Many are the times I have roared passed the turn off on the A4 on my way out of London, yet I have never visited this lovely park and its beautiful buildings before. As well as a general interest in the idea of the garden and the re-sculpting of the British landscape that took place in the 18th century, started here by a certain William Kent, and a desire to take a stroll around a lake, admiring bird life, including a triumvirate of cormorants drying their wings, there was another reason for visiting that my companion wanted to share.
Some nearly fifty years ago a rather famous group of musicians used the grounds to shoot a promotional film for their new single. The band was The Beatles. The single was Paperback Writer (with Rain on the B side). You can find it on the internet these days, but it was the start of something visually new in the pop world. The fab four sing and play around a huge Cedar of Lebanon, the semi-circle of 'Roman' statuary and the conservatory, which houses a collection of century old, huge camelias, whilst also looking into the mid-distance and 'oozing cool' as the information poster has it.
Best enjoyed on a sunny autumn Sunday when everyone else is somewhere else. Look out for gnarly ash trees, the Indian Bean tree that despite almost falling over in a long ago storm now grows partly along the ground, the noisy cascade and the Japanese maples turning bright gold. The perfect place for a historical stroll.
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