Raveningham Estate Gardens (Norfolk, England)
Raveningham Gardens was our next stop on the English garden tour, and it coincided with the hottest day of the trip. We arrived late in the afternoon and, because of the oppressive heat, had less time to explore than we would have liked. Raveningham Hall was built in the late eighteenth century for Sir Edmund Bacon, 8th and 9th Baronet (1749-1820). Although the architect remains unknown, the elegant Georgian house has remained in the Bacon family ever since. The gardens themselves are much more recent, having been established in the 1960s by Lady Priscilla Bacon. Today, the estate is home to Sir Nicholas Bacon and his wife, Susan. Sir Nicholas greeted us as we arrived and gave us a quick rundown of the history of the garden. He is an avid gardener himself and a friend of Prince Charles. His wife Susan is a sculptor, and many of her works, like the boar pictured below, are sprinkled throughout the gardens. Our arrival point was a distance from the main house. I wasn't clear about o...
