A  Pilgrim Quilters mini-holiday to Cambridge and Hemingford Grey

This is our third successful 'mini-holiday', previously we have travelled to Bath and seen the amazing quilts at the American Museum just outside Bath and also to York to see the Quilters' Guild extensive collection. This year we travelled together to visit Cambridge and Hemingford Grey Manor House.

We discovered that Hemingford Grey Manor House is truly a very special place. The current owner Diana Boston had us enthralled with the history of the oldest, longest continuously inhabited house in the country, dating back 900 years to the Normans, and Lucy Boston’s connection with the house. Lucy, Diana Boston’s late mother-in-law and author of the Greene Knowe books, was an artist with a flair for making (by hand) exquisite patchwork quilts and an inspiring gardener. Lucy created the amazing garden at Hemingford Grey Manor House from farm fields, which we discovered from Diana is subject from flooding from time to time courtesy of the river that runs past the end of the garden. As well as the knowledgeable tour of the house and a presentation with close views of Lucys quilts, we were able to walk through the gardens in their full glory and were hosted in the Manor House dining room for our gorgeous afternoon tea - enveloped in the special atmosphere of this amazing home and its history. The day could not have been any more special.

 

We also had great fun in Cambridge; with 2 lovely evening meals with the perfect set of restaurants providing excellent options suitable for everyone and we all had enough free time to explore Cambridge city centre, do some shopping and see a museum or two.