By Lyn Funnell 
Nymans is mostly famous for its gardens.
But we went there to see their Christmas display.
We approached the house along lit-up archways, with various fairy-tale things of interest for children to see and take part in various games.
The house itself is mostly a ruin, after a devasting fire in 1947.
More about that later.
But the central part is liveable.
As we stepped through the front door, the Christmas lights are beautiful.
The theme is Fairy Tales. The first one was Sleeping Beauty, who is collapsed on the sofa, as though she’d had a night of drunken revelry. The sitting-room was draped with cobwebs, but not enough to hide the original room.
On through the hall, with Cinderella’s dress on the right.
Beauty and the Beast was next, in a small room. And Jack and the Beanstalk was there.
This is my favourite Fairy Tale. I love the way that Beauty was kind to the Beast.
You don’t have to be good-looking to be loved!
And then we were outside again.
Nymans does have an upstairs which is often used for exhibitions. But there weren’t any on then.
It was a terrible day, and not one for letting the Public walk all over the house.
Or maybe they’re short of volunteers, like a lot of National Trust properties.
So if you know anyone with spare time on their hands, do ask them to contact their nearest property or garden.
Nymans takes its name from Philip Nynian, who owned the estate in the 14th century.
Ludwig Messel bought Nymans in the late 1800s. And with the help of his Head Gardener, James Comber, he set out to transform the gardens.
Ludwig and his wife Annie’s youngest daughter Muriel followed in her father’s footsteps and devoted her life to improving the gardens.
She wrote a catalogue of the plants, which was published in 1918 as A Garden Flora.
On the 19th February1947 in the middle of the night, fire broke out and destroyed most of the house.
Due to post-war building shortages, they weren’t allowed to rebuild the house, which I think is terribly sad.
They managed to rescue a lot of furniture and paintings.
Ludwig’s son Leonard’s valuable garden books were destroyed. It was his 75th birthday.
He bequeathed Nymans to the National Trust on his death in 1953.
Leonard and Maud’s children, Oliver and Anne, were both successful in different ways.
Oliver became Britain’s most well-known theatrical designer. And he designed Princess Margaret’s house on Mustique Island.
Anne’s son Anthony Armstrong-Jones became a successful photographer and he married Princess Margaret.
There is an excellent National Trust restaurant there, so went in to dry out a bit and get warm.
There are loos in the car park and behind the restaurant, which I approved of.
And there are two books shops in the grounds, which I always head for! And of course there’s a shop there.
The garden wasn’t at its best when we went there. But we’ll definitely return there in the spring!
Nymans, National Trust
Staplefield Road
Haywards Heath
RH17 6EB
