It's A Little Place, But We Call It Home

You might be forgiven for thinking we're in Mexico, but we aren't.

This was the morning's entertainment at King's Cross when we left on a train bound for Sandringham.

The young Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII was given Sandringham in Norfolk in 1862. After living here a few year with a young and growing family, he decided the place was too small.

He commissioned A. J. Humbert to raze the hall and create a larger building.

The resulting red-brick house was completed in late 1870 with a mix of styles. It was ahead of its time in other ways, with gas lighting, flushing water closets, and an early form of shower.

The royal family has resided at Sandringham ever since.  This is where Queen Elizabeth and her family traditional spend the Christmas holidays.

I wish I could show you photos of the inside of the house, but photography was not allow. I did find a website with interior photos, click here if you are interested. 

Of course a Victorian era house needed to have stables too.

The stables are now a small museum. 

The museum featured a collection of royalty commemorative items.

Much of the surrounding estate is landscaped in a 'natural' woodland fashion.

The many shades of green are the predominate hue. 

The calendar says it is early July, yet it is still Spring with magnolias, rhododendrons, primroses, and dogwood in bloom.

The estate feels very peaceful.

There is a small ornamental lake.

And it had many content residents.

One garden element is a plump Buddah.  The grounds also include memorial markers for some of the Queen's corgis (bottom row - 2nd from left). 

This area close to the house is quite formal in nature.

The lines of the garden are set up to frame Sandringham to its best advantage.

Lots of blues and lavenders in the perennial beds.

It is a lovely home - and hard to believe that it is considered "too small" for more than the immediate Royal Family to stay there in comfort.

Mom and I followed the path the Queen takes when she goes to church at Sandringham. It's a long enough walk, I certainly would not want to do it in cold weather in high heels as the female members of the royal family do!

St. Mary Magadalene looks to be quite unprepossessing from the outside.  Inside, as the recipient of many financial gifts from the royal family since the 1870s, it is extremely ornate. A photo can be seen here. 

A very nice day out - the weather cooperated and there was next to no one at Sandringham today.  It was very quiet and peaceful.