We’re visiting Hinton Ampner in Hampshire today, what one might call a gentleman’s residence. Inherited in 1935 by Ralph Dutton, 8th Lord Sherborne, he set about creating his vision of an historic country estate referencing all the best of Georgian grandeur.
Sadly, he also had to painstakingly rebuild and refurnish it after a fire in 1960 when his Lordship came back from a walk to find the house ablaze.
Today Hinton Ampner is flled with extensive collections of European paintings, furniture and ceramics and is elegance personified. The formal rooms are beautifully decorated and we’re greeted with soft jazz – the scene set for pre dinner cocktails by the fire. I feel I should don a silk cocktail frock to do it justice.
Every aspect of the house is geared toward entertaining with an enormous dining room, welcoming guest bedrooms and a stunning library.
An extensive display of copper in the kitchen has me quite pea green with envy. I rather fancy these preserving pans. I do like the look of my induction stove and the ease of cleaning it, but curse it rather regularly in not being copper friendly. Himself needs to buy a little country cottage me thinks, with a kitchen garden and a kitchen I can fill with copper, jams and chutneys. Yes please.
Hinton Ampner’s garden is a delightful, despite the scorched grass.
Meanwhile the kitchen garden is in full swing, complete with Peter Rabbit having his own version of a Mr McGregor adventure, darting out of the pumpkin patch as we pass to much happy squealing on my part.
Ancient espaliered fruit trees create centre rows – look at the size of the trunk on this one!
Later in the day sees us traverse tree lined paths to a 1600s pub, the Bush Inn, for an excellent meal.
Before dinner there’s time for a walk to work up an appetite – we see beautiful thatched cottages, a lovely church and a crystal clear chalk stream.
Dinner serves up the crispiest beer battered fish and chips and a spiced lamb flatbread, both delicious. I’ll let you guess who ordered what. 🤣
A lovely, peaceful day.
Miss Baci Travels 