On Sunday, I went to Ham House. Jo and I didn’t know what to do, Jo wanted to do something ‘National Trust or museum-y’, so I suggested Ham. I’d suggest it’s our age but Jo and I together have always been fairly sedate, less parties nowadays but eating and talking have always been our thing. I’m very fond of Ham House because it was one of the houses I studied for GCSE, the development of the country house. I’ve been to the gardens but I haven’t been inside the house since.I decided to join the National Trust while I was there because there are more NT properties in my part of the world than there are English Heritage sites and this way I have them both covered! If you join at a property, it gets a special credit which in the case of Ham pays for the approximately £850,000 it costs to maintain it.
We wondered around the house, looking at the portraits and fancy décor. Houses like this are always a good reminder of the different attitudes to hygiene and privacy and education that shaped the past. The most private room in my house is my bedroom but the main bedrooms in this house weren’t the most sacred rooms.
Jo and I really liked the below stairs part of the house with the still rooms, kitchen, scullery, beer cellar and bathroom.
I really liked the legs of the counters in the dairy.
The café is in the orangery and has a kitchen garden. After a cream tea, we wondered around the gardens for a bit.
It was a lovely afternoon, and I throughly recommend it!
