Day 51: Thursday 8 May - Croome Court and RAF Defford, by Ken

We woke to a grey day with rain clouds over the hills in the distance.

By the time we had finished our cooked breakfasts it was raining and we decided we should find an indoor activity. While mulling that over I received an email from Chris Maynard advising copies of all the paperwork for Myrtle’s registration were sent recorded delivery last night. There is a chance she could be on the road on Friday if David at DVLA can do his bit.

Our first stop on our trip was in Broadway where Jane visited a wool shop to buy the kit needed to do some knitting. On the outskirts of the town we visited the public toilets where we discovered they had been voted “Loo of the Year” for 9 successive years. The award certificates proudly displayed on the walls were not specific as to how the award was won. We speculated on whether it was something similar to the Oscars, e.g. Best Performance By A Urinal and did they receive more than just a certificate? Perhaps there was the equivalent of an Oscar statuette, maybe a miniature gold plated toilet brush, or toilet roll? And who tours the country judging toilets? What qualifications do they have, or is it just based on experience? If the latter, then I would be well qualified as I find it difficult to go more than a couple of hours without visiting such an establishment.

Broadway's Award Winning Toilets

Certificates To Prove It

When we had regained our composure after the excitement of visiting the best loo in England we set a course for Croome in Worcestershire, the location of a country house now in the hands of the National Trust. Such places are attractive to us because we have free entry by virtue of our membership of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Jane had chosen Croome because in addition to the historic house, it was also the site of a secret second world war base.

Our visit to Croome started at the secret wartime base. During the second world war it was RAF Defford where 2,500 people worked on trialing airborne radar developed by scientists based in nearby Malvern. Defford was also where the first automatic landing system was developed and successfully implemented using a Boeing 247D. Defford was a disappointment as the only building open was the old hospital building that had been converted to a tea room. The information centre was closed as it was in the course of being rehoused. I did however buy a book on the development of the automatic landing system and look forward to reading it in the comfort of Mabel.

All That Remains Of RAF Defford - A Real Let-Down!

Boeing 247D And Team Responsible For World's First Automatic Landing

Approaching Croome we had noticed our SatNav showed we were travelling on Rebecca Road. I found from a quick skim through my book that Rebecca was the codename for one of the components of the automatic landing system.

We set off in light rain on a mile walk to Croome Court, the country house which is considered to be one of the finest examples of Neo-Palladian architecture. Designed by Lancelot “Capability” Brown with some of the internal rooms designed by Robert Adam it was built between 1751 and 1752 for George Coventry, the 6^th Earl of Coventry. Capability Brown also landscaped the parkland surrounding the house.

Croome Court

During the Second World War the Dutch royal family lived in the house and it also housed part of RAF Defford.  The Coventry family sold the house after the war and it was used as a catholic school for intellectually handicapped boys for nearly 30 years. For 5 years it was home to Hari Krishnas after which it became a private home for a while. Interestingly, one room, designed by Adam, was sold and removed, it is now displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

We found the house disappointing, being largely empty with furnishings and statues having been sold off by previous owners. However, we could get a feel for what the house would have looked like in all its glory and Adam’s plasterwork is very impressive.

Bad Hair Day

Croome Court Interior

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Adam Ceiling

From the house we walked over to the lake and gardens designed by Capability Brown. They were very attractive, even in the rain, and we were disappointed we couldn’t make use of the deck chairs sited strategically around the lakeside. Brown must have had amazing foresight to envisage how the gardens would look when mature. We discovered the gardens contained plant species from all over the world, including the Pacific Islands, brought back by James Cook. At one time the number of plant varieties there was second only to Kew Gardens.

Capability Brown's Lake and Landscaping

Croome Court Glimpsed From Lake

Duck Family's Day Out

We were very wet and disappointed by our visit as we walked back to Smarty in heavy rain passing a greenhouse designed by Brown. Time was getting on and Jane was hungry so we headed back to Broadway where we visited tea rooms to enable Jane to have a scone, cream and jam.

Greenhouse By Capability Brown

Back at the Crown and Cushion in Chipping Norton we had a very enjoyable meal from the carvery in the hotel’s restaurant.