Greys Court House

We had a nice drive through some of the Chilterns and through Henley-on-Thames and over the river.  A very pretty town indeed.  On arrival at Greys Court; a 16th century mansion, with some Tudor history, we had plenty of time for a look around, although it was drizzling, we made the most of it and decided to do the outside first in case the rain got worse.  The rose garden was very pretty with some lovely perfumed ones.  There was a vegetable garden  and that had a short, crab apple pergola which will look very effective when the dark red apples get a little bigger, a novelty we thought looked visually good.  A few other walled areas that had their own charm with cottagey style flower borders, some within the shadow of the Gt Round Tower which dates back to the 14th century.  There was a lot of self-seeded valerian growing out the walls and the tower! Also small a pond that had water lilies and newts in it looking very pretty   

For food, there was the Cowshed Tea Room offering hot meals, cakes, drinks, and snacks and a choice of indoor and outdoor seating 

There was a good garden plant and gift shop near the mansion.  2 walks around the estate, one being only 30-40 minutes, sadly not done as wet.  Lots of meadowy areas that looked very pretty.  In the mansion, there were plenty of guides on hand to answer any queries.  A lovely home with plenty of 18th century plasterwork to admire, stained glass panels and interesting furniture.  The ceilings were really lovely and well worth a look