John was The voice in the wilderness crying ‘ Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path straight.
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where Satan tempted Him by challenging His power. Jesus had been without food for 40 days. This is what Satan said: ‘ If you are the son of God make these stones bread. ‘
But
Jesus answer was:’ It is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God.’
Luke 3: 4 Luke 4: 1 – 4 (Sandy’s partial summary.)
Why does this garden look the way it does? Well, William Murray and his daughter Elizabeth shaped it this way. William Murray was a childhood friend of King Charles I and the lease of the property of Ham House was given to William by his friend the king. The house with the garden then passed to Elizabeth his daughter who knew what she wanted. In 1975 the National Trust decided to reinstate the garden. Let us walk through some of it.
The estate is on the banks of the Thames River so perhaps we could arrive by boat.
Yes, there you come between the pillars. Roman rulers heads all in alcoves along the wall. This is to impress you with the owners power and wealth. Lots is here to make you think about their grandness. If you were in a carriage the horses could easily turn around on the considered circle. Then there is another circle. One to socialize in. Yes , don’t be annoyed it is in what is called the Wilderness. We are looking from windows on the opposite side of the house to the formal entrance.
Because it was impressive to have flat lawns in the 1600’s.
Here there are eight.
Now they are planted with thousands of low growing bulbs.
The colours change in the spring but now they are all flat browngreen .
Yes, look between two tall nude, marble like statues where the gravel road changes to grass then after a little way this opens out into a grass circle. This circle is for Elizabeth and family to have their many guests . Convenient moments of peace and stillness can be taken by wandering off into any of 16 separate areas privately hedged with at least 5 foot hedges and summer houses.
The hedges today have been left a little overgrown for birds to nest and some of the 16 ‘rooms’ are planted with wild flowers but let’s look at one.
A boarder closely planted. I noticed quite a few herbs and there it is the summer house. A place for silence they said. Today the planes were coming in to Heathrow. Ham is very close to Richmond.
Out from the Wilderness we are through a pair of gates and into the summer vegetable garden. Asparagus with edible parts all gone but their big fluffy flaling limbs still present, squash, big orange heads hiding in the leaves with greenwhite hanging varieties on supports. There are volunteers everywhere. Yesterday was rainy and rain is expected soon again. They are weeding out stately looking vegetable plants that have bolted as well as weeds close to apple trees growing low.
A cared for place.
Zinias and Cosmos ,
with fine leafed stalks of asparagus on the right.
It is the cherry garden I would like you to see just as it was in 1678. The original statue too. Lavendar is all in bloom carefully kept in place by low box hedges. Let us look in through the cherry trees in full leaf.
A pleasant buzzing of bees so busy they don’t care you are there and the soothing smell of lavender rich flowers. Cones and straight lines. An ordered formal garden from the layout created in 17 th Century. Then just one flower.
A cosmos flower with a ‘double’ face how unusual to me is this. A chair and tea pot from the house. An interesting group. Thank you for spending a little while here today.
Bought for Charles II’s wife Catherine of Braganza.
The teapot is an early Japanese one when tea was a treat.
Sandy 🙂
We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world , and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Enjoyed the visit to Ham House and Gardens! Interesting to see what a recliner looked like way back then!
Glad you did. Yes, those chairs were also regal enough for her to sit in when receiving guests. In the 1600’s it was also thought of as grand to have copies of grand masters like Titian so there were quite a few of those. It was a walk into the time of the Stuarts very power conscious.
I would love to walk through this enchanting garden with you, Sandy. You could tell me what all the plants are because I would only know a few.
How lovely we could learn together. I learn from my posts as I travel often their road. One interesting fact leading to another sometimes I don’t know the destination.