Waldershare Mansion

A few days ago I put up a picture if what I called and "unidentified building". Thanks to Martin Collins, of Whitfield, that it no longer the case. Martin informs me that the building was a Belvedere Tower, used for watch horse racing over the fields in front of it and that there have been plans to restore it, but so far nothing has come of it.

The Mansion on the other hand has been restored and is now private apartments. The Mansion was severely damaged in a fire on Sept 30th 1913, I found a pictures of the attending fire fighters here. The Earl was in residence at the time and managed to save some of the more important pictures and furniture. During WWII the Royal Victoria Hospital moved here from Dover, to escape the bombing.

I presume this building, next to the mansion, was the coach house.

There has been a mansion here since the time of the Norman Conquest, the noble family of Malmains resided here until 1372. Various families resided here, and a new mansion was built in the 15th century. Sir Henry Furness bought the estate and rebuilt the mansion 1n 1700, after a design of Indigo Jones. The estate became the seat of the Guildfords in 1766.

It would appear that much of the estate, that at one time stretched to Sandwich, was sold to pay death duties. The parkland around the Mansion remains by Martin tells me that many of the trees were destroyed in the great storm of October 1987.

Little red rooster's on the prowl

I was surprised to see this Rooster having his "evil way" with one of the farmyard ducks at East Langdon. If there was an outcome would it be a "chuck" or a "Dickin"?

Little Red Rooster

I am the little red rooster,
Too lazy to crow for day,
I am the little red rooster,
Too lazy to crow for day,
Keep everything in the farm yard upset in every way

Moths. Very few recently, last night another Oak Beauty, and the previous night a belated first for the year, a Clouded Drab.

Birds. The Rock Pipits - Barry Wright has done an instructive posting showing the Pipits at Swanscombe.

Yesterday I had the first Siskin of the Spring passage in the garden. I saw it, a stunning male, bathing in the pond, but it didn't reappear on any of the feeders and in to days wind the bird activity was more subdued.