Osterley Park.



 







I was waiting to pick up Robyn but it was so cold I parked up by Osterley Park to have a walk. As you can see there was a flutter of snow overnight;

 

 









It looks very rural with newly ploughed fields and horses grazing but it's in West London and the M4 motorway drives through it , which is a shame.

The pond was frozen so the ducks were walking on the water;

The mansion (designed by Richard Adam) looks particularly nice in the snow;

It's very grand but was a redesign;

The clue is in the grove of Cedars of Lebanon at the side;

These trees were brought here by plant hunters around 1800 to 1820. They were very popular with the aristocracy and even though they were very expensive, the new wealth that was flooding in from the slave trade paid for the houses and the plants.

The big house and the trees were the bling of that time.

Generally speaking, where ever you see a grand house surrounded by Cedars, it was built on the blood and tragedy of the slave trade.

These swans were struggling to find grass under the snow;

Have a look at Osterly Park although it costs £6 to park there - much better to park outside (which you can do at the weekends) and walk in.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)

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