Last Updated on February 18, 2023
An archived post from the (now-defunct) Shrubland Revisited website…
Contributed on 3rd January 2008
The “Hall” actually was not the most memorable part of my recollection, but the history and grandure of that elegant house will always be with me. Sandra’s father was a truly amazing gardener and the produce from his garden must have impressed even the most worldly gourmand. The treasures that were mine to see were from a day long past, even then. These fabulous treasures, that were kept in the stables, were mementos of a time when Lord de Saumarez was ambassador to China. It was a different world when gifts of the most unusual and exotic kind were given at great receptions. The only place to put such fabulous treasures, at home, was the stables! These were no longer home to the faithful horses but to the cars.
There was no “garage” joining the house but stables, away from the house of course so that no offending odour could be detected from “the drawing room”! And one of the most vivid memories, going to Srubland Hall from Ipswich, was the fog. It was so thick that I had to walk with one hand on the headlight and one foot on the road in order to find the path. What a house! I think of Sandra’s Dad changing a light bulb over a Constable, or dusting the great masters. To think that Admiral Lord Nelson’s lover saw and was impressed by the same things that I saw just had me in a tail-spin!
Vanda Wright
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