Lyveden New Bield

On Saturday after dropping my daughter off at her Girl Scout camping trip we decided to drive to Lyveden New Bield, which is a National Trust site in Northamptonshire. Driving up to this building is quite impressive and even more so when you released it isn't a ruin but a uncompleted building project over 400 years old.



The building was started by Sir Thomas Tresham around 1595 but the building was not completed after his death in 1605. Due to his son's involvement in the gunpowder plot the family was unable to complete the building of this hunting lodge.

Outside the lodge is a spiral mound also known as a snail mound. These mounds were created in gardens during the Elizabethan period. We were told that the natural incline of the spiral climb allowed women wearing clothes of the period to be able to safely reach the top of the hill to overlook the garden. Here is another example of a spiral mound, which is much bigger and a better picture of what it looks like. I should also mention these are man made structures.
This is the first time we have seen this garden feature and although this one is small it is quite a nice feature.





View of the hunting lodge from the top of the spiral mound.









I apologize for the blurriness of this picture but I wanted to point out another garden feature that you see over here quite a bit and that is the Garden Labyrinth. I have been told that this picture is a copy of the original plans for the labyrinth for this property. It was to be in stones but was never completed. Currently the property is making the labyrinth out of mowed grass to gave visitors an idea of what it would have been. Garden Labyrinth I have been told were used for mediation or for prayer.
But other stories are written about them and they can be found inside churches as well as gardens in the UK.









The only entrance inside the home was here. It would have been the servants entrance I think.








Little Man finding interesting places to hide inside the hunting lodge.










Views from inside the home. Here you can see where the floors where going to be added. This would have been a 3 story home.









The views outside the hunting lodge windows.












There is also a partially constructed moat surrounding the lodge. It was 3/4 of the way completed but again unfinished. You can see it in these two pictures. I was told the moat was to stop rabbits and sheep from entering the grounds.





This was an amazing property to see as it was in perfect condition; what a beautiful day.

Please join Tracy, Lynda and I at the NOBH