to wander around fully, but we loved what we saw.
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