America Past And Present Revised


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America Past And Present Revised

America Past And Present Revised

A two-day break to be enjoyed mid-week at the beginning of March proved to be voyage through time, space and class. The two days were spent in a country house hotel in the depths of the Fifeshire countryside. The hotel had originally been a Georgian mansion dating from 1777, although the original dwelling may have been built in the 14th century. The mansion is huge, lending incredulity to the fact that it was built for one family. There are stone columns at the front and on one side of the building, which stands amid over 400 acres of wooded policies and a golf course.

A Room to Drool Over

The bedrooms are spacious and of exceptional quality, with super-king sized beds, comfy sofas, TV and the original fireplaces still in place, albeit now non-functioning. Even the former servants' quarters under the roof are now renovated to an extremely high standard, being spacious, light and airy. One tries to envisage them about a hundred years ago when possibly three or four servants shared the space that today is the epitome of relaxation.

Environs to Explore

The woodland walk, on a fine morning in March, is a delight to behold. The woodland floors are carpeted with snowdrops, so green and white and vibrantly luscious, after the ravages of an extremely cold winter. Deciduous trees are abundant – silver birch, beech, plane, larch – and the first young buds are tentatively, proudly poking through on the branches, the first hint of seasonal change. As in all former country estates, the rhododendron bushes line the wooded walkways. Alien to the UK, Victorian adventurers brought these plants home from the Himalayas as a sign of prestige and the affordability of overseas travel.