Vibrant interiors at Belton House

Despite the grey clouds below we stopped off at Belton House when we were staying close by last August - not quite the day we hoped for, but visiting somewhere with space indoors was a popular choice. It’s not a house I was familiar with, and we hadn’t visited before but it was clear that it was a popular place.

It’s a pretty impressive house, and the family - generations of Brownlows - commissioned the finest designers and craftsmen to deliver what is now a National Trust property. The house and gardens showcase cutting edge design and innovation including 17th century sash windows and a glorious cast iron-framed orangery which I’ll share in a future post.

Our visit started in the large and grand hall, with a vibrant carpet up the stairs and the classic chequerboard patterned floor. The suitcases discarded on the stairs gave an indication of the character of the place, and under the stairs - and not quite like the under the stairs storage that we’re more familiar with - was one of the first stunning pieces of furniture, an ornate laquered chest.

I was also rather taken with this very ornate writing desk, and I know it’s the many compartments and sections that are part of the appeal. But also it’s the scale and how it fits with its surroundings. Clearly it’s larger than standard furniture, but oh so stunning.

But it wasn’t the only jewel in the room, this restored lapis lazuli cabinet which was brought back from a Grand Tour over 300 years ago. Isn’t it stunning?

It wasn’t the only cabinet, or fireplace, or collection of vases that caught my eye and intrigued me.

And it seems that greyhounds were a bit of a thing for the family too - the table above, the doorplate below and outside on the weather vane.

Like many National Trust properties the rooms are vibrantly decorated, these rooms though remain vibrant I’m sure through recent restoration - the reds, golds and greens are very rich and point to a lavish and indulgent lifestyle.

Definitely ornate, and quite over the top - but I guess if you had money, and this family did, it was the done thing to show that for your standing in society. In some ways that’s not so different from today, whether we agree with it or not. The house, and its gardens, are definitely worth a visit - there’s so much to do, and so much to see.

A new mustard yellow enamelware jug

All the rest of my enamelware is the traditional white with blue rim, and over the years I’ve added various pieces. I’ve pie dishes, pie plates and tumblers and I’ve got my eye on a baking set, if only the traditional colour way were to come back in stock.

I’d spotted the mustard yellow items and my head was turned. For a while I pretended not to lust after it, but in the end it was no use. So when MOH asked what I’d like for my birthday I spotted my opportunity. He did say another jug, but that wasn’t too surprising. And then he said, not the blue and white - he knows me well.

It arrived this past week, and it is gorgeous.

I’m still a white and blue rim enamel kind of girl, but now with a branch out into mustard yellow!

For me its primary purpose will hopefully be flowers, and I knew I’d have some in the garden that would work. I cut the allium heads and set those in the jug alongside some of the longer stemmed clematis which is in full flower on our patio. Don’t they look great?

The colours of the sweet peas also went well but sadly it’s not a sweet pea kind of jug.

I’m hoping they do a smaller version if I’m honest!

Blixen and gold trainers

Back on a miserably wet evening in March, when going out to restaurants was still very much the norm, we did just that. Because back then, we were crazy fools. I mean, it was even a Monday.

It was relatively quiet on the DLR up to Spitalfields, and while I’m used to seeing face masks walking around Greenwich, I was surprised to see quite so many in evidence as I walked through the City. It was a grim evening and by the time I arrived at Spitalfields Market I was quite wet. The plan was to meet up with MOH at some point, somewhere and have dinner in Blixen.

He was off collecting a record he’d ordered. Record shops aren’t my thing, and when I’m hanging around they’re not his thing either. I’m sure he spent way too much on whatever record he was collecting, so it worked for both of us. it’d been a while since I was up in town, let alone in this part of town where I spent a week back in 2012 as one of London’s Ambassadors, and so it was good to see how it’d changed.

And well, who can resist taking a snap of a phone box filled with flowers?

Especially on a grim wet evening, this brought a smile to my face. It wasn’t long though until MOH appeared and we headed off to find Blixen and dry off a little. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it’s interiors were fantastic. Set in an old bank, they’d done wonders with the old banking hall. Initially we were shown to what I can only describe as half a table. Now had we been a courting couple, or even less drenched from the weather it might have worked, but it didn’t though part of me wants to believe they mistook us for that kind of couple, I think they really were having a chuckle at us. Instead we moved and sat in the raised area which gave us plenty of room to sensibly dry our damp clothes, air umbrellas and generally be quite sensible (well, sort of).

Our new spot gave the perfect vantage point for interior spotting as well as everything else going on inside and out. Of course, there’s no pictures of the food, food is for eating not photographing.

And yes, gold trainers. Super comfortable, a little damp and from Marks & Spencer!

In places with such good interior decor it’s always a bit of a treat to head to the loo, and check out potential content for my ‘loo series’ and that was my plan. And while the loos were equally worthy, somehow and unusually most of the pictures are of me in the mirror, so instead I’m treating you to those, with the final one being my favourite, though including just that one would have been odd…

Unusually, there were very few loo photos.

But heading back upstairs, it was easy to forgive as the lush green decor more than made up for it. The food was pretty good too. I think we’ll be back here one day, but probably not on a wet and miserable Monday evening, maybe we’ll even be offered that half table again, who knows?