Greys Court is a National Trust house with a difference – although it is a Tudor Mansion its furnishings are those of the mid 20th century – done after it was bought in 1937 by Sir Felix Brunner. It was left to the National Trust in 1969 though lived in by the family until early this century. It makes a change to wander in rooms which comfortable in an old fashioned way rather than filled with priceless antiques. There are friendly and helpful volunteer guides in the rooms but not the normal sheets of information in each room. I prefer to read about a room/building and then ask questions. I believe there may be information sheets about the house and its history but we were not offered them and did not see them around. The leaflet handed to us on entry said practically nothing about the house’s history.
The gardens are basically a series of small rooms with different themes – such as the white and the rose gardens. Old stone walls surround parts of them and it is enjoyable to wander from one to another. Most of the paths are surfaced but a few would be a bit bumpy with a wheel chair.
Amongst the outbuildings towards the back and side of the house are an ice house and a fascinating donkey wheel which was in use until about 100 years ago. The shop and toilets are also in this area. The cafe is adjacent to the gardens and faces the house; it has a pleasant outdoor seating area as well as the indoor area.
Overall a pleasant couple of hours can be spent here – longer if you wish to walk around the parkland.
