Approaching down an avenue lined with snowdrops we attended a talk on Jane Austen and the Vyne in the old kitchen and then explored the house which has links with the Austen family and Regency life, as the Austen’s attended balls at the Vyne, and Jane’s brothers went hunting there.
The Tudor building has an incredible staircase and decorated ceilings, and is currently in need of a new roof so scaffolding will be going up later in the year. The tapestries upstairs have been removed temporarily due to some water damage in 2015. There is plenty to see in the house and the guides are very helpful in each room giving extra information. The chapel glass has just been cleaned and when we visited you could see it close up on the scaffolding.
We had a lovely cream tea in the tea room which is quite small and I expect gets full on busy days. It was a bit cold to explore the walks on the estate but in warmer weather you could easily spend an afternoon walking on the estate.
