秋日之旅:漫步于英式园林
2018-12-24
《唐頓庄园》、《呼啸山庄》、《高斯福德庄园》、《霍华德庄园》……光是以英国庄园为名的影视作品已经数不胜数,更不用说以庄园为背景的文学作品了:完美先生——达西的彭伯里庄园(《傲慢与偏见》);见证了简·爱和罗切斯特先生之间爱情的桑菲尔德庄园(《简·爱》);“推理女王”阿加莎·克里斯蒂甚至开创了侦探小说的“乡间别墅派”……可见庄园对于英国人来说有多么重要。
趁着秋高气爽,就让我们一起拜访英国最有名的几个庄园吧!
If youre looking for something to do on a fine autumn day, visiting an English garden or park could surprise you. Over hundreds of years, English landscape gardeners have developed a natural style thats more complex than it looks and makes the most of the English climate.
Due to typical English weather, you will not see the charming colors of autumn, the reds and bright yellows and maroons that you find in New England. Nor will you see the multi-colored heather that covers parts of Scotland in the fall. What you will see, however, is a great variety of trees and shrubs that show off their own special qualities.
Many of Englands parks and forests, having long been part of private estates or aristocratic deer parks, now have ancient woodlands undisturbed for centuries—even millennia. At Attingham Park in Shropshire, the Repton oak is at least 650 years old. And on Box Hill in Surrey, there are yew trees more than 1,000 years old.
These are a few of my favorite autumn park, English garden and forest walks. So bundle up warm, pack your camera and enjoy.
This National Trust property in Yorkshire is an 18th century garden with a 900-year-old Cistercian Abbey. The water garden was the creation of one man, over a 25-year period. And the estate, a UNESCO World Heritage site, includes the worlds only surviving Cistercian grain mill—in use until 1927, more than 800 years (You can try your hand grinding some grain while you are there). The whole area is over 800 acres that includes natural woodlands and a medieval deer park.
In October, the trees turn russet and gold and the deer rut—so dont get too close to them.
If you want to get some food and drink, the Fountains Restaurant, near the Abbey, serves hot lunches, sandwiches and salads every day and Sunday roasts every week. In season, theres venison from the estates own deer. There are also two tea rooms. From the Lakeside Tea Room, you can watch the deer and swans.
Hidcote Manor, in Gloucestershire, was the first garden ever acquired by the National Trust and is considered to be the finest existing example of an English garden. You will be more surprised when you find out the fact that it was created by an American, born in Paris. The story of Major Lawrence Johnston, who devoted most of his life to developing the garden, is part of its fascination. During the autumn months, there is a lot to enjoy.
The garden is composed of several garden “rooms,”each with its own character and separated by more than four miles of hedges. Autumn highlights include an annual sculpture garden in September, dahlias that bloom until the first frost and a forest walk covered with fallen leaves. Pumpkins and autumn harvest vegetables are served in the estates restaurants and are offered for sale in Hidcotes shop. And, apparently, nobody minds if you help yourself to a few windfall pears.
Knole, in Kent, is a massive Tudor house set in a 1,000 acre medieval deer park. It was given to the Sackville family, who still live here, by Queen Elizabeth I in 1566. Once a bishops palace and a royal residence, Knole is the largest and most complete Tudor house in Britain. It is huge, with two entrance towers, four long galleries and seven courtyards. It is also crumbling. In 2012, the National Trust, who own Knole, asked the government for funds to save a house that is sometimes referred to as Englands second palace.
Knole Park is free to visit all year round. In fact, the people of Kent have been walking its paths and countryside for centuries. In 1884, they fought to preserve the right to walk on the parklands.
Only the deer look after this park and maintain the balance of nature here. Knoles beautiful deer are rather curious and tame—but dont feed them; they are still wild animals.
Dogs, on leads are welcome in Knole Park. The park is open to pedestrians year round, 24/7. Theres a tea room in the estate Brewhouse, and a shop, both open limited hours throughout the year.
假若你在一個晴朗的秋日里想找点事情打发时间,到某个英国园林或者公园走走或许会给你带来一份惊喜。英格兰的园艺家在几百年间发展出一种比景观效果更为复杂的自然风格——这种风格将英国气候的特点发挥得淋漓尽致。
鉴于典型的英国天气,你(在这里)不会看到令人陶醉的满目秋色,不会像在(美国)新英格兰那样看到火红如云、嫩黄遍地与栗色尽染的美景,也不会看到五颜六色的欧石楠——每逢秋天,这些小花儿在苏格兰的部分地区随处可见。不过,你会看到品种繁多的树木与灌木丛尽情炫耀着它们独有的风采。
英国的许多公园和森林过去一直是私人产业或者贵族鹿园,时至今日,园内依然保有大片数百年乃至上千年来无人涉足的古林地。什罗普郡阿丁罕公园里的雷普顿橡树至少有650岁;萨里郡博士山上的紫衫木树龄超过一千年。
以下是几个我特别喜欢在秋天游玩的公园、英国园林以及丛林小径。把自己穿得暖和些,带上你的相机,尽情享受这段旅程吧。
