Today’s snowfall blanketed The Hall Estate in white - the soft snow increases the magic of this place not only by covering the ground but also by muffling the usual sound of the traffic. The most noticeable noise is that of children playing in the snow. The trains continue to pass by the bottom of the garden by the boathouse, their rhythmic rumbling being strangely comforting during these dark days. The snow covering reveals something else which reminds us of how The Hall Estate provides a pocket of the natural environment right beside the town centre. This is in the plethora of animal tracks that criss-cross the Estate - there are the marks of foxes, deer and several cats. Above all of this the Kestrels circle. The Owls can be heard every evening, and even more so in quietness of the winter snow.

Summer seems a long time away, but when it arrives (and when Government guidelines allow), do come and explore the gardens here in this hidden corner of Bradford on Avon.

Photographs by Kate Berry.