![[ Benington Lordship moat and gatehouse folly ]](./1227+1226+1225-BeningtonLordshipMoat+GatehousePortraitLCR.jpg "Benington Lordship moat and gatehouse folly, April 2010 [1193KB JPEG !!!]")
Benington Lordship is a large manor house in a charming village near Stevenage, with splendid gardens open to the public. It stands on the site of a ruined Norman castle keep, remains of which resemble a curious grotto behind a convincingly 'authentic' castle gatehouse folly built onto the side of the house in the 1830's from the rubble of the castle by architect James Pulham, who also worked on Buckingham Palace and Waddesdon Manor. On a scorching day in April 2010 when the Scilla bithynica were out in full force (I mistook them for bluebells), Lorna and I visited the stunning gardens and took these photos, some of which I stitched together using Hugin.
![Scilla bithynica flowers in front of Benington manor house ]](./1218-BeningtonLordshipBluebellsPortrait.jpg "Scilla bithynica flowers in front of Benington manor house, April 2010 [381KB JPEG]")
© copyright Malcolm Smith 2011-05-23 - last updated 2011-05-23