Visit to Burghley House (part two) - the Sculpture Garden

 So here is part two of our visit to Burghley House; the Sculpture Garden.  It was a bit of a relief to escape from the shrieking but happy and wet children in the Garden of Surprises and head into the slightly wilder but very lovely park area.  There were areas of wildflowers which were kept in check by metal scalloped edging, which was very effective and the flowers added a much needed splash of colour.

 We all liked these.

 I was rather remiss as I didn't make any notes about any of the sculptures - I just took photos of ones I liked, such as the lifelike stag above.

 The fighting horses were made of willow.

 I wasn't sure whether I liked this - in fact I found it just a little disturbing, although there was a flash of recognition as Lincoln has a stainless steel face by the same artist (Rick Kirby) at the Drill Hall, which is an entertainment venue.

(Photo of the Lincoln Drill Hall face from http://notesonpaper.blogspot.co.uk/2013_07_01_archive.html )

Here it is.  Just one thing - why are they both so grumpy?

I really liked the park area the sculptures were set in and the way different vistas presented themselves as we walked around.  Some of the sculptures are permanent, whereas others were part of a temporary exhibition. 

We spied another stag through the trees and across the lake.

 The canada geese were real.

 Swans were a-swimming and I liked the reflections of the crocosmia.

 This labyrinth had some interesting patterns...

..but then nature can do a good job with patterns on her own.

 The oversized flowers couldn't be ignored.

 I thought the sinuous lines of the reflective metal worked well with the backdrop of green.

 These sculptures were sea-related, with fish tails and shell like forms.

The restful green of all the foliage in this little valley was beautiful.

This sculpture made a gentle melodic noise when the discs were gently tapped, which was an added sensory delight.
We agreed that we had really enjoyed the Sculpture Garden and this was definitely worth visiting.
(I noticed that Phil Spencer is presenting a new series on Stately Homes on More 4 and guess what the first one is?  Yes, Burghley - what a coincidence!  It is on tonight on More 4 at 9.00 pm.  I think I'll be watching!)