Powys 1 - a lovely Autumnal garden/some grey peacocks/and lamb casserole

---

Autumn is definately upon us, the season of mellow fruits, silky brown conkers, mists , leaves changing colour on the trees and dew on cobwebs. Gardens are not at their best at this time of year as the flowers have gone over but sometimes you find a garden that bucks the trend and Powys Castle near Welshpool or Trallwng to give it its welsh name is that garden.

The castle itself is approached via a one way system which leads to a very large carpark. Being a Monday out of season it was fairly quiet . We noticed the car park was big enough for motorhomes and when we left there were two parked up. Why can't everywhere be like this?

The castle itself built of red gritstone is known as Castell Coch in Welsh. Coch is the welsh word for red and it sums up the colour of the castle well. It stands proud on the hilltop and reminds me of the area around Collange le Rouge in France where the whole of the village is filled by buildings in the same rich red colour of the stone.

Powys Castle has been at different times a medieval fortress at the border between England and Wales, a fortress and lastly a grand country mansion. It was not built to be a fortress against the welsh as most of the welsh castles are but was built more as a fortress against the English. It was the residence of the Earl of Powis and has connections with the Clive family. The connection links Lady Henrietta Herbert to Edward Clive who was the eldest son of Clive of India thereby linking the earldom of Powys with the Clive estates. It was the Clive money that paid for most of the repairs to the castle and in 1952 was bequeathed to the National Trust .

The garden and park were improved and the house is full of Clive paintings, furniture and Indian curiosities. The garden has been described as the most beautiful in England and Wales and I for one can relate to that. It probably is the most beautiful I have seen for some time. There is also a small Clive Museum which features artifacts from India that were collected by the Clives in the 18th century.

The house opened at 12 and as we got there early we went to the gardens first . They are built into the hillside and on terraces. They fall from the house above and must look stunning at any time of the year. They can be rather steep in parts. The borders were teeming with a huge array of Autumn flowering plants ranging from spires of mellow yellow Golden Rod to tumbling displays of orange and yellow nastursiums. Statuary decorated the balustrades beneath the terracing. And the views across the garden to the orchard below lovely. Yew hedges were trimmed into fantastic shapes often called abstract topiary and formed a backdrop to late crimson singled petalled roses woven through by mauve clematis. Swathes of purple Salvia grew into a size I have never seen before. Virginia Creeper turned crimson on the walls. Everlasting flowers in cream mingled in between the bedding. The Acers were turning the most beautiful of colours. Autumn crocus in white and mauve tumble down the grassy banks. Wherever you looked there was colour and it looked as if this colour would continue until the first frosts. Old fashioned apple trees were planted in the orchard below the castle.

Lunch was taken in the small restaurant. We chose one of the specials Lamb Casserole with potatoes, peas and carrots followed by a free pudding. Tart apple crumble with custard and grapefruit upside down cake. The National Trust again came up trumps with lunch. Outside the restaurant were peacocks, the male in all his splendour,the dull female and their babies.

The house itself was entered via an impressive courtyard. A stunning statue placed in the middle of the courtyard. The first room entered was the hall and stairs which were impressive with huge chandelier and painted ceiling and walls . The remaining rooms were dark oak panelled and quite dark due to the low lighting used to help with the preservation of the tapestries on the walls. The furniture heavy and dark. Bedrooms full of dark oak furniture . Downstairs a snooker room with many glass cases full of stuffed birds, some foreign and others British birds. The guides in the rooms were well informed and issued guides if they were needed but were happy to describe the furniture or the history of the house with enthusiasm.

For garden and plant lovers Powys would please at any time of year.

---