Friday 22 July 2016

Ten Miles in Kent, Hop Picking and a glimpse of Japan.

This week has been notable because we got some SUN, after what seems like months of gloomy skies and rain.  I've been spending some of the time in planning another trip to Japan. I went in 2014 in connection with my book on Lewis Carroll, and of course, Tony took the chance to come too.  The experience turned out to be so interesting - from the curious thatched houses of Gokayama, to the historic deer herds of Nara and, of course, the food -  that we decided to go again if the chance came up.  

As it happens, London's Burgh House museum is running an exhibition of Japanese photos, "Kyoto Dreams," by a photographer colleague, Jeremy Hoare.  So I went along to take a look with more than the usual interest, and, of course, caught up with Jeremy too. Here he is with his Japanese wife Chisako, next to some striking images of geishas. Most were snapped in semi abstract "paparazzo style"  to offer glimpses of these curious, stylised entertainers in their off duty moments.    


Chisako probably has one of the more unusual jobs in London - she is a professional kimono maker, and it seems that Kitsuke, the art of dressing in a kimono, has fans of all nationalities in London. In fact, Burgh House ran a kimono fashion show only last April.  I might post about Burgh House one day. It's an elegant old mansion which was rescued and is now run by the local community. It always has something interesting to see, and there's a pretty garden where you can eat.  (Burgh House also happens to be a PokemonGO Gym, if that is your thing). 

 "Kyoto Dreams" is on till Sunday. 


After the sun appeared, T and I decided to go for a long walk. So we took the train to Sevenoaks in Kent with my National Trust pass to hand. 

 There are two great National Trust houses very near Sevenoaks, which is now a London dormitory town. The nearest is Knole, one of England's largest houses, which was originally thought to have been a Calendar House, with 365 rooms, 52 staircases and 12 entrances. (I love this idea)  Knole is a startlingly short walk from Sevenoaks High Street, and as soon as you step into the estate, you really do feel as if you are in a different world. This is the last surviving medieval deer park in Kent, with hills, valleys and more towering chestnut trees than I could ever count. 
 

The deer are semi wild, but friendly and used to people.  



Before long I spotted the house in the distance.... but we didn't go in this time. 

Instead, we walked past it, and across a golf course....



...then came to the curious little folly building which you see in the photo below. It is called The Birdcage, and it was built by one of the 18th century owners of Knole, Lord Amherst, to store all the pheasants he shot on his hunts. I suspect the gamekeeper lived there too.  The present gamekeeper is said to live there, anyhow, though I don't suppose he has dead pheasants hanging from the ceilings these days.
The cottage is approached by a  "ruined" arch, another folly which was created at the same time the house was built. It's in no recognisable style, but apparently it re-used carved stones from another, long demolished house not far away.


There are deer everywhere.  Or at least they are mostly deer. 
 

On and on we went, through groves of enormous, and very old chestnut and oak trees, some of which are obviously hundreds of years old. 



...and eventually we left the estate and continued down tiny lanes, footpaths and bridleways instead. 

Kent is a beautiful county, and midweek hardly anyone seemed to be about on the paths and bridleways. Except we did meet a woman with a dog, which snarled menacingly at us.  "Oh, don't worry about her. She's only like that because she never sees anyone," she said, making me wonder if she might be some kind of greenwood hermit who only ventured out at lonely times.  


Eventually we passed thes buildings below, and a notice told us that we were now on the Ightham estate, which surrounds the other National Trust house nearby, Ightham Mote.  These sheds don't look much but they have an interesting history, for they are hoppers huts. 


A hundred years ago, whole streets of Cockneys from the East End of London would come down to Kent each year and pick hops. They didn't get paid much for their hopping, but it was the nearest thing they got to a holiday, and from all accounts it was a happy time (though personally I feel the estate could have put some windows in the sheds for them.)  The hop picking experience is captured in the little film below, from 1929, (which also promises silk stockings, I see.) So the hop pickers camped in these shelters and cooked their food on campfires outside - though I'm not sure where they washed the silk stockings. Now, the huts are closed and cobwebbed.


Finally, between the trees and down in a hollow, there was Ightham Mote. 


