Before I visit England, I sometimes go to the British Tourist Authority in Akasaka. There, I can get free brochures and can ask the person in charge about anything I want to know.
One year, I got a brochure , "Gardens in Britain & Historic Houses" there. Turning over a few pages, I found an article about Hatfield House. The house is a 23-minute train ride from Kings Cross, London.
"Visiting this house seems to be interesting", I thought.
Something stimulated my inspiration.

left : when you get off the train, you'll soon see the gate of Hatfield House. right : a road to the house.

Actually, I visited there without taking a good look at the brochure. It was Monday, so a gatekeeper said that only the East Garden was opened to the public.
"Really? So if I come here tomorrow, can I see everything?" "No. You can see the house and the West Garden tomorrow, but you can't see the East Garden because it is open only on Monday. What do you do? Do you want to see the East Garden today or come here again tomorrow?"
Finally, I decided to see the East Garden on the day because I was there.
I thought that I should have come any day except Monday. However, soon after I entered the East Garden, I was enchanted by the beautiful scenery. I spent two hours there.
"Whew. I like this house. I'm coming to see the house and West Garden tomorrow again..."


However, the next day, I felt terrible because of a cold which I caught a few days before. When I was in the train, I couldn't stop coughing and felt nauseated. I sometimes thought that I should have gone back to the B&B and should have gone to bed. But I was travelling, so spending a day in bed is really wasteful, I thought. "I can manage it." I cheered up and entered the gate of Hatfield House again.
The gatekeeper remembered me and said, "Uh, you are coming again." He seemed to be happy, so I became happy too. My feeling was completely changed and I was suddenly perked up.
At first, I saw inside the house. Listening to the guide's explanation, I found out that this house was related to the Cecils. Wow! Talking about William and Robert Cecil, they were delt in my graduation thesis when I was a university student. I felt as if I slipped back into my university time and thought about the old Elizabethan age.

The best three shots of this house are shown on the page of the top of Gardens near London. Please refer to it.

They say that the history of Hatfield House began when Cardinal Morton built the Old Palace during the reign of Henry VII. Then, Henry VIII took it over and his children, Edward VI, Elizabeth I and so on, grew up and were educated there.
Elizabeth I heard the news of her accession when she was reading under an oak tree in Hatfield House as you see a scene in "Elizabeth", a movie.
In November 1558, Elizabeth held her first Council of State here and appointed William Cecil her Chief Minister. William Cecil became one of her favourites like the Earl of Leicester or Essex. Probably, on business, he was the best of all.
Anyway, Hatfield House must have been a special place, which had good memories, to Elizabeth because she spent her childhood here and heard the happy news.
However, James I, who was her successor, prefered Theobalds which Robert Cecil, William's son, owned to Hatfield House. Therefore, James asked Robert to exchange their lands. After that, the Cecils have owned this house.
Robert's hobby was building. He built the present Jacobean House at a cost of about thirty eight thousand pounds.
According to "Gardens in Britain & Historic Houses", in 1972, Countess Salisbury, who succeeded the house, restored the gardens by planting some plants which used to grow in the 15 or 16th century, and some herbs.
Actually, this house and the gardens are wonderful!
You'll arrive there only after a 23 minute journey from London. Moreover, when you get off the train, you'll see the entrance. Easy to get to, isn't it? I think that everybody must be overwhelmed by the beauty when he or she see the place.
Hatfield House is my best recommended place among the places near London.
It is opened to the public from the end of March until the middle of October. If you visit England during this period, you should go. I highly recommend a visit.

(2002.11.9)

to the top of Gardens near London

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Trip to England

I really love London!