Longleat

We went away for a midweek break to Longleat.
Longleat is in Somerset and is the ancestral home of the Marquess of Bath. In the 1950's the then Marquess was short of cash, so he decided to open his home to the fee-paying public. He was the first person to do so in the UK. Later he opened a Safari Park in his grounds. It is doubtful whether Capability Brown envisaged sea-lions in the lake or zebras and giraffes grazing on the rolling hills.
The present Marquess has added the attractions. He is an artist and has added murals to his private apartments. These are on display for small tours. I don't think they are pretty but the are impressive. The girls were very impressed by Lord Bath's excellent taste. He has painted the paneled doors in vivid colours. Pink and yellow for one set and purple and green for another.
We spent a lot of time at Pet's Corner. We saw the parrot show twice. CS got a kiss from one of the parrots. CE got to stroke lots of rabbits. We also saw fruit bats, otters, ferrets, tarantulas and the playground.
Only Mr Y was a little disappointed. He did not see Kate Humble. The BBC were filming for the Animal Park show but only Ben Fogle was there.