This England: A Road Trip to Basildon Park

What could be a more delightful way to explore England than a road trip? (Especially if it might include a visit to historic homes, including one that was in "Downton Abbey" (see link to see how t was used as the Crawley's London home) and "The Crown"?) Our friends, blogger Jenny and her husband, T, offered to show us some lovely spots, so we took the next three days to see more of England's beautiful countryside.

Our first destination would be Basildon Park, a beautiful manor house located in Berkshire. You may never have visited Basildon Park, but if you have seen programs like "Downton Abbey," "Pride and Prejudice," "The Crown," "Pride, Prejudice and Zombies," and "Bridgerton," you have seen a bit of this beautiful estate.

The house was finished in 1783 after seven years of construction and has had many owners over time. It was the Iliffes who last lived there and who gave it to the National Trust. 

The entry hall was very elegant. And if it looks familiar, you may have seen it in Lord Grantham's London home!

Basildon Park was the Iliffe's family home and they were responsible for its 20th century restoration. (They were the second of the Iliffes to live there, with one other owner in-between; they purchased the property back in 1949, because Lady Iliffe saw great restoration potential in the home.) 

One thing that I especially loved about this place is that it looks like real people actually "lived" here. It's not that other homes with their elegant but uncomfortable looking furniture aren't beautiful, nor is it to say that things here were anything but beautiful. It's just that it also looked very "real." For example, many the books in this bookcase, unlike those in the Bute home of Cardiff, looked well read, with worn spines and their paper covers curled at the edges. They were a bit more modern, too, and diverse in topic. It didn't give you the sense that most were bought in bulk to look good! (They are the books on the left and far right sides of the photo. The center books looked much more "staged.")

One of the things you will often note visiting historic homes in Great Britain is the pine cone or teasel found on the furniture they don't want you to sit on! (And note, the chintz slip covers are anything but formal. You could curl up with a good book in this library!)

The dining room is one that has been seen in film. In "Downton Abbey," it was featured in the Christmas episode (Rose's engagement announcement) as part of the Grantham's London home.

The light in here was beautiful, as was the elegantly set table. (But I did notice that the silver tableware wasn't precisely lined up!) If you look at the two photos below, you can see how they don't quite match! That amused me.

The guides at the National Trust properties are excellent. Rick had a long talk with the fellow in the dining room. He pointed out two "marble" columns and explained how they weren't really marble but a technique called scagliola. 

They were put in for one of the films that used the dining room. Eventually the technique became popular as a marble replacement -- and more expensive than the original. It was also used in the fireplace. The work above the fireplace was from the Wedgewood studio. Many other elements were by the notable artisan of the period, Robert Adam.

This room, the Octagon Room, I found especially beautiful. Take a look at the rug.

The story goes that Lady Iliffe's assistant was out one day and spotted this rug that happened to have perfect dimensions for the room and was given approval to purchase it. 

 

But it's a fake! You can see the "real" rug underneath, but as Basildon Park was opened to the public, they had a duplicate made to place over and preserve the original.

Here's another sitting room, again with the cozy chintz chairs. And somehow, they work beautifully with the more formal fireplace and paintings.

Two other rooms I found of particular interest. Lady Iliffe's bedroom was a charming, light room, very feminine.

With its soft sofa, fireplace and writing desk, it was the perfect spot to retire.

I loved the nearby red bathroom, too, and how the toilet was encased in a wicker-like box. (All the toilets were set this way). But essentially, it was a very simple room. (Lady Iliffe's bath was a bit larger!)

 

Then there was the Shell Room. This room was under restoration during our visit, so it was dark and there was no furniture. But the display cases were in place and they were magnificent.The room's theme goes back to the mid-1700s when a woman named Mary Fane created a shell grotto in he home. Centuries later, Charlotte Iliffe continued the tradition.

A remarkable collection of shells, all sizes, shapes and colors, were neatly and elegantly on show. I'd love to see this room after the restoration.

Finally, there was a room devoted to the work of artist Graham Sutherland. Sutherland designed the tapestry for Coventry Cathedral, the original of which had been bombed out in World War II. His rough sketches and preliminary paintings and ideas for the tapestry are on display in this room.

Basildon Park served as a military base and prisoner of war camp in World War II. You can learn a bit more about Britain's historic homes during the war in this earlier post.

There was also an interesting exhibition on how the estate has been used in television and film productions. You could see a few tricks of the trade -- ways in which the production companies protected the floors and more of the historic home. 

A side note -- These lovely costumed people were not part of the tour or even the home itself. But they were having a grand time hanging around, looking elegant.

 

And we were having a grand time photographing them!

It was a wonderful way to kick off our road trip, but more to come as we visited a fabulous antiquing spot and stayed at a historic pub.

Travel Tips:

• If you plan to visit the UK often, or if you have the resources to support the restoration of the magnificent properties in the hands of the National Trust, you may want to consider a membership in this worth organization. You do receive benefits, including free admission. Otherwise, admission prices can range. If I remember right, Basildon Park was about 14 pounds or about 17 US dollars.
•  If you are not driving, a visit to Basildon Park might be a tall order. I wasn't having good luck finding commercial tours to this beautiful home. The closest I could come was this online guide: "There is no direct connection from London to Basildon Park. However, you can take the train to Reading, walk to Blagrave Street, take the line 145 bus to Basildon Park Gates, then walk to Basildon Park. Alternatively, you can take a train from London Paddington to Basildon Park via Reading, Friar Street, and Basildon Park Gates in around 2h 30m." 

• Gift shops at the National Trust properties (and other public venues) offer marvelous items of good quality that make lovely take-home souvenirs. Your purchase helps support the maintenance of the properties.

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