As its name suggests it is surrounded by a moat, just glimpsed to the left and right of this old stone bridge below.  


When I was young I visited Ightham Mote, and was shown around by the charming elderly owner. Although it was - sort of - open to the public, we were the only visitors, and I've never forgotten how strong the house's own personality was, as it sat, dilapidated but dignified, getting older and older and older in its remote little valley.  Eventually, it passed to the National Trust, which did extensive and much-needed repairs, restored the garden and generally spruced it up, adding the usual shop and cafe to please the many visitors who help pay for its upkeep. I was sad that it had lost its romantically melancholic atmosphere, but it is still a wonderful place, in a slightly different way.    




Like many old houses, it has been adapted and modernised over centuries, and is full of strange corners and curiosities. This long newel post at the bottom of a staircase very battered, and I wondered who the staircase guardian is supposed to be. I don't suppose anyone knows, but I bet he was a familiar figure to many who grew up in the house in the past. 

I
Ightham Mote also has the country's one and only Grade 1 Listed doghouse, seen below. It was created for a St. Bernard called Dido, then became home for two tiny lap dogs.  It's now all ready for a new tenant, I hope it gets one someday! 



My favourite room on the earlier visit was the living room which is decorated with faded but still spectacular 18th century Chinese handpainted wallpaper.  The room was still my favourite, although I felt there might be rather too many knick knacks around for my taste. The room has two wonderful fireplaces, one finely carved in white


with what look like wood spirits or green men, and tiles that were put in at a later date.



The second chimneypiece runs across most of the opposite wall, and it is what the friendly volunteer guide (seen below) called the "Marmite Fireplace,"  (Marmite is something which, according to the ads, you either love or hate.)  I loved it.


The top section reminds me of the kind of painted Elizabethan tombs you see in old churches, with little coloured figures poking their heads out in high relief. 


The lower part is mostly varnished wood, with a splendid iron fireback. 


I could have spent longer in the house and gardens, but didn't have time before it closed at 5 pm. But the walk back to Sevenoaks, just under a couple of hours away through the woods, was good too, with low golden light pushing through the branches and sliding down the hill.


.  
I squeezed right inside a hollow oak and looked up. 


And Knole seemed deserted, but for the deer.   It was too late to see inside, but I'll be back.  Three cheers for the National Trust! 



   If you get the chance to do the walk yourself, it's ten miles round trip, with a few hills and the chance to have tea at Ightham Mote. You'll need an OS map to find the footpaths and byways - they're clearly marked.  


47 comments:

  1. OMG! This was fantastic! Loved it all. I sure do enjoy traveling and seeing the sights with you, lady! ;)

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  2. What a fabulous day out you just gave me!
    Imagine such a place a short walk from the High Street!
    The photos again are brilliant, especially the one inside the tree, that was so good I laughed out loud, brilliant. Those trees are great!
    I was listening to an old tape of a radio prog in which they covered King George V's diary 1914. In January and the gamie etc go shooting, taking some 1800 pheasants! These were dished around to one and all.
    I remember butchers always had game hanging in the window.
    Up in Scotland in days of yore folks went 'tattie howking,' picking potatoes before the days of mechanised lifting. I think I'd prefer the hops. A friend now has to search South Africa for hops for his company.
    Love the old house and the wood fireplace.
    Another storming post!

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    1. Thanks, and I'm sorry it took me so long to reply to the comments. (The reason is a long boring story about an iPad...plus a dash of laziness) I LOVE very old trees like this, and wish I had one in the garden as you can really look at them again and again. I think it's really bizarre the idea of building a house for game, but then these aristocrats did live a life that had little to do with ordinary life, it seems. The house is fabulous. I found out what the wooden man was at the bottom of the stairs too. It is a Saracen's Head. So maybe the original owners nicked it off an old pub.

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  3. What a trip. The tree is wonderful.

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  4. Thanks for taking us along on this wonderful excursion. Great pictures.

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  5. Wonderful photos, as always. I especially love the "ruined" arch, the flowers near the suit of armor, and the hollow oak tree. And, of course, the deer - - but I hope none of them get clobbered with golf balls, being so close to a golf course!

    I also really like the idea of a kimono fashion show. That's unique!

