Sandringham. where was the Queen!?Sep 19, 2004
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Sandringham from the rear. Anne Patsy and Yvonne visit the Royals!
Yvonne at the front gates of Sandringham
Sandringham, the Queen's winter/Christmas quarters now opens to the public when she isn't there. SO we took a look. Wouldn't have bothered with Castle Howard if we'd known we were going to Sandringham. Unlike the former, there was no musty old house smell.
It had a lived in feeling. And the roooms we were seeing are actulaly lived in...saw the dining room and the table they eat at, which at Christmas has 12 leaves added into it to accomodate the family!
Furniture paintings (ceiling ones were wonderful) carriages cars..along with weapons and a room fuilll of stuffed animals. Arranged in a natural setting, cleverly hiding the fact that some were only heads, in caves and grass! One room had a temporary exhibition in it. Its normally used as a cinema...built as a ballroom, it has also had a 10 pin bowling alley in it as well as being used for children's play room. (Riding those minitiare cars around in it??) So now we know what people with very large rooms do when the are kept inside by the weather!
Every room had a guide (and to make sure we didn't damage or make off with the goodies?) One of these hailed from Carolina USA. his wife was local so I guess that helped him get the job!
Sandringham got the thumbs up from all who went in
