Joani will be celebrating the big six-oh at the end of the month. Our longtime friend, Jan, invited us out to lunch for her birthday (a few days early). Jan went over the top with a trip to Barnsley Gardens.
Thank you, Jan, for a fantastic day!!! I'm blessed to have such a great friend!
Jan managed to plan the lunch without letting us know she had also invited Robin and Sonny (neighborhood friends who moved to Chattanooga). She managed to keep the reason for the lunch a secret from them as well so we were all pleasantly surprised.
Jan, Robin and I were once on the same tennis team eons ago (such good memories).
After a great lunch, Jan led us on a walking tour of the grounds. They have some of the most adorable cottages there laid out as an intimate neighborhood surrounded by a beautiful golf course and clubhouses and restaurants.
We finished the tour with the remains of the original manor house and the gardens. I am sure, in its prime, this was truly a magnificent estate!
The manor ruins and beautiful gardens are the perfect venues for a wedding and...
...and reception. Candles were tucked everywhere in nooks and crannies, I would love to see it at night.
The manor in its glory days.
The guy below was passionate about the history of the estate. He has authored books and eagerly filled me in on the unique features of the oven designed by the owner. It was ahead of its time including an automatic rotisserie powered by heat rising in the flue.
Barnsley historian and museum director, Clent Coker, seemed thrilled to have an interested audience. He was certainly a wealth of information.
This was such a special place and you needn't stay in one of the cottages to check it out. At the gate, just say you are eating at the Woodlands Grill and they will wave you right in. After you eat you are free to explore the grounds.