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    1. I didn't think about the golf balls. A public footpath runs through the course, and I think I would be more concerned about being hit myself, come to think of it!

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  6. Two beautiful properties, but I have such a soft spot for moated ones that Ightham Mote has to be my favorite.
    We're off to Japan in September to visit our daughter. She lives in Fukuoka which is on the southern most island. She has many adventures planned for us!

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    1. Should be brilliant! I am already wishing we had allocated more time to be in Japan. There is such a lot to see there.

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  7. wow. what a fascinating place to visit. those deer let you get right up on them...and the stone work is fantastic...all the detail on old houses...it was a work of art...

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  8. That is a tour that sounds like it needs at least two days devoted to it. Maybe someday i can do just that!

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  9. That took me back more than forty years!

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  10. WOW! Lovely photos. Very cool to see all this. Loved it.

    Happy Weekend :-)

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  11. I do so enjoy your posts !
    This one was amazing but the walk (I could not do now) was wonderful and thank youfor taking us along.

    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

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  12. A varied post...love all the deer and the verdant grounds but hate to see buildings going to ruin...You would think they could be put to some use. I hope your photographer friend has a good turn out. Enjoy the weekend and good luck with your next trip to Japan.

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    1. Thanks! I was surprised to see that nothing had been done with the buildings, although I suppose putting a little notice by them was better than nothing. It might be that at some stage they could be part of an educational centre.

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  13. Jenny, this was an almost magical trip for me - enchanted woodland filled with magical creatures, buildings shrouded in mystery and so much to think and learn about! Absolutely my kind of outing, and it only increased my looking forward to travelling to Yorkshire next week where we'll have similar day trips and long walks, for instance to Fountains Abbey (again!) and some Big Houses to revisit, along with some others we have not been to yet.
    Thank you, I loved this post and the photos!

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    1. I'm glad you liked the post, and I'm sorry I didn't reply to the comments to this post before. By now you'll have about come to the end of the Yorkshire trip. I've read some of the posts but will be round to read the rest. And yes, it really is quite magical in these woods. Sometimes the trees have very gnarly roots and you can quite "see" things in them. I hope to post some pictures of specially splendid ones in my next post.

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  14. As always, thank you for taking me on your wonderful trips, it is a pleasure to read of them. The image of the woods you walked through on your return to Sevenoaks made me envious! What a lush green heaven.
    Your mention of hop-picking reminded me of my pea-picking adventures whilst a child in Sussex. If memory serves me well, we earned 2/6 a crate.
    Kind regards
    Anna :o]

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    1. I would think pea picking was pretty hard on the fingers, Anna. But I love the scent of peas so that would have been some consolation I suppose...2/6d doesn't seem like much of a reward, although it was worth having in those days if I remember correctly.

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  15. I wish I could do that walk and see what you saw. How interesting it all is. I have never been close to an ageing tree but I know how marvellous they are to continue putting forth shoots at great ages. Wish I could say the same!!

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  16. What a great walk - and I love the folly. (Do you know of any other country in the world that has follies like we do?)

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  17. I love the Marmite Fireplace too Jenny: it is wonderfully decorative. What a great walk you had, and how stunning is Knole, especially with the deer in the foreground. The little folly cottage is gorgeous, just like something from a fairytale. I do love the amazing historical architecture to be found in England. And I really enjoyed the little film of the hop pickers, a real look into the past. It is interesting that their sleeveless attire was considered worth a comment - perhaps it was a trifle risque back then?

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    1. I think you're right! :) I think it must have been pretty hot out there in the hop fields all day so I hope they wore the coolest clothes they could find, (and certainly not the silk stockings also mentioned!)

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  18. Fantastic post! Thank you
    I always feel like I'm on vacation when reading your blog.

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  19. I enjoyed the wonderful photos of your walk. With your descriptions is is the next best thing to being there.

    The photo exhibit looks interesting. I'd like to see more of the kimono's. I own a couple of fairly old kimono's purchased years ago in Japan. I don't wear them, once had them displayed in a bedroom but now they are packed away. Perhaps I will get them out.

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    1. Very pretty to display. There were a couple of lovely ones in the show, the linings just as pretty as the outsides, in a different way.

