A bridge over untroubled water.

 Making the most of the last day of the holiday today we ventured further afield and gave our NT cards an airing at Sheffield Park over in East Sussex. I think I last went when TYM was genuinely a small nipper. It's a combination of parkland, garden [the house is privately owned] and woodland walks [closed during the winter] and you can just wander about freely. Really it's most well known for its gorgeous Spring and Autumn colours [for the latter you have to book as it's incredibly popular], so it's really more the architectural structures and the evergreens/bark that bring the colour in January.

The park was bought by the 1st Earl of Sheffield in 1769 and surprise, surprise he called upon the services of good old Capability Brown to design it all. It remained in the Sheffields' hands until the 3rd Earl blew the budget and it all had to be sold off to pay his debts upon his death in 1909. One of his creditors, Arthur Gilstrap Soames, a man who had made his money in brewing, had first refusal on buying it when it came on the market and he made it his home until 1934. He was a keen horticulturalist with a passion for rhododendrons and trees. It has been in the hands of the NT since 1954.

Unusually for this style of place there isn't a statue to be had, but it does have some charming bridges. I took this one at a distance because there were a lot of children crossing. In one direction you can see across the lake to the house, but in the other there's a series of little waterfalls. 

A family were standing next to us and the two little boys noticed that people had been throwing coins into the pool below. With curiosity getting the better of them their parents explained that people did this to make a wish. Of course the little ones wanted to have a go and I was aware of the adults whispering that they didn't have any shrapnel with them. Now I've enjoyed the experience and wonder of my own child doing this and I couldn't deny them the same magic. Quietly I gave their Mum a couple of coppers and as I left I could hear how excited they were. Seeing their faces has made my day! 

Arilx