Wondrous Waddesdon Manor

The art of turning a hurried day trip to a relaxing break comes easy with practice!

Take a desired destination, find a hotel with character nearby and a local pub with history for a traditional pub meal, take in a previously unknown town on the way.

Suddenly I have a great break worth writing about!

This time the chosen destination was Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. It’s just over 100 miles and 2.30 hours’ drive from our base – ideal for a one-night break! On the last days of July, the weather was hot and sunny! A bonus!!

Aylesbury 

Aylesbury is about 7 miles from Waddesdon. As we were too early to check in at our hotel, we drove on to Aylesbury for a look around. The Old County Hall and Town Hall Arches looked impressive under a bright blue sky, but that’s about it. The colourful flowering hanging baskets seen everywhere cannot disguise the rather rundown state of the town with many empty shops.

Waddesdon 

When Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild had Waddesdon Manor built in 1874, he transformed Waddesdon into an “estate village”. New houses, a school, a village hall and a pub were built for the employees and tenants. Little wonder that everything in Waddesdon is connected to The Manor.

There’s no town centre as such. High Street is the busy A41 with a mixture of shops and dwellings. It looks pretty and tranquil until fleets of cars and lorries trundle past!

The Five Arrows Hotel

The Five Arrows is a grade II listed building located at the gates of Waddesdon Manor. It was built in 1887 as part of the Waddesdon Estate to house the artisans, architects and craftspeople working on the manor.

Many of the original features, such as the Elizabethan chimneys and wrought ironwork, have been preserved. The name is derived from the Rothschild family emblem of a shield surmounted by five arrows (see photo of the entrance to The Wine Cellars). 

With only 16 bedrooms, this exquisite boutique hotel is always in high demand. I had to book early to secure a room on the date that I wanted. 

Our room on the first floor in the main building, facing the side garden, was modern and comfortable with no squeaky floorboards. The clever double-glazing preserved the period appearance of the building but provided effective sound-proving …. until we had to keep the windows open as it was a hot night. Then there’s no escaping the thundering traffic on the A41 from about 5.00 in the morning!

The Lion Waddesdon 

The Lion Waddesdon is just across the road from The Five Arrows Hotel. It was a coaching inn built for travellers. It’s now a family-run pub with accommodation. The opening hours of the restaurant of The Five Arrows Hotel are tied in with those of Waddesdon Manor. The Lion seems to be the only dining-out option in the vicinity on Monday and Tuesday evenings!

Waddesdon Manor – the main event!

Background

Waddesdon Manor consists of 120 acres of grounds, including 4 acres of landscaped gardens. It was built in the style of a French chateau as a weekend retreat. The ostentatious display of wealth is inevitable since the de Rothschild family apparently possessed the largest private fortune in the world during the 19th century. 

It’s home to the Rothschild Collections of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts. The ownership of the Manor and art collections were bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957 with a substantial endowment. It was first opened to the public in 1959 and is managed by the Rothschild Foundation on behalf of the National Trust.

Waddesdon Manor is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Tickets must be pre-booked online, although it’s free for National Trust members. 

The gardens of Waddesdon Manor

The benefit of staying close to Waddesdon Manor was that we could be there as soon as it’s open. We had to take a bus (£2.50 per person) to get from the car park to the house. Naturally we caught the first bus! 

When we were dropped off at the North Fountain, the imposing Manor appeared in silhouette form at the end of a long walk. I headed straight to the back. 

As soon as I turned the corner, I was greeted by a plethora of colours woven into an eye-catching masterpiece. I don’t think I had seen a parterre in bloom like that until then! Geraniums in deep velvety red interspersed with sunny yellow begonias and purple blue lavenders to showcase themselves in symmetrical patterns on manicured lush green lawns. What a delightful vision!

I thought the vista could not be improved until I turned round to see the grandiose house in the background framed by the cobalt blue sky! What a joyous sight to behold! As there was hardly anyone else but us, I had uninterrupted views around me for taking photos to my heart’s content!

The floral display was a feast for the eyes, a celebration of a beautiful summer‘s day and a credit to the gardening staff!

The interiors of Waddesdon Manor

The de Rothschild family name was the byword for wealth and luxury and they’re in full display all over the house! A lot of the rooms were open to the public and each one was lavishly furnished and preserved, like a film set for a period drama.

It’s mind-boggling to think that this sumptuous house was built not as a residence, but as a retreat to host weekend guests!

The self-guided tour of the house was regulated by time slots so that it’s never overcrowded. It took us about an hour to gaze in awe and wonderment at all the grandeur around!

The experience contrasted greatly with that of my visit to Buckingham Palace, where people were herded inside in a constant stream, and where guards were there to stop people from taking photos instead of knowledgeable guides engaging visitors in conversation as at Waddesdon Manor.

The Wine Cellars

The Wine Cellars house one of the largest collections of Château Lafite Rothschild wines outside France. Weekly wine tasting sessions are held in the Vault Room

Manor Restaurant 

To complete our Waddesdon experience we had a light lunch at Manor Restaurant – the former kitchen of The Manor! The dishes were delicate, tasty and beautifully presented. The food was more akin to that of a French restaurant than the run-of-the-mill fare served up at other National Trust eateries

The Aviary 

After lunch we headed for the Aviary garden just a short walk from the restaurant. Built in 1889, the aviary is a work of art of its own. The cast iron structure in pale blue and gold with intricate latticework was beautifully complemented by softly coloured bedding in front of it.

Outdoors Artworks

The famous Rothschild art collection is not confined inside The Manor. There’re plants sculpted in the shape of a bird, statues etc. all over the gardens. However, these 2 caught my eyes.

elephant Family

The lifelike elephants were made by craftsmen in southern India using an invasive plant, Lantana Camara, dried and wrapped over steel frames. It’s there “to highlight threats to Asian Elephant habitats”

Giant teapot sculpture

The giant teapot sculpture on the front lawn is made from intricate metalwork. It is a work of art called “Pour” as a representation of British tea culture 

Here is my personal memento of a splendid little break!