We were lucky with the weather for our short trip away last week and it was great to spend time outside feeling the sun on our skin. It also helped to get us out and about and one of those stop offs was at The Engine Yard which is right next to Belvoir Castle. We’d stopped there before and remembered a vibrant, thriving space and it still has that potential. We last visited in August, and on this sunny March weekday morning it was much quieter, understandably so. But it was nice to enjoy the space, pretty much unhindered.

Also not surprisingly some of the shops had changed, and some chalet-style huts had popped up for weekend pop-up market stalls, which seems a great idea. We had a nose around all of the shops, but by far my favourite was the interiors shop of Margo & Plum who, as their website says, offer the most glamorous decorative pieces for your home.

And here, I have some snaps to prove it.

A luscious table with black gold and white striped ornate pots, gold fans, a silver cockatiel (not real) and tropical like greenery

The relatively small space is full of the most sumptuous things for your home. While they look great together and the displays are full of inspiration, most of us won’t need quite so much, but together it’s quite a statement!

MOH was very taken with the neon signs, and I’m not sure he could quite decide which. Maybe at some point we’ll get to the stage where a decision is needed, who knows?

A circular drinks trolley with a champagne bucket, glasses and a neon sign saying cocktails

Another neon sign, this time on a shelf - the white gin bar writing - with diamante decorated glasses and lemons alongside

I had a couple of favourites, and definitely more than a couple of things I could have quite happily brought home. The first is this aqua jungle decorated vase, it’s quite unlike any vase I already own which have much wider openings, though I suspect this one probably doesn’t need anything more to improve it.

A close up of a round aqua vase painted with a parrot and tropical birds and plants

A stunning round gold mirror with sunburst spokes in the shape of a square above a mantelpiece decorated with the vase in the previous picture, ornaments and candelesticks

The other thing that I was really quite taken with was the sunburst mirror above - the ‘squareness’ of the sun’s rays really appealed and this feels a much more modern take on the more usual sunburst mirror design. We don’t have much, for want of a better word ‘bling’