Our nearest National Trust Property is Nostell Priory near Wakefield (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-nostellpriory/) The property has been an enjoyable day out for a number of years now and hasn’t really changed. The house (replacement of the actual Priory, which was the mother church of the cell at St Mary’s Woodkirk) is good to look around, and the gardens around the lake have a wonderful display of rhododendrons and azaleas in late spring. That was about it. The driveway used to take cars in front of the house to the car park, which made a photo very difficult and did look rather unsightly.
However over the past year or so the National Trust have started to invest heavily into the property. The car park is now just off the road, leaving the rest of the property unspoiled. There is a welcome hut here and walks through the parkland are being created which increases the attraction and variety of the site. These aren’t quite finished, and we made a bit of a navigation error due to the lack of signs, but it was still pleasant.
The tea room was in a small part of the very large carriage house. Over the winter this has been converted (and isn’t finished yet) to be much larger and goes out into the courtyard of the carriage house. This will also include the visitors centre.
It’s great to see our local property being developed, vastly for the better. Looking forward to more visits as different parts of the garden come into life through the year.
