The Garden in the Ruins

Below is a black and white image of the former Great Hall in Nymans House which was owned by Maud and Leonard Messel. I say former because, on one fateful night in February 1947, it caught fire and with the post war shortage of building materials it had to remain a ruin. Only the Northern wing was repaired and made habitable for the family once again. The ruins stood proud, but inaccessible to any visitors until August 2022 when it was reopened to the public as 'the garden in the ruins'. Even now you can only see it on limited dates [depending on whether there are volunteers available to man it] and during certain times of year. That has always been the case for me. However, pick a random Monday in September when you've popped in with your friend Jak on her first visit and hey presto! 

What a little gem and all the better for it being a complete surprise. It's divided into six compartments for want of a better word each split by different screens. These pay homage to the Messel's son Oliver who went on to become a very famous theatre set designer. His sister was Anne who was the mother of Anthony Armstrong Jones. She was the last person to live in Nymans until her death in 1992.

Arilx