Asthall Manor

Asthall Manor from across the fields

Many of you may not have heard of the The Mitfords, but they are a bit of an Enigma here in Britain. The Mitford Girls were most prominent in the 1930s, mainly because they had quite a talent for getting themselves into the newspapers. The most prominent of these were Nancy Mitford (author of Love in Cold Climate and the Pursuit of Love, amongst others), Diana Mitford (famed beauty and notorious wife of Sir Oswald Moseley, prominent leader of the British Union of Fascists; friend of Adolf Hitler and The Duke of Windsor), Unity Mitford (Friend of Adolf Hitler), Jessica Mitford (who eloped with Winston Churchill's nephew to the Spanish Civil War and became a Communist), and Deborah Mitford who became the Duchess of Devonshire. To say that they covered the vast extremes of thirties politics, is not to overstate the matter in the least.

There were two other siblings who managed to lead quieter lives - Tom (the only son, who died in the second world war), and Pamela who loved horses and was a friend of Sir John Betjeman (poet laureate)

As you can see, the Mitford girls weren't the sort of ladies (and they were aristocrats) who sat at home doing their embroidery. Love or hate them (and as always, none of them were altogether bad or good), they were certainly an interesting bunch, and have fascinated me for years. So, when I noticed that the garden would be open in February, and I was in the area at the time, I had to go and see where this singular bunch of females spent at least part of their formative years.

The Ballroom and the covered passageway joining it to the main house

The frontage of of the house from the drive

I was not disappointed. It was a fine cold day, and though the garden will, no doubt, be spectacular in summer, it exuded that timeless grace that is peculiar to ancient Manor Houses set in the rolling countryside of the Cotswolds. The gardens were of course, a bit thin on colour, but what can you expect in February? I was particularly taken with the manner in which they train their roses - something that won't be as apparent when they are in full leaf.

Roses trained over small domes to form a butterfly effect -  most interesting

I hope to go back in the summer if the garden is open then, In the meantime, here are a few photos to whet your appetite.