A group of us visited The Manor in Hemingford Grey at the end of July. The 1st written record of the house is in 1041 and it is steeped in history. We were given an extensive and comprehensive guided tour by the present owner Diana Boston, daughter in law of the children’s author, Lucy Boston. When Lucy moved into the Manor in 1939, she decided to restore the house to its former glory and expose the 12th century features. The house is one of the oldest dwellings in Britain that has been continually inhabited, and the present owner is passionate about preserving its history. One of Lucy’s interests was making patchwork quilts, which were all stitched by hand. We were shown many examples of her work, most famous was a quilt called “ Patchwork of the Crosses”. Her work got recognised in the world of textile art. All her books were based on a similar theme, the Green Knowe, and throughout the house we saw many features which were depicted in Lucy’s books.
We were served with cream teas in the garden, and then explored the 3 acre of grounds which surrounds The Manor. It was a haven for bees, featuring herbaceous borders, cottage garden, yew topiaries and meadows. It certainly was a joyous and very informative afternoon.
