the day trip
SHIT!
In a panic
I pulled the wheel desperately to the right
As the car bumped back onto the tarmac
Making a mental note
Not to read the map while driving!
I was getting anxious
We were supposed to be there for afternoon drinks
His wife was a big buyer for Fortnum and Mason
A client
Hence the invitation
I had been driving for what seemed like an eternity
After passing St. Michael’s in Caerhays
With a stone wall and ditch
Endlessly on the left
I had passed a gate house
But it was all shut up
In shear desperation
I slowed and stopped
Beside a man walking a black lab
Hard to resist
I blurted out the address
Surrendering my composure
Oh!
he said
you are after the Lord Lieutenant of the Shire!
follow the wall until the main gate
it is about 2 kilometres along the wall
nodding over zealously
a thank you
I speed along following the wall
I had spent
All the previous weekend under the Lancia Flavia in the streets of Kensington
So
it was humming along
beautiful!
Turning into the gatehouse
A substantial cottage and guard house on the right
With the gate
obligingly open
Crackling up the marble drive
Meandering between tall Nothofagus trees
always climbing
through carpets of speckled light
Highlighting dense colour flashes of the rhododendrons
A winding serpentine
To the white marble chip expanse before
The stone castellated port cochere
As a family of peasants
With chicks in tow
Scurried across in front of the car
As we settled to a granular stop
Under the imposing shade of the arched port cochere
The door abruptly opening as if on que
John Williams
Ambles out in his tweed jacket with leather patches
Opening the car door
Welcoming us
Explaining that the peasants have been in the family for six generations
And are part of the place
John explains we can park anywhere as the port cochere was designed for the turning of carriages
As we walk into the two storey, Georgian entrance hall with family portraits down the hall
Which continued up the grand staircase to the upper level
The house was designed by John Nash
And constructed between 1808 to 1810 for John Trevanian
Who was described as
A complete man of fashion, without anything frivolous or effeminate
The Nash mansion was built on a terrace
Overlooking Porthluney Cove towards the English Channel
After doing the tour of the Edwardian billiard room and the Georgian dining hall
We settled in a less formal sitting room as Mrs. Williams joined us
Pimm’s were offered
As John scurried to one side in a frenzy of preparation
While his wife
Continued the narrative
The house has only been in two families since 1370
Michael Williams a mine owner and banker
Bought Caerhays Castle in 1855
It became the William’s family home around 1892
After J.C.Williams married his second cousin
The Pimms arrived
Of course
In pint glasses with stacks on fresh mint
And a straw?
Which was quickly discarded
Originally Caerhays Castle was used as a staging nursery for Kew Royal Botanic Gardens and the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens
Allowing plant species to acclimatise
Mainly for exotic Asian species
like rhododendrons and later becoming a pioneer in daffodil hybrids through their links with the Royal Horticultural Society
The original species are still in the quarry, where the stone for the house was originally quarried
The head gardener Philip Tregunne has been with the family for years
continues in the tradition
After retiring from Parliament
John took up the traditional role of
Lord Lieutenant of the Shire
As a member of the local council
A family tradition that is taken very seriously
His wife, every Christmas takes hampers to the local disadvantaged people
While John, is often called upon to assist in cases of local dispute and misfortune
Helping out where he can
After the third Pimms
we fidgeted
Suggesting we should leave in order to get back to London
As the curtain of dusk laid across the country side
It was with a sense of quite appreciation
for the generosity of the Williams that we headed for London
the tradition of their continuing lineage
with their obvious, heart felt, social commitment to the local community
its associated responsibilities
lead the conversation
as we drove through diminishing light
back to a world
devoid of this personal responsibility