The sunshine and daffodils were out in full force on a recent weekend visit to the National Trust’s Dunham Massey, where a current exhibition sees the property transformed back to its previous life, serving as the wartime Stamford army hospital. And we soon got more than we bargained for, when on entering the impressively restored hospital ward, live actors suddenly began acting out the stories of past patients from their beds!

Wandering slowly from one decadent room to another, we took in the beauty of our grand surroundings. In one room, an antique screen housed delicate butterflies, suspended in glass, mid-flight; another bedroom, awash with blood red satin and velvet. But it was the historic library which held us in awe with its lavishly bound volumes and scientific apparatus.

Later, we were lured across the courtyard and into the old kitchen by the smell of cinnamon as ‘servants’ baked a cake using a traditional household recipe. This soon got our tummies rumbling, and, after refuelling with a tasty lunch in the former Stables, we wandered around the tranquil gardens, where spring crocuses and snowdrops had begun to blossom amongst a carpet of sherbet lemon daffodils.

Our soundtrack was provided by the gentle trickle of the garden’s streams, a chorus of birdsong and the chatter of children playing in the nearby parkland. The place is a pure haven. Reluctantly, we left as the spring sun began to weaken and, passing the fortress like walls, caught site of dozens of deer grazing on the grass.

Images by Sam Young