The grounds of a North Yorkshire priory have been named by English Heritage having among the most beautiful autumnal garden landscapes in England.
English Heritage has today unveiled glowing gold viewing frame installations at its historic sites in the country deemed as having the most stunning autumn views that have been enjoyed by prominent figures in history.
Mount Grace Priory in North Yorkshire makes the top five list thanks to the stunning reds and oranges of its Japanese Acers which were enjoyed by the esteemed writer, traveller and archaeologist Gertrude Bell.
Bell was known to take refuge at Mount Grace when not on her Arabian travels and she visited the ruins often with friends or for picnics.
During her travels abroad she mentioned the priory many times in her letters home and Gertrude’s last visit to Mount Grace was in 1925, when she returned to visit her parents Hugh and Florence before her unexpected death in Baghdad in 1926.
Other sites celebrated by English Heritage for their links to prominent historic figures include Audley End House and Gardens in Essex that were frequented by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and Down House, the Kent home of Charles Darwin.
Christopher Weddell, English Heritage’s senior gardens advisor, said: “The historic gardens in our care are among the finest in the country and provide magnificent views of autumn colour for our visitors today as they did for their famous residents.
“Thanks to a particularly scorching summer we could have one of the best autumn displays in recent years.
“The recent cooler weather is already transforming the green to beautiful oranges, browns and reds; enough to get out your paint brush and canvas and paint the picture-perfect views like Queen Victoria did when she stayed at her Isle of Wight home, Osborne.
“Our historic gardens were crafted to be seen as works of art in their own right and our expert garden teams care for them as carefully as our historic interiors; both are precious and irreplaceable.
“ It is our hope that the beautiful gilded picture frames, standing proud in the landscapes, will frame the views for visitors and let them look through a window into the past.”
The gilded frames, positioned in the gardens to allow visitors to appreciate autumn scenes as they would have been seen by their famous residents, will be in place until the end of October.
To complement the framed views, English Heritage will be running free tours, exploring the fascinating history and stunning planting at 14 of its gardens until mid-October.
English Heritage’s Best Historic Autumn Views and their Famous Residents:
• Audley End House and Gardens, Essex – Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown
• Home of Charles Darwin, Down House, Kent – Charles Darwin
• Mount Grace Priory, House and Gardens, North Yorkshire – Gertrude Bell
• Osborne, Isle of Wight – Queen Victoria
• Walmer Castle, Kent – The Queen Mother
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