The ruins at Nymans and a peek inside the house

I’ve already shared some photos of the foggy garden on our visit to Nymans last month, but there was more to our visit than this. And even though we weren’t there too long - it was pretty chilly - I did get a chance to admire the ruins and pop into the house for a warm up, which is where I spotted my new room crush. The fog does give the ruins a slightly ethereal quality.

The green bushes and the terracotta pots though.

I was smitten before I even saw the topiary.

It’s quite a view isn’t it, and it’s all the detail. The symmetry, the details on the benches. And the dovecote, in the walled garden.

This is definitely a garden I want to visit when the weather’s better. But the advantage of visiting on a chillier day was that the fire was lit in the house, not the ruins, and it was lovely and toasty. It was, like many of the National Trust properties, beautifully presented and in such a way that you could easily imagine it being yours, even just for a moment.

The upstairs though was quite different. It served as an exhibition space, but what caught my eye was this lighting above the stairwell. It has a modern feel, but wasn’t out of place in the house.

And then, with a turn of the corner we were back to the more historic. Who wouldn’t love hinges like that?

Nymans in the fog

We’ve made it to two gardens in two weekends this year, and already have plans for a third for this Saturday. Though our visit to Nymans looked a bit of a lost cause as we arrived and stepped into the main space.

Atmospheric though.

I WASN’T SURE HOW MUCH WE’D SEE…

As we turned the around the bend this view encouraged us on. The bare triangle shaped tree intrigued me, it looked almost like the veins of a leaf, well I thought so anyway.

IT WASN’T AS BAD AS I THOUGHT

THE BULBS ARE WELL ON THEIR WAY TO MAKING AN APPEARANCE

With the views obscured by the fog it did highlight what was closer, had there been views I do wonder if we’d noticed these bulbs pushing through as much. In the distance though I spotted some topiary, and well you know how much I like a hedge. I resisted though, but I know we’ll be back to get a closer look later in the year.

HMMM… I SPY TOPIARY

There was colour too, in spots, with the dogwoods flaming in the beds around the garden. And there was lichen too. I know hedges and lichen, I told you I’d be visiting again.

DOGWOODS BRINGING COLOUR

LICHEN LOVE, AGAIN.

We didn’t explore the whole garden, it was grey and cold, and it was only a bit of a leg-stretcher. But we did pop in to the rose garden. No roses, but there were a few rosebuds - I’m not sure if they were left from last season or are early for this year. What struck me about the rose garden though was it’s structure, with the plants at their barest, it was clear to see.

NO ROSES, BUT GREAT STRUCTURE

WELL MAYBE A ROSEBUD

There’s a house and ruins there too and a sunken garden, as well as a kitchen garden. The house provided a place for a quick warm up part-way round the garden, which was most welcome. It also provided me with a new room crush, but more on that later in the week.

Tiles and style at the Curious Pig

We’ve been to the Curious Pig in the Parlour in West Sussex a couple of times now for Sunday lunch, and I think we’ll be going back. it’s a great name for a pub, but it’s also a great place to eat, and the interiors are pretty special too. It’s a much bigger space than we realised on our first visit, and the interiors often had a quirky touch.

The stripey deer picture was above our table, the colours and its simple frame makes it work. And looking at it again it would be relatively easy to replicate with a stencilled cut out and washi tape. Hmmm, now there’s an idea...

But it wasn’t just the artwork that appealed. Look at that flooring, tiles that wouldn’t look out of place in Portugal, wooden floors, comfortable banquette seating for our alcove table, which was generous for just the three of us, but very welcome as we felt connected but cocooned from the general hubbub of a busy pub.

So I had high expectations of the loos, and I wasn’t disappointed. The simple, but effective, grey-green tiles were the scene stealer.

The hooks were pretty special too though.

And it’s a Ladies with towels to dry your hands on. Way preferable, and much more hygenic and sustainable than the hand dryers you often find.

And yes, more pictures of the tiles. Though it seems a closer look shows some gaps in the grouting. And an even closer look (and yes I did) they may not be as unique and irregular as you first think, as the ‘pattern’ in the glaze repeats. That said, they’re still pretty and despite MOH not being a fan of this shape of tile (too municipal lavatory, apparently) I’d be willing to put my case forward for these.

Finding inspirationally decorated loos, is always a win. What do you think, are you a fan of this decor, or is your style something different?