Tyntesfield

A day out at Tyntesfield is one for the whole family.  This exquisite Victorian Gothic Revival estate includes a grand home, complete with its own chapel on a sprawling estate where you can play hide and seek between the trees and stop for a spot to eat while the children climb around the playground and explore the hothouse plants.

The boys are assured that Tyntesfield is a family day out as our Bristol adventures with Alison, Miranda and Erin continue.  We arrive on a slightly damp morning at the Grade 1 heritage listed mansion named after the Tynte baronets who had owned estates in the area for the last 500 years.

Since there are six of us today we have had to come in two cars.  We park and heard the children towards the entrance.  Luckily there is a tractor out the front in the upper yard that acts as a sort of child magnet as we sort ourselves out and arrange tickets.  I’m slightly concerned about bringing the children to an(other) historic house but the tractor is a good sign and we break out the snacks as we head through the grounds, playing hide-and-seek along the way.  The fresh air and games have them in good spirits and Alison and I play along, ducking and weaving in and out from hedges and rose bushes to keep the little ones amused.  And, as luck would have it, as we approach the house, the weather begins to clear.

While the land has been used for hunting and farming for centuries, the house, by English standards, is rather new.  Built in the 1830’s, expanded and remodelled in the 1860’s with the chapel being added in the 1870’s, it remained in the Gibbs family until 2001.  In 2002 it was acquired by the National Trust and has since been restored both structurally and decoratively.

The rooms are exquisite, particularly so the library and drawing rooms.  I imagine myself curled up in the library on a rainy day reading or as head of the table, seated in the dining room for dinner.  But then Harley takes off and I need to chase after him, he finds more interesting things like the games and music rooms.

I love the central staircase gallery and for a few minutes we all get carried away singing along to Doh-ray-me at the piano before we’re off chasing after kids again.

There’s an interesting exhibit entitled Passions  & Possessions: the material world of Antony Gibbs (1841-1907).  Antony, the eldest son of William Gibbs who built the house, inherited the estate and family fortune after his father passed away in 1875.  But Antony held a Master of Arts from Exeter College, Oxford and was more interested in the arts than the family business which was passed on to an older cousin.  Nevertheless, Antony returned to Tyntesfield to manage the family estate after his father died.  He eventually held many positions of authority in the area including Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset, the personal representative of the British Monarch in the county.

The exhibition shares some of Antony’s personal possessions.  He was a passionate private collector and the collections include all manner of items from paintings, china, books and furniture to ivories, enamels and rock crystals.  I find a triptych in amongst the collections which I’m quite partial to.

Up the stairs and we peek into a bedroom or two.  There’s a dressing room where the little monsters transform themselves into little ladies and gentlemen with only a hat, but alas it’s over all too soon!  Then onto the chapel where Jasper and I sit and gather our thoughts for a quiet moment of reflection  as the two little ones race back into the open on promise of something to eat and then onto the playground.

Not many houses, even those as big as this one, would have had it’s own purpose built private chapel and Tyntesfield’s is rather grand.  Antony’s father had commissioned the chapel as a statement of his profound faith and the walls have dedications to many family’s members.  Antony grew up in a Christian household where the values of love and charity were taught.  This was reinforced during his education at Oxford where the principals of brotherliness and the beauty to be enjoyed from nature and beautiful architecture later inspired generous philanthropic contributions to the College and churches around Bristol.

The chapel had its own chaplain and Antony collected Christian art as part of his wider interests.

Back outside we find a bench and break out some sandwiches.  The children won’t sit still for long and we stop to pick some flowers from the grass as we move on, taking in the hose and formal gardens from the south.

Then we’re through a gate and encounter a field of cows before following the country path on to the Orangery to check out the egg-shaped and colored plants.

The children play in the farmyard play area and Alison and I manage a coffee and a sly ice cream, only to be discovered and we give into the children as well.  It’s time to head home again but it’s been a lovely day and with something for everyone it’s no wonder that a visit to this historic mansion is something that the whole family can enjoy.

Would I Return?

Yes.  It’s a great family day out but would also be nice to return and spend some more time on the history of the house and estate.