Yesterday we went to Croxteth Hall. It was lovely. We both enjoyed the Hall, the walled gardens and the farm.
The Hall is beautiful, from its beginning in 1575. The house was in the Sefton family from the 16th century. The history of the Earls of Sefton is interesting too, from the first Earl receiving the title in 1771 to the last one, the 7th, who died in 1972.
We saw the wine cellar, the servants hall, the kitchens, the steward’s room and the family rooms. The kitchens were gorgeous. They are big, with lovely skylight windows and 3 kitchen islands. A dream for every cook.
The family rooms were very nice. The Smoking room was interesting, small and comfortable. The Billiard room was lovely too.
The Walled Gardens are interesting, but they would look better in Summer. We said we’ll go back in a few months to see them again.
Before visiting the Walled Gardens, I didn’t know that there was an option to grow crops in the cold months without having a greenhouse. The Flue Wall made this possible.
There were three walls build in the mid 19th century, with chimneys. The flues were heated during the cold months, so the crops were protected from frost. This way they could grow outdoors apricots, figs, peaches and grapes. After the greenhouses were build, the walls became obsolete.
Another interesting fact we’ve learned yesterday. The trees were shaped like this to encourage fruit production. This way, they were able to grow different varieties in a smaller space.
Hubby snapped this picture in one of the greenhouses.
Daydreaming in the maze… a nice activity on a warm day.
Of course I had some ice cream.
The Croxteth farm was lovely too. Luckily we were the only people visiting the farm at that time. We learned that a school group of ~30 kids was expected, so we were very lucky it wasn’t crowded.
Cute piglets, just a few months old. They had footballs in their crate, but we didn’t see them play.
This is a British breed, which descend from the wild cows.
My favourite sheep. I love the horns and his eyes.
This sheep was so friendly and cute.
The pony was taking a “bath”.
It’s such a lovely place, quite and peaceful. We will visit it again in a few months.