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  20. Another wonderfully interesting post, Jenny...with equally wonderful photos to match. Thank you for sharing. :)

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  21. How wonderful to view your pic's and see all that greenery. I do enjoy the high desert in Albuquerque, but we have been very very dry, and all the plants that grew in the spring are now brown husks of their former selves.
    I shall have to visit the UK sometime.

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    1. Often in England it gets brown and dry by this time of year, but our climate is so variable that in years like now, when there's been way too much rain for my liking, the late summer is really a beautiful green.

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  22. Great photos - I feel like I was with you on your walk!

    Has it been two years already since you went to Japan?

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  23. A lovely walk. We must do more exploring on our visits to the Pirate's relatives in Kent

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  24. What a lovely adventure! Deer, a moat, ancient trees, carved fireplaces... how magical!

    It's interesting that there is a "kimono culture" in England. That is something I know very little about, despite my husband being half-Japanese.

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    1. I don't know if there is much of a kimono culture outside London, but there are a lot of Japanese people in the city and certainly many Westerners who like to dress up in Japanese style, although to my eyes it looks quite odd unless they are small and slim like Japanese women.

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  25. The decoration inside Ightham Mote is amazing, though I can't say I like the Marmite fireplace - a bit too plain and heavy looking for my taste. I'm surprised the hop pickers wore silk stockings. A bit impractical for such rough work, I would have thought? I love deer - one of my favourite animals. One reason I used to visit Richmond Park was to see the deer.

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    1. I wonder if the silk stockings were just something they put in the paper to sell it. I can't imagine they'd last long in the countryside either!

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  26. You really have an interesting circle of friends and a wonderful life. I love reading about and seeing the pictures that you post. I get to see so much that I never would.

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  27. A wonderful trip round the Kent countryside. I’ve always fancied seeing Igtham Mote since I read Anya Seton’s ‘Green Darkness’.

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    1. Anya Seton, a name I have not heard for a while. I imagine she knew it in its pre National Trust days, when I must admit, it had a most memorable and magical forgotten charm.

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  28. I remember that trip to Japan! I'm glad you're making plans to go back again.

    I love reading about all of the adventures you have. I can't really afford to have any myself so I live through you vicariously.

    I've never heard of a calendar home before. Interesting!

    My last job, deer would often come visit and hang around the back area. I loved seeing them and would always look for them.

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    1. Wonderful to see such huge wild animals up close. Not that they are necessarily huge, I know, in fact quite tiny ones can be seen sometimes even in London, not much bigger than a dog. I think they're called Muntjac deer

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  29. One of the problems with your posts, Jenny, is that they are too good at achieving their objective or at least at evoking an enthusiasm which makes one want to visit. Kent is, for me, an almost unknown county. I have travelled through it frequently but I have never stopped and explored. Apart from anything else there always seem to be so many people but perhaps there are just so many cars. Perhaps one day on my way to France or Italy I will stop off for a couple of days and explore.

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    1. The funny thing, Graham is that we felt really alone on most of our walk, not in a bad way of course, but it was quite startling to see another human being. But then that's bridleways for you, I think - at least in some parts of the world. And it WAS a weekday.

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  30. Aren't kimonos amazing?

    The deer are lovely, too, and I'd be unable to resist trying to feed or pet one.

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  31. I first became curious about Kent and hops when I read the Maisie Dobbs mystery during which she went to Kent and hops played into the story/characters. The deer are fabulous and the home is so very beautiful. Love that Japanese wallpaper. Maybe, as I plan my next visit to England, I have to take a good look at Kent!

    This post is really touching my heart. And I'm so delighted you are planning to return to Japan. I know how much you enjoyed it the first time!

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Jeanie. I have never heard about the Maisie Dobbs mysteries, but I'll look out for them. From the name it sounds like they won't be too gory. (I have a liking for detective stories WITHOUT too much gore!). Yes, Kent is very well worth looking at once you get outside the London sprawl. Extraordinarily beautiful county, in fact.

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  32. Such an abundance of happy times, beautiful places and visits with lots of memories to keep close to you! Lovely sculptures too, the tree is just amazing!

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