The stately homes of England!
How beautiful they stand,
Amidst their tall ancestral trees,
O'er all the pleasant land!
Felicia Dorothea Hemans
In a land of famous addresses, (10 Downing St, 22b Baker St come to mind), England is known for deliciously magnificent houses with even more sensational names; Windsor, Blenheim, Cliveden and Pemberley. Thus, as our coach ascended through the ancient lanes of what was formerly London’s country estates, we passed elegant columns and multi-storey brick facades with small plaques heralding “Brook House,” “Mayfield”, and simply “Ridge.” Of course, the names in their driveways were equally sophisticated; Bentley, Porsche, Ferrari, and Jaguar, with noble representations of Mercedes, BMW, and Audi for cultural good measure.
After at least fifteen minutes of what could quite possibly be the highest insured driveways in the UK, we reached the spectacular gates of Kenwood House, our afternoon’s destination. Purchased with the Guinness fortune in the early 20th century during a time of economic turmoil that led to aristocratic sales of prized buildings and art collections, Edward Guinness restored Kenwood to its former glory (after building the Guinness empire to new heights), and utilized the mass multitude of walls in his new home to house his new art collection.
What else are walls for, but to accommodate Messirs Rembrandt, Reynolds, Constable, Singer Sargent, van Dyck, Turner and Gainsborough? Walk through the hallowed halls and see the colors of van de Velde, the columns of Guardi, the Hogarth humor, the Cuyp seascapes and the only Vermeer in England that is not currently in a major museum.
Of course, that much property requires landscaping with an expansive lawn which drapes elegantly to the edge of a private pond. It is also necessary for a bridge to cross the aforementioned body of water. Having small animals such as ducks, bunnies, deer and puppies trouncing around the grounds adds to the experiences as visitors enjoy wandering throughout the main house, and what must have been the servant’s quarters, now a café and restaurant.
Somehow the tea tastes even more dignified here than on High Street. And, in our prolonged search for the best scones in the UK, we diligently tasted, noted, and discussed. The ballots conceded that while the scones at Kenwood House were delectable, and definitely ranked near those from Café Nero and Costa, today's pastries were not quite up to the standard of the Welsh National Museum and Carreg Cennen. Research builds knowledge, so we are willing to taste a bit more… all for the sake of knowlege, of course.
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