West Wycombe Park

The Temple of Music From Wikipedia - “The Temple of Music is on an island in the lake, inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Rome. It was designed for Dashwood's fêtes champêtres, with the temple used as a theatre; the remains of the stage survive.”

The Temple of Music is situated on an Island in the Lake. You can only get there by boat and I guess you would need to get permission from the Dashwood family :-)))

From Wikipedia - “The gardens at West Wycombe Park are among the finest and most idiosyncratic 18th century gardens surviving in England.The park is unique in its consistent use of Classical architecture from both Greece and Italy. The two principal architects of the gardens at West Wycombe were John Donowell and Nicholas Revett. They designed all of the ornamental buildings in the park. The landscape architect Thomas Cook began to execute the plans for the park, with a nine-acre man-made lake created from the nearby River Wye in the form of a swan. The lake originally had a Spanish galleon for the amusement of Dashwood's guests, complete with a resident captain on board. Water leaves the lake down a cascade and into a canal pond.”

From Wikipedia - “The house, which is a Grade I listed building, was given to the National Trust in 1943 by Sir John Dashwood, 10th Baronet (1896–1966), an action strongly resented by his heir. Dashwood retained ownership of the contents of the house, much of which he sold; after his death, the house was restored at the expense of his son, Sir Francis Dashwood. Today, while the structure is owned by the National Trust, the house is the home of Sir Edward Dashwood and his family. The house is open to the public during the summer months and a venue for civil weddings and corporate entertainment, which help to fund its maintenance and upkeep.”

Back to one of my fave places and I have been let loose with the soft focus effect, again :-)

Temple of Venus Reflected.

Last Saturday Helen & I went to the West Wycombe Fete held in the grounds of West Wycombe Park. There was a tractor and trailer taking ‘peoples’ for a circular tour that passed the ‘polo field’. I had no idea polo was played here and I knew I had to investigate!! I have never photographed polo matches before but there is always a first time :-) This was one of the hottest days of the year. It was 'blisteringly hot' and I managed a dozen or so shots before I had to retreat to a shady spot. This is one of the shots :-)