Sizergh Castle

The tower of Sizergh Castle in Cumbria can be seen as you walk through the topiary but lets take a walk around the lake to get a better view.

Although it has 'castle' in its name it is in fact a fortified mansion.  The tower on he left is the earliest part of the building being 14th century

but the house is Tudor ( a century later)

with the wings built around a central courtyard. 

Sizergh sits among 1,600 acres of pasture, orchards and woodlands and the house is surrounded by woods, kitchen garden, lakes, a limestone rock garden and flower garden but also the latest addition

a stumpery.  These features take their name from the stumps of trees and reclaimed wood that form a horticultural scaffolding where ferns, mosses and other shade loving plants are grown to look like a natural setting and of course they attract wildlife such as small mammals, beetles and birds.

When it matures and becomes an explosion of green it will be a must see attraction for the fern lover

but there is always lots to see through the lens for a photographer.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet this week sojourning at the letter S here