My Photos: 2014

Sunday 19 October 2014

Rye Harbour

Rye Harbour is a picturesque village and moorings near the Kent and Sussex border. The unique and interesting harbour, which runs along the river Rother offers much to the visitor. It has a busy yachting centre, a fishing fleet and some commercial shipping. The village has a lifeboat station with a long and noble history, two public houses and a village shop. There is also a holiday village for those who wish to explore the area.

A Martello Tower (No 28) was built at Rye Harbour to defend the area against possible invasion during the Napoleonic wars. Today, lying unoccupied, it provides a picturesque setting.

The church of the Holy Spirit at Rye Harbour stands in a beautiful location with a memorial to all those who lost their lives in the Mary Stanford Lifeboat Disaster in 1928.

The Rye Harbour Nature Reserve was established 1970 . There is a manned information centre 550 yards (500 m) south of the village at Lime Kiln Cottage.

The Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and entry is free. It has a network of footpaths which provide fascinating walks along the sea shore, across fields and large areas of shingle. There is the opportunity to observe wildlife from several excellent bird hides.

Camber Castle, built by Henry VIII, lies to the west close to Rye Harbour. It can be reached on foot from a footpath at the Rye end of the Rye Harbour Road, or from a footpath through the Rye Nature Reserve or from a footpath at Winchelsea Beach.

Photographs Here

Friday 8 August 2014

Wakehurst Place

Botanical garden with the world's largest seed conservation project
Open throughout the year, Wakehurst is the country estate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The varied landscape is of international significance for its beautiful botanic gardens and tree collections, as well as for its science-based plant conservation and research.

A feast for the senses, Wakehurst features natural woodland and lakes, formal gardens, an Elizabethan house (five unfurnished rooms) and the 21st-century architecture of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank.

Wakehurst marks an international conservation milestone in 2010, having conserved seeds from ten per cent of the world's plant species.

Wakehurst Place is leased from the National Trust and is managed by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Wakehurst Place is funded and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. To find out about the things you can see and do on a visit, please take a look at the Wakehurst Place pages on the Kew Gardens website.

More Photos HERE

Monday 30 June 2014

Nymans 25th June 2014

Outstanding 20th-century garden, set around a romantic house and ruins, in beautiful woodland
In the late 1800s Ludwig Messel bought the Nymans Estate in the Sussex High Weald to make a dream family home. Inspired by the wooded surroundings he created a garden with plants collected from around the world. Here this creative family entertained friends and family, enjoyed relaxing, playing and picnicking in the garden and woods. Today it is still a garden lovers' home - a place to relax all year round and enjoy a peaceful country garden.

The house was partially destroyed by fire in 1947 and the romantic ruins of a fairytale gothic mansion remain. Nymans is one of the National Trust's most eco- friendly properties and aims to inspire a more sustainable way of living.

Inspired by the garden lovers' home there is a large shop and plant centre with a special collection of plants grown on site as well as a redesigned café offering a choice of seasonal food,a Grab & Go kiosk in the tea garden and woodland craft sales.

Every day there are guided walks and talks in the garden and woods, a small gallery in the house with changing exhibitions for every season, a secondhand bookshop, shop tastings and mobility tours of the garden and woods. For children there are natural play trails, geocaching in the garden and woods, pick up and go activities and school holiday trails.

Click on photo to enlarge: