I posted this on Facebook on the very next day, but I am writing this same post on this blog because it was a memorable outing for me and deserves a place on my UK blog.
This is a post about #PowysCastle and Gardens that I visited on 05/05. This is a National Trust managed property still owned by the family that inherited these properties and the vast grounds around it. Located near Welshpool, this is a very handsome attraction to visit on account of it representing over 800 years of heritage, of which more than 400 of it is recorded history. The attraction includes the Castle with its formidable portrait gallery, the Gardens with its world-famous yew topiaries, a selected collection of treasures collected by Robert Clive from India, and more.
The National Trust maintains a lovely cafe and a gift shop, apart from a garden shop and a second-hand bookshop. The walk to the attraction from #Welshpool railway station is through the town centre, after which you enter privately owned grounds and walk through natural surroundings till you reach the castle entrance. This exhilarating walk was over 3.7 km and quite refreshing without a jacket, as the UK currently enjoys some of the best days of summer.
On arrival, I presented my National Trust Membership card - this allows free entry to over 600 monuments, parks and attractions all over the country. I decided to have a coffee before embarking on my journey. The first attraction I visited was the Clive Museum. Going up a round staircase, I was led into the innards of a mini-2 room museum. The first room mostly had books from the past; the second was the actual room full of artefacts and treasures acquired by Robert Clive during his stay in south India. The most prized possessions were the tiger-head sword handle and part of the crown of the tiger of India - Tipu Sultan.
The other items were armour, swords, arrows, items of decor and living such as nut-crackers, scissors, fly-flicks, fans, ivory chess pieces and so on. Nothing really exciting for me, but I could see the British and other European visitors found even the sight of a palanquin very interesting.
Next, I went on to the main palace to visit the gallery of portraits. Using an electric audio-guide, I passed through over 70 portraits and other exhibits within the dining room downstairs, the staterooms upstairs and the corridors in between.
Finally, it was the visit to the gardens that lifted up my spirits. What a lovely garden area there was! Lawns, terraces, yew corridors, climbers, trees, flowers, and lots and lots of greenery greets you as you walk around the terraced gardens that go down over a 100 feet to the bottom. Many flowers were in blossom, but, like gardens anywhere in the world, not all were.
I took over a 100 photos, some even in areas where photography was not allowed. Here is a sample of the photos I took. I will write short descriptions of the more important pictures.
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