Spring at Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire

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We had a treat in England this year- the sun came out in March. March I tell you. I was outside in a dress in MARCH. I was so excited by the fact that my daffodil hunting went a bit mad. I’d always heard that Wimpole Hall, just to the South of Cambridge, was a great place to see the daffodils in bloom – so I took an afternoon off work and went to explore, easily spending 3 hours enjoying my visit. And it’s just as well because only 3 days later it was snowing and hailing – blinking English weather!

Daffodils

The moment I walked through the gates and up the path I smiled to myself. Oh my goodness look at the daffodils. I started in the formal gardens at the back of the house and ended up spending ages sat on a bench in the sunshine just happy and content.

In the formal garden

After strolling the gardens, I headed to the walled garden where I met a lovely volunteer who was telling me all about his wife’s work with Sue Ryder, the fact he’d been volunteering for 15 years and even where his daughter kept her horses (bizarrely in the same village my husband was born in but that’s by the by). It was nice just to chat.

The Greenhouse

After the walled garden, I needed to quench my thirst in the sun so I headed to the restaurant – yey for more daffodils on the path up for it. I had a nice cold drink and a cake and then was ready to explore further.

The restaurant

Next I went in to the stables to look in the gift shop and browse some of the plants for sale, before heading on a walk round to the front of the Hall.

View of the Hall

Wimpole dates back to the Domesday book of 1086, and was once a small manor house in the countryside. In the 1400s it was owned by the archbishop of Canterbury, and in 1650 the house was extended massively – and today it’s the biggest house in Cambridgeshire. Queen Victoria even visited for supper in 1843, and stayed for a ball after dinner. You can visit inside the Hall and explore a number of rooms.

A highlight is the Hall’s library, a result of the fact that in 1938, Rudyard Kipling’s (the famous author) daughter Elsie bought the Hall, fully restoring it using her inheritance and father’s royalties. Her particular focus was on the library, and it truly is stunning.

The incredible library

In 1976 Elsie died childless, and her biggest aim was to preserve the work of her father – leaving the entire Hall and collection to the National Trust to look after. Today the Hall forms one of the Trust’s most important collections of books and requires significant care and maintenance. I particularly loved that in one of the rooms there was a pianist playing live, it was just stunning.

The Ceiling in the main drawing room

You can also explore the basement rooms of the Hall, including the servants quarters and the Chapel, which is a really beautiful feature you don’t see in many of these types of houses.

In the Chapel

I fell in love with the Hall, with Elsie’s passion for preserving her father’s legacy (though I’m biased, I like a strong willed woman persisting despite not being able to have children), and most definitely with the daffodils.


What do you think of Wimpole and my spring time stroll? It was a beautiful find in the Cambridgeshire countryside and well worth a visit. And if you’re interested in visiting Cambridgeshire, you can also check out my other posts here:

Thanks for reading – stay safe and happy travelling everyone.

41 responses to “Spring at Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire”

  1. What a beautiful welcome to spring…even if it was a short lived spring. Sounds like the weather here lately, one day warm and sunny and the next a threat of frost. Crazy weather! I love the library- what a wonderful tribute to her father and his works 🙂

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    1. Aw I’m so glad you like it, hopefully the sun will come back for us here 🙂 I love the library too, I wish I could afford one in my house haha! Have a great weekend Meg 🙂

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      1. Thank you, you too 🙂

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  2. Spring has definitely sprung! It’s getting warmer here in Los Angeles, and today was the first day I wore a T-shirt! All of those yellow flowers outside are a real treat, and here’s to longer days, warmer weather, and more hope as this year moves along!

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    1. it has, and it’s so nice isn’t it. I’m very envious of your T-shirt weather 🙂 Thanks for reading Rebecca, have a lovely weekend

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  3. Love love love that library!

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    1. Sameeee, wish I could afford to install one in my house!!! Have a great weekend 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Looks like you picked an awesome day to visit Wimpole Hall. The gardens look beautiful with all the daffodils in bloom. That’s too bad that they died a few days later from the cold. I’m still waiting for our spring flowers to bloom.

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    1. Yes sooo lucky with the weather, it was a beautiful afternoon out. Fingers crossed your Spring flowers bloom soon 🙂 Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.

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  5. This post exudes happiness! I’ve been seeing a lot of daffodils around NYC, but we had a very cold day and a lot died but I always get so excited seeing them!

