One of Thom’s earliest published original with the English manor theme.  "I think many people have imaged life in a grand old manor house, managing estates, maintaining a wonderful stable, perhaps riding to the hounds, and of course, enjoying afternoon tea.  Perhaps that was the inspiration behind this work.  In this painting, I especially like the “austere simplicity of the gate and wall.”  He tells us that “the owners have entrusted nature with the task of decoration” with its floral and ivy – a “collaboration between nature and man” .

-Thomas Kinkade