South Downs Way 2017: ON THE MOVE

No walking today! Today was house moving, leaving Amberley for Winchester where the walk will end on Monday. It's hard to believe this is coming to an end. But first, there's a fun Autumn Festival at nearby Parham Park.

It was a free and calm morning in Amberley. I took an early stroll before it woke. I wanted to say goodbye and thank you. Oh Amberley! You perfect place, you!

Fall Is Coming

Check out, say farewell and on the road, a short hop to Parham Park.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540, Henry VIII granted the manor of Parham, which had belonged to the Abbey of Westminster, to a London mercer called Robert Palmer. No, not the singer. Parham’s foundation stone was laid in 1577 by Robert’s two-year-old grandson, Thomas; it was considered lucky to have this duty performed by the youngest member of the household. His mother, Elizabeth, was god-daughter to Queen Elizabeth I, who may have visited there.

Thomas Palmer sold the house in 1601 to Sir Thomas Bysshopp. For 320 years Bysshopp descendants lived at Parham. In 1826 Sir Cecil, 8th Baronet, became the 12th Lord Zouche, and in 1922 the 17th Baroness Zouche sold the Parham estate to the Hon. Clive and Alicia Pearson. Clive was the second son of Weetman Dickinson Pearson, the 1st Viscount Cowdray. Small world! So why aren't the window frames painted yellow?

Parham has perhaps the finest and most important collection of seventeenth century embroidery and tapestries in the country.

Kind of a Pile Though, Isn't It?

This Wall Hanging is From the 1400's

I Didn't Get This

The Long Gallery is 160 feet long, the third longest Long Gallery in a private house in England. The room would have been used for entertaining, recreation and even military exercises. It wouldn't have had furniture, sort of a medieval gym. The wide oak floorboards and lightly waxed oak wainscot are Jacobean. The original paneling was saved after the removal of many layers of later decoration.

The festival didn't disappoint. There was food, vendors, a hunting dog demo and the highlight was the falconry show with a Barn Owl, Harris's Hawk and a Kestral flying free and perfectly trained. It was fascinating. The crowd cheered for all. I really like joining in local events like this.
I had pumpkin and tomato soup made with squash from the Parham gardens and one of the best little chocolate brownies I've ever eaten.

Mead! I Didn't Indulge

Buzbe the Barn Owl

Game of Thrones?

A quick swing by the elusive pottery that hasn't been open. What a weird lady!

I Love This Early Cottage

All good things come to an end, and so does Amberley. Forward past Chichester, Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester to Sparsholt and my new digs.

And what a treat! The Lainston Hotel is a charming 17C house standing elegantly but tastefully in 68 acres of parkland. There's a lot to explore.

The name Lainston derives from Leofwines’tun. Tun means enclosure and Leofwine was a popular name, Leof meaning ‘one who is dear’ and wine meaning ‘a friend’. So "Dear Friend's Enclosure".

Charles II commissioned renowned English architect Sir Christopher Wren (St Paul's Cathedral) to build a new palace in Winchester. He started work on the site in 1683, building on the grounds of an earlier medieval dwelling.The chapel dates from the 12C so there had to have been something there.

My room is called Sycamore. They all seem to be named after trees.

Still, I need to be outside, so using the hotel map, I walk to find the ruins of 12C St Peter's Chapel . It's immortally romantic, covered in moss and ferns, horse chestnut shells and fallen leaves. On the floor are several 18C inscribed slab memorials to the Chudleigh family, early owners.

Particularly after the open Downs, these woods are magical. Pixies? Fairies? Robin Hood? The imagination is coming to life under the oaks, the fall colors getting started and the sun peeping through.