 |
| Click to enlarge! |
ha-ha - it is the brick wall, which you can see in the foreground.
It was designed to give uninterrupted views of the grounds, while keeping livestock out of the gardens.
It looks fairly small in this photograph, but the trench in front of it is deep and the wall is about six feet high.
The house is vast.
One of the new additions in the grounds is the Sculpture Garden. It is home to a wide ranging, ever changing selection of sculptures.
I particularly liked these cattle, I chose them for today, because they are placed behind a rather spindly fence, made from copper coloured metal.
Once again I am delighted to be joining in Friday's Fences with Jan n Jer. If you click on the link you will find lots of great fences to enjoy.
I've seen a couple of examples of ha-has here in the U.S. The idea "borrowed" from clever English gardeners, I'm sure! What an unexpected pleasure to find cattle grazing in the fields and I'm sure this rather unsubstantial fence was up to the job of keeping them in. How do you normally see this kind of fencing used?
ReplyDeleteHope you're enjoying your visit with son.
Hello Faye, Thank you, we are having a wonderful time with Jonny - he is making us catch up on all manner of jobs around the place, the kind which require the extra strength of a young set of muscles. He also allows us time off for good behaviour...hence the visit to Burghley! The hooped fencing is really just decorative and a polite reminder that pathways should be used, not the grass.
DeleteSpectacular view of Burghley House! I wonder how long it took to build the retaining (ha ha) wall?
ReplyDeleteHello Meggie, Burghley is pretty spectacular. As far as the ha ha goes, I have found a note saying it was built between 1765 and 1770 - but that is as close as I can get; say anything up to 5 years. It has recently undergone a programme of renovation which took 12 years, and cost £200,000. I'm so thankful we were able to build our own retaining walls, although it wasn't much fun at the time. They took about 3 months.
DeleteHa ha (wall) real makes me feel ha ha!I am amazed to see this wall.I knew that wall fencing is traditional method of fencing but this much lengthy fencing I see first time & just like Meggie i am also curious to know how long it took to build ?
ReplyDeleteHello weide-artikelen.nl, Welcome! It is a very impressive wall , the best reference I have found says that it was built between 1765 and 1770, so anything up to 5 years. It was a huge project.
DeleteHa, Ha, they are such a clever idea!
ReplyDeleteHello LindyLouMac, They are very clever, but I always worry about people, dogs, etc falling over them.
DeleteGreat photos! Both the wall and the cattle are just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHello Sheeps and Peeps, I came across the cattle quite unexpectedly, after looking at all kinds of weird and wonderful sculptures - finally something I could understand!
Deleteinteresting cows. wonder how a fence such as that can keep cows inside? looks too simple. (:
ReplyDeleteHello Beth, Isn't it amazing - and yet it seems to work!
DeleteVery interesting. A castle and cows always make a great subject for me. I was worried about the cows before I read everything. They are a little scraggly. Hope you have more for later on.
ReplyDeleteHello Amy, I really like the cows, they became visible as we followed a path around a bend and there they were in the distance. Clever placement.
DeleteIn the 'Mrs Bradley' series there is a fabulous quote about Ha-Has....but can I remember it?
ReplyDeleteJane x
Hello Jane, Now that sounds like a great excuse to put your feet up and watch them again!
DeleteWow...how magnificent!!! simply gorgeous n breathtaking at the same time. Love those cow sculptures.
ReplyDeleteHello Jan n Jer, It is a very impressive old house, much added to and altered over the years. The cows looked great in their little bit of pasture.
DeleteI'm in love with those cows, I'm not sure one would look right in my garden though! I'm loving the idea of Friday's fences btw, which I'd never come across before reading about it here, so I decided to join in the fun too. Many thanks for the thumbs up about it :-)
ReplyDeleteHello Kit and Kaboodle, Friday's Fences is great fun - and it is amazing how many times I have to stop the car these days and grab my camera because I have seen something for future use!
Deletebeautiful and i love that sculpture garden! what a great idea!
ReplyDeleteHello Tanya, It was a lovely day out, the house tour was wonderful and the sculpture garden was delightful.
DeleteThere is a good example of a Ha-ha at Mt. Vernon the historical home of George Washington.
ReplyDeleteHello Doc, Thanks for that, I shall check it out when our internet connection is properly up to speed - right now every page loads very slowly indeed. Tedious!
Deletethose are some wild looking cows.
ReplyDeleteHello W.Latan Barton, Aren't they just - it's a good job that fencing is holding them back.
DeleteWhat a charming idea to put cow sculptures where the real thing used to graze. I've seen several references to Sir Cecil recently, one in the film "Anonymous" about who really wrote the Shakespeare plays, and the other in a documentary about Elizabeth I.
ReplyDeleteHello Ms Sparrow, I guess they don't take much to feed, either! He was an interesting man - this was just his Lincolnshire home and even this place had to be bigger and better than anyone else's. He wanted everyone to be impressed. I wonder what his main home was like.
DeleteI couldn't upload these shots and am missing out! :-(
ReplyDeleteHello Marie, I am so sorry! I always cut down on the size before I load them up, otherwise they would never get there in the first place. I share the same problem when I am trying to view some of the other entries. It is so very frustrating.
DeleteCool cows- I can't imagine that little fence holding them in!
ReplyDeleteHi Elaine, that is a pretty cool find. I thought the cows are real hehehe. Thanks for sharing and the visit too.
ReplyDeleteKim,USA