Only on a Sunday can you plan this combination of adventures in the Hampstead neighborhood of London. The oldest house in Hampstead, the Fenton House which was built by a successful merchant around 1686 when Hampstead was still a small village outside of London is open to the public only on Sundays. It has changed hands a number of times through the centuries with each new owner caring for it and improving it. When Lady Binning, the last private owner died in 1952 she bequeathed the home and furnishings to the National Trust. When we arrived we were expecting to hear the story of a prosperous family that had lived here for generations but instead what we learned about was a wonderful place that the National Trust uses to house a variety of collections. There are Lady Binning’s collections of decorative porcelain, Georgian furniture, and 17th Century needlework as well as 55 paintings, drawings and watercolours from the collection of the late actor Peter Barkworth. But what we found most interesting was the stringed instruments collection donated by Major George Benton Fletcher, who stipulated that the instruments were to be played. And that happens every Sunday when the house is open to the public. It gave us the opportunity to hear harpsicords, clavichords, and virginals live and in person and learn how they work. In additional to the lovely house and collections, there’s the incredible gardens. From formal gardens to a 300 year old orchard, to kitchen gardens and compost bins, the gardens are delight at every turn with quiet nooks here and sprawling vistas there. It was positively delightful on this beautiful day. Then if that was not enough we trekked a bit north to The Spaniard’s Inn, built in 1585. Perhaps the oldest surviving pub in London, it oozes history. Not only that, on Sundays they serve perhaps the best Sunday Roast we’ve ever tasted. Besides that we had great fun with our server!
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