Memories of Hestercombe: The Honourable E. W. B

**Part 2 - Sport, Eating, Hospitals and Tragedy.**: - Mr. and Mrs. Edward Portman will give a ball about January 11 to celebrate the coming of age of Mr. Ivo Vesey, Mrs. Portman’s eldest son by her first husband, Captain Eustace Vesey... To Mr. Portman, indeed, everything connected with dancing is more or less of a bore. He prefers hunting, shooting, or...

**Memories of Hestercombe - The Portman Chapel - **_criticism from a variety of media & magazines..._** Characters that no reader will forget... prose as clean and strong as any Legate has yet laid down... and a drop-dead evocation of a time and place that will mark this article as a classic slice of Edwardiana - Prague Post The plot surges forward,...

The Hestercombe archives are bursting at the seams with facts, pictures and accounts of the history of Hestercombe and those who lived and worked here. In this installment of Memories of Hestercombe we hear about the Grand Ball which took place in January 1897 - and the star studded Taunton guest list in attendance. _Written by Kim Legate, Archivist_ - On...

**Chapter Two: The Portman’s & the Church of St. Mary, Hestercombe** “I remember well how, when I came to St. Andrews (Taunton) in 1947, I was faced with a very large and run-down parish, & no curate... and no car. You can perhaps imagine how I thought when I was told that I was expected to take services for an old lady in her private chapel, which was...

The Hestercombe archives are bursting at the seams with facts, pictures and accounts of the history of Hestercombe and those who lived and worked here. This post is the first of a series called 'Memories of Hestercombe', where we uncover lost and forgotten characters of the estate. - Written by Kim Legate, Archivist_ - Figure 1 - Thomas ‘James’ Tooze &...

**A vision to completely restore Hestercombe is one step closer thanks to a £1.5 million grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.**: This remarkable donation has enabled Hestercombe to acquire land totalling 320 acres, securing the world-class, Grade 1 heritage landscape, gardens and buildings for future generations. A vision to completely restore...

**1940-42**: In July 1940, the British Army established 8th Corps to take responsibility for all British troops in the South West of England, and Hestercombe became the division’s rear HQ. In early 1941 the first six barrack blocks were built with brick bases, concrete block walls and roofs covered with asbestos slates. **1943-44**: The British 8th Corps...

**MEMORIES OF HESTERCOMBE: THE 1873-77 REMODELLING OF HESTERCOMBE HOUSE**: The moulded stone arch that frames the east entrance to the Gallery Shop, originally the Great Hall, probably formed part of the rear wall of the original, early medieval house at Hestercombe. By the late 17th century the increasingly substantial residence of the Warre family...

Legate’s pleasure in relating the complexities of English village cricket is contagious and he tells a deeply satisfying story..._ - VLADIVOSTOK VIXEN - Fans of Kim Legate live for his complex historical thrillers, but now and then he serves up something unexpected. That’s exactly what he does with great success, in Cricket Anyone?. _- USA TODAY - Score...

**One way to ensure you have a lasting memory here at Hestercombe is to buy a brick which can be engraved with the wording of your choice.**: Buying a brick at Hestercombe records a memory that will last for generations to come. Taking pride of place at the centre of the restored Watermill, Hestercombe’s Wall of Memories contains more than 300...

**Witamy w Ogrodach Hestercombe!**: Ogrody położone są w odległości zaledwie czterech mil (6,5 km) na północ od Taunton w hrabstwie Somerset, w malowniczej okolicy południowych zboczy Wzgórz Quantock Hills, w pobliżu wsi Cheddon Fitzpane. Ze wszystkich głównych tras dojazdowych drogę do ogrodów wskazują znaki turystyczne ze...

**Philip, our Chief Executive here at Hestercombe, joined the list of names honoured with an MBE last weekend in recognition of his services to Historic Garden Restoration. It is a well deserved appreciation of the 20 years of work he has devoted to recovering Hestercombe Gardens. It's a really exciting moment for Philip and for Hestercombe as a whole and we...

**The Hestercombe Archive provides primary source material for scholarly research, teaching support, preservation, and public service, and actively encourages and promotes the use of its collections. It is our privilege, and responsibility, to ensure the careful storage and preservation of these important evidences of the property’s history for future...

**A number of beautiful hand-painted, solid wood carved toadstools are to be auctioned as part of The Mushroom Magic Trail**: Hestercombe is delighted to announce that a number of beautifully-crafted toadstools are now available to bid on at auction. Perfect as an outdoors centrepiece in a garden, patio or balcony, the toadstools are all carved from solid...

**By Rosemary Pease née Portman** The wonderful thing about Hestercombe is that so many people love the placethe spirit of those beautiful gardens and the feeling (that I’ve often picked up when talking to visitors and to the wonderfully enthusiastic staff) that part of it belongs to them personally as well as to thousands of others. - Mrs. Portman with...

**The next instalment from the Hestercombe Archives explores the fascinating early history of 'Haegsta’descumb', from 682 - 1391**: **_Written by_**_ _**_Kim Legate, Senior Archivist_**: As far as the valley of Helsdena (Hel... ‘s Valley). Then by a brook to the ford which is called Wealaford (Ford of the Welsh or Celts). And so along the course of that...

**Alex Hartley, Liz Nicol and Oliver Sutherland Where function ends: Responses to the architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Hestercombe Gallery, Taunton, 14 July - 27 October 2019. To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944), Hestercombe Gallery presents new work by three artists that responds to the legacy of the man whose...

**Philip White MBE is the Founder and Chief Executive of Hestercombe Gardens Trust**: - Philip White MBE is Founder and Chief Executive of Hestercombe Gardens TrustLooking at Hestercombe today, it is hard to believe that back in 1995, the spectacularly picturesque eighteenth century Landscape Garden at Hestercombe was a hidden valley entirely engulfed by...

Tucked into tree roots and springing from the lawn, mushrooms are emerging by the dozen as autumn arrives at Hestercombe. And with the annual Fungal Foray not far away, we’ve got some toadstool trivia to share with you. We’ve all heard of frogs transforming into prince charming, but how about a mushroom? Agaricus Augustus is the fungi honoured with the...

**A 2004 project successfully replanted a unique variety of historic irises on the East Rill borders in Hestercombe's formal gardens ~ and many of them will be sold in the Plant Centre**: - Bruno- Flavescens- Honorabile- Ma mie- Madame Chereau- MonsignorIn 2004, an important project was undertaken at Hestercombe to replant irises on the East Rill, according...