Saturday 21 June saw some 34 members and friends visit Penshurst Place, the ancient home of the Sidney family, who have lived in it since it was granted to their forebear Sir William Sidney in 1552 by Edward VI. The family live in it still. When we arrived, our first task was to sort ourselves out from a knot of Armourers who had also chosen that day for their outing!

We were taken on a private guided tour of the house, starting in a charming inner courtyard not usually open to the public, before going into the mediaeval Baron’s Hall, the oldest building on the site, built in 1341 by Sir John de Pulteney, an extremely rich merchant and four times Lord Mayor of London. One feature not to be missed was the wooden carvings supporting the roof beams – full length portrait caricatures, apparently, of estate workers at the time the hall was built. Each one is different and none has its feet – which were cut off to stop them rotting.

We next went into the mediaeval solar, now the formal dining room of the house. This room is still used once or twice a year, and we tried to imagine the beautiful crystal chandelier alight with candles above the table decorated for a Christmas meal.

The guide, who was clearly very knowledgeable, and loved his job, followed the history of the house in taking us from the earliest parts of the building through to the modern (well, 16^th century...).

After the tour, there was just time to sit for five minutes and catch our breath in the formal Italian garden before setting off for lunch in the pleasant restaurant.

Following lunch, the party split up, and we spent the afternoon happily wandering the beautiful gardens in the hot sun (as well as the longest day of the year, we had the hottest, sunniest one for our visit). All the gardens were lovely and the hedge of lavender particularly so, although sadly we missed the peonies by a week or so. But the garden that sticks in my mind most is the nut garden: a large square planted with all sorts of nut trees with a bower in the middle and fruit trees espaliered along a brick wall on one side. I loved its combination of beauty, peace and utility. The other garden that I would love to see in a few weeks time is one laid out with lavender and red and white roses in the shape of the Union Flag.

Every so often, we met fellow members collapsed in the shade of trees and hedges listening to the cooling sound of fountains. Then, after a final cup of tea in the Garden Café, tired and sunburnt, we said a final farewell to Penshurst Place and made for home.

My first summer outing; the first of many, I hope. Thanks are due to Robin Orme and Mike Roberts for arranging such a delightful day.

Reported by Marion Rich