ATTINGHAM PARK, NT, NEAR SHREWSBURY, SHROPSHIRE

Attingham Park is a National Trust property located at Atcham, 4 miles south east of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.

It consists of an elegant 18th-century mansion with Regency interior, grounds, deer park and the usual NT extras. The mansion was built in 1785 for the 1st Lord Berwick to the design of George Steuart (yes, this is how the NT have spelt the surname!), and includes a picture gallery by John Nash. The park is landscaped by Repton and is notable for its attractive walks along the River Tern and suitably lovely farmland beyond.

The estate also includes a Secret Garden play area, an Environmental Activity Room offering educational opportunities, and a tenanted organic farm.

The grounds are entered by the usual gate house, located in the pretty Shropshire village of Atcham. A rather lengthy drive leaves you unsure if you are going the right way, but eventually it ends and there is the usual signposting and car park. The walk to the house is almost from the back, but soon the clumps of trees open up to reveal the parkland and the house in its well-kept surroundings.

Travelling light, I used a Pentax MZ5N?, 28-200 zoom, and cheap Fuji Sensia 100 & 200, all scanned on a Minolta scanner. I arrived in the early afternoon of a slightly cloudy midsummer day.

I am always drawn to striking features at NT properties and Attingham appeared to me to have four.

To prove I have done no research and am no student of architecture, I will describe the first as an apex on top of columns. In varying light this looked pretty good and is typical of the few NT properties I have visited recently. I tried shots from varying angles and different focal lengths.

The second feature I would describe as a bandstand with no band. It sits above a gateway in to the house and entrants pass under it and a clock. This became a bit of an obsession whilst I was there, taking shots in differing skies.

The grounds are bordered along a long eastern edge by the River Tern. In late June this was rich in green tones and suitably framed by blue sky and fluffy white clouds. I could have done with a few graceful swans or a bit of livestock by the water’s edge.

The fourth feature I found striking was the well established cedar trees planted between the mansion and the River Tern. Sadly, I was unable to do them justice on camera. They do have a certain majesty, both individually and in groups. A prime example thrives just outside Maidenhead Library. Incidentally, this has been joined by a commemorative one in the newly landscaped gardens outside the Town Hall. It looks like a Christmas tree to me.

As I passed back through the lengthening shadows of the house to the car park I realised it was time to return to the picturesque village of Atcham and see how it looked in midsummer evening light.

-- MikeKiely - 03 Dec 2005