Antiquing Trip to England: Day Five, Tenterden & Pashley Manor Gardens

After the previous day's shopping extravaganza, it was nice to have a quieter day scheduled next on the tour. I'm sure my checking account enjoyed the respite as well.

First we stopped in the lovely town of Tenterden, which had just a few antique shops, mostly filled with china and silver. We took the opportunity to linger in Tenterden's lovely old churchyard. The church, St. Mildred's, dates from the 12th century, and the churchyard was just as picturesque, and looked just "as seen on TV" as this fan of British murder mysteries could hope.

St. Mildred's churchyard.

A lonely urn.

A tomb under the trees.

No trip to England would be complete without a visit to a classic English garden, and that was in fact the highlight of the day. Our tour guides found a beautiful one for us: Pashley Manor Gardens, a Tudor-period estate once owned, we were told, by the family of Anne Boleyn. Overflowing flower beds, neat and tidy kitchen gardens, carefully cultivated landscapes, numerous water features, and a small wood surround a 16th century manor house on the property.

 A beautiful view at the Gardens.

A Grecian folly, with duckies in the foreground.

The Gardens also have a lovely tea room which serves wonderful light meals, savories, and sweets. This was one of the finest meals we had on the whole tour: potato-leek soup, a cheese scone, slices of English cheddar, a fresh salad with carrot-ginger slaw, and a carmelized onion and goat cheese tart. Fabulous!

The Tea Room terrace at Pashley Manor Gardens.

Coming up next: Day 6, Canterbury, and a visit to a teddy bear factory!