Sezincote: India in the Cotswolds

I first heard of Sezincote completely by accident late last year, when my boyfriend Claudio was staying with me and my parents. I'd been looking up places for us to visit in our local area, and obviously my Google account was aware of this, as an article popped up on my newsfeed suggesting Sezincote as a local travel destination. (It's located in the north of Gloucestershire, just a short distance away from Batsford Arboretum.) I was amazed by the picture, which showed a beautiful Indian-style palace with statues of elephants in front of it. It was hard to believe it was really in England! Unfortunately, Covid restrictions meant that I couldn't go with Claudio last year, but this week I finally had the chance to visit with my parents.

Even though the weather was very cold and rainy during our visit, it still felt like we had stepped into a different part of the world. Shortly after passing through the entrance to the garden, we found ourselves on the Indian Bridge, a bridge featuring statues of sacred cows, with views across to a temple and the Snake Pool (more on those later).

We made our way over to the house, where we found this cute wedding car, which even had Indian upholstery! The estate is a very popular place for weddings, as it's such a beautiful setting.

Then we walked round to the front of the house, which really was incredible to see. It was built in the Neo-Mughal architectural style inspired by the state of Rajasthan in northern India, and includes a big green onion dome and a long, curving orangery. In fact, it was the inspiration for the Brighton Pavilion, a palace that Claudio and I were able to visit last year. However, I would say that Sezincote was possibly even more impressive to see than the Pavilion, even though it's not as big. I think that is partly because of the garden in front of it, which is designed in a Persian style, and the elephant statues just above the garden, which really add to the exotic atmosphere of the place.

We climbed up the hill behind the elephants to see some other parts of the estate, including the Head Gardener's Cottage and Old Dairy (which also has Indian design features), the Tennis Pavilion and the Dionysus Urn (a classical monument that's reminiscent of more typical English country gardens).

By this point, it was definitely time for tea! Sezincote's tearoom is located in the orangery, a really special setting with lots of plants, including palm trees and orange trees, as well as various pretty decorations. There wasn't any vegan milk for my tea, but on the positive side, there was a very tasty vegan coffee and walnut cake!

After our tea and cake, we explored some more of the grounds, starting with the Tent Room round the back of the house.

The next thing we saw was the Temple to Surya (the Hindu sun god), which we'd seen from the bridge earlier. Aside from the house itself, this was my favourite part of the whole trip. The temple is very beautiful and peaceful, and there are palm trees next to it. It almost made me feel like I was actually in India.

Then we crossed over to the other side of the Indian Bridge to see the Snake Pool, a statue of two snakes wrapped around a tree in the middle of the water. We also took a closer look underneath the bridge.

The final thing we went to see was the Island Pool. What I really liked about this part of the grounds was that there were two swings attached to a tree! Of course I had to have a go on one!

All in all, it was a great day out. I really enjoyed discovering Sezincote, and I'd love to go back in the future, hopefully when the weather's sunnier and when Claudio's in England again!