Was this a good idea, I asked myself as I left Swindon in a deluge to visit the Art in the Garden exhibition at Avebury Manor?
In 2011 Avebury Manor was the subject of a unique BBC and National Trust experiment during which the empty manor house was decorated in a time travel kaleidoscope of historical periods.
Visitors are able to relax in Alexander Keiller's sitting room and climb into Queen Anne's magnificent four poster bed. You can open cupboard drawers and fiddle with the fixtures but woe betide if you touch the hand painted Chinese wallpaper in the Georgian dining room, which is strictly off limits.
Now in its fourth year the Art in the Garden exhibition includes work by 24 artists inspired by nature, history and the human form. The exhibition runs for another two weeks until October 13 and is open 11-5 every day.
Today sees the final day in the Swindon Open Studios event, so hurry along to that as well.
And yes, the clouds parted and the sun shone for my visit yesterday. As I left Avebury I thought, we have a vibrant artist community here in Swindon, why don't we put on an Art in the Garden event in the Walled Garden at Lydiard House? Eh Swindon Borough Council - what do you think?
