Read Day 1
Sunrise at The Battery
Our second day in Charleston started early. In preparing for this trip, I found Charleston photographer Kim Graham’s work. Her photographs are gorgeous, particularly her sunrise photography, and her work inspired me to do some sunrise photography while we were there.
Erin very kindly braved the frigid temperatures and early hour so we could get some shots. We weren’t prepared for the cold at all, and the weather was so overcast that we only stayed about 10 minutes. But the 10 minutes we were there might just have been the best 10 minutes for that particular sunrise, so let’s call it a win!
Middleton Place
We spent the whole rest of the day touring the extensive landscape gardens of Middleton Place. It was a day well spent indeed. If photographing Charleston’s historic district was my pet project for this trip, Middleton Place was Erin’s. From the earliest planning stages, this stop was on the list. Chief among its attractions for Erin: sheep roam the estate.
I haven’t been to England yet, but I’ve read a lot of Jane Austen and let me tell you: this place was a southern Pemberley.
If you know, you know.
The original house consisted of three separate buildings, all of which were burned by the Union Army in early 1865. Only the south flanker survives today and serves as the Middleton Place House Museum.
Middleton Place was a rice planation. Pictured above is the spring house, which dates back to 1741. In the 1850s, the chapel was added above the spring house, to be used by the enslaved people on the estate. The room was small and plain, and could barely hold 30 people. To see the gardens and to imagine the luxury of the main buildings, and then see the meager chapel made the injustice of slavery very tangible. This would become even more apparent on subsequent days, when Erin and I toured two house museums in Charleston.
The Stableyards give a glimpse into life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Erin was very excited to meet the sheep.
We warmed up over a delicious lunch in the restaurant: fried chicken, collard greens, and mac & cheese for me. I thought the food might be mediocre, since it was the only option for a few miles around, but it was excellent.
We worked our way around the lake behind the house to the old mill and the flooded rice fields. (Examine that third photo closely for alligators!) The oak tree in the last photo, above, is 900 years old.
I loved our day at Middleton Place Gardens. Seeing the landscape in both cloudy and gorgeously sunny conditions was more than I could have hoped for. Erin and I are lovers of English literature, so we got to see Middleton in both its Bronte and Austen moods.
Middleton Place is my top recommendation, if you ever find yourself in Charleston!