Basildon Park - a first visit

As I'm up with Pete this weekend, we decided to go further afield and, for me, somewhere new.  So off to Basildon Park.  Considering this is near somewhere I used to live I was surprised I hadn't been before.. then I realised it was a couple of decades or more, cough cough, since I'd lived in that area!!

Basildon Park, a Georgian mansion surrounded by parkland, was lovingly rescued by Lord and Lady Iliffe in the mid 1950s. The house you see today is a re-creation and restoration of the 18th-century mansion. They restored the elegant interior and scoured the country salvaging 18th-century architectural fixtures and fittings. Lord and Lady Iliffe filled their comfortable new home with fine paintings, fabrics and furniture, which can still be enjoyed by you today.

It was quite a drive so a cuppa was the first requirement .. and this is where we sat to drink said cuppa.. with a fruity scone...

The weather, not the best to start with, had got rather worse and was raining... so we waiting inside for a few mins before having a wander around the house..

This room housed an amazing shell collection

Made entirely of shells..

and finally, Carrot & Coriander soup with a tasty cheese scone for lunch

before heading off up the motorways... lovely day out despite the awful weather...