A visit to Dudmaston Estate during October 2020

The last National Trust property visit of 2020 was to Dudmaston Estate in October 2020. It's in Shropshire. A 17th Century country house (not open apart from a gallery inside). Near the village of Quatt. As before booked the tickets online for a slot. The grounds you could walk about and explore. Tea Room was open, but you had to have your tea or coffee at picnic tables outside.

Dudmaston

The National Trust property of Dudmaston is located near the village of Quatt in Shropshire. The country house dates to the 17th century. There is former farm buildings, some of which have been converted into a tea room and second hand book shop. There was a gallery you could visit (sanitise your hands before going in), but no photography allowed inside for copyright reasons (I think the family still live in the house). Tickets and time slot as before booked via the National Trust website (with tickets on EventBrite). If there was a gift shop, I think it was closed.

This visit was on the 18th October 2020 (so was about half a month before the second lockdown began).

 

Outbuildings at Dudmaston

The Outbuildings from the lawn. Near here was picnic tables. A queue for the toilets, sanitise your hands, wer your mask if you go in.

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A courtyard near the Outbuildings. All the rooms here were closed. There was a one way system in place, so if you wanted, you could enter the gardens from this gate on the right.

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The Outbuildings from the garden. Due to the one way system in place, if you went out of the garden, then back in, you had to head this way to get out.

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This gate to the courtyard looked nice, but it was no entry this way (you could only walk through them from the other direction).

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Private garden seen over the fence from the Kitchen Garden. Far end of the Outbuildings.

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Dudmaston Hall

Round the back of Dudmaston Hall. A tent with National Trust volunteer, to register you before going into the exhibition / gallery. Sanitise your hands again, mask on. No photos allowed inside (tempting as it was).

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The back of Dudmaston Hall. It is a Grade II* listed building. A Queen Anne mansion. Built of red brick with stone dressings. Was also a 19th Century office and stable wing built in the Elizabethan style. Couldn't cross the rope on the left.

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Heading down the hill, a look at Dudmaston Hall, an impresive looking house.

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There was this Red Ivy going down the house. A bit like those poppy art installations around Remembrance time. Some old steps with urns.

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Another view of the house with the Red Ivy in the middle.

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The Red Ivy looked wonderful from any angle in the parkland.

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You could have a walk around the Dingle Walk. Eventually you would end up at the back of the Big Pool, with this wonderful picturesque view of Dudmaston Hall.

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Parkland and gardens

A look down to the Big Pool at Dudmaston Estate.

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Sculpture in the garden, part of a trail. Spaceframe sculpted by Anthony Twentyman during 1985.

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Seated bench area for relaxing and looking at the views of the picturesque parkland.

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Greylag geese flying and landing in the Big Pool.

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The Kitchen Garden. Pumpkins in the greenhouse before Halloween.

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Fingerpost on the Dingle Walk. Head right to the Garden, or left to the Dingle Walk.

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Kept spotting this brick boathouse near the Big Pool, although didn't see any boats in the lake.

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The South Lodge seen from the car as we left Dudmaston Estate. Now a private house. A Grade II listed building dating to the early 19th Century. Made of coursed sandstone rubble, with a tiled roof. The gate on exiting the estate was an automatic electric gate.

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Hope to visit more National Trust properties in 2021, after the 3rd lockdown ends, if we are allowed to travel far again. Especially in the Spring or Summer months.

 

Photos taken by Elliott Brown. Can be found on Twitter: ellrbrown