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    1. Me too, I love going daffodil hunting. They normally only manage to appear for 2 or 3 weeks a year, so I’m always excited to find them 🙂

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  6. The hall is lovely and the flowers are so bright and colorful! We haven’t quite reached that level of spring here yet (it’s getting warmer at times but not so many flowers) so I’m enjoying everyone else’s springtime photos. 🌸

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    1. Ah thank you, it was a really lovely afternoon out. I hope spring comes soon for you and you get some flowers blooming soon 🙂

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  7. The Hall is lovely but all of those daffodils! A perfect day for you, too bad the weather spoiled it all. Maggie

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    1. I agree, it was such a treat to see them all in bloom and I’m glad I went when I could 🙂 Thanks for reading – have a great weekend Maggie

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  8. Beautiful garden and grounds, dear Hannah, and an interesting history ~ thanks for sharing! 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much Phil, have a wonderful weekend.

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  9. What a beautiful time of year to visit Wimpole Hall Hannah. We are NT members so will now have to add this location to our visit list. Thanks for inspiring me to visit and have a great weekend!

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    1. Aw thanks Marion – yes Wimpole is a lovely property and it’s so great to be an NT member and make the most of the membership. Thanks for reading, and have a lovely weekend too 🙂

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  10. Oh, yes. The March weather was surprisingly gorgeous and deceptive, making us think that winter’s gone. Back to cold, hail, rain, cutting wind and apparently some snow awaits us in Scotland. Daffodils are beautiful and Wimpole Hall gardens look like a perfect place to see them in their full grandeur. The Hall seems a place well worth visiting, the chapel and library really stand out. Volunteers are amazing throughout this country, we’ve had so many charming encounters and chats with them during our three months. Good piece, Hannah.

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    1. It really was wasn’t it and then BOOM – have some snow!! Thanks Leighton, it was a really beautiful afternoon out, and so close to home but I’d never visited (always the way). You’re right on the volunteers, they are just amazing. Have a lovely weekend, thanks for reading 🙂

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  11. Oh, the English weather 😁 … it almost sounds as if you’re back in winter again!
    But how lucky were you to see those sunny daffodils. What a lovely stroll it must have been – colourful gardens in sunny weather! Oh, and leave me in that library for some time … I would love to have such a room in our house!

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    1. It’s madness isn’t it…..never know what’s coming day to day.
      Yes, I timed it well and its such a beautiful way to spend the afternoon – I had a great time. I’d also love a massive library, a girl can dream huh 🙂 Thanks for reading and have a lovely weekend Corna 🙂

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  12. Beautiful daffodil! Glad you had a great day, Hannah!

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  13. Beautiful photos with the daffodils in the foreground! What fantastic weather you had to get out and enjoy the day 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much Linda, I really was so lucky with the weather 🙂 Thanks for reading – have a lovely weekend.

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  14. What a beautiful post and photos! I would love to visit the hall and gardens at some point. In Normandie, we also had a taste of spring with sunny warm days, then snow a few days later – crazy!

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    1. I’m so glad you like it, and hope you can hop across the channel one day to visit 🙂 Yes it’s mad weather in Europe at the moment, let’s hope the sun comes to stay soon!

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  15. Wow, lovely shots that produced beautiful pictures ❣️🥰

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    1. Thank you so much 🙂

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  16. It always amazes me how much ahead of us you are over there with flowers and green grass and the general springing forth of spring. It’s April and we’re expecting SNOW on Thursday. Ugh.

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    1. Ughhh I’m so sorry you are still expecting such bad weather – we now have a mix of sunshine and cloud and mild temperatures (it’s still definitely not hot and the blue skies can be deceiving)….roll on summer 🙂

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  17. The daffodils are dazzling! That library would be a lovely place to spend some time. We have snow in March and April too, no flowers yet at this altitude, but I can go down to Denver to see them starting to come out.

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    1. Aw thanks Ruth, they really are beautiful aren’t they! I hope there’s not too much snow left ahead for you and that the flowers start blooming for you soon 🙂

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  18. what a remarkable sunny day!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. […] opportunity to go exploring, and decided to head down the road to Wimpole Hall. I last visited in Spring, but seeing it in Winter was just […]

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  20. […] Cambridge and spend the afternoon exploring an incredible stately home at Wimpole Hall (post HERE and HERE), before returning to the city centre for dinner and a good night’s […]

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  21. […] Cambridge and spend the afternoon exploring an incredible stately home at Wimpole Hall (post HERE and HERE), before returning to the city centre for dinner and a good night’s […]

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About the author

Hi! My name is Hannah, I’m a travel blogger from the UK who fits travel around a full time (and full on) job. In this blog I share my adventures around the world and hopefully help you to find some inspiration for destinations, things to do or places to stay. Thanks for stopping by – stay safe and happy travelling.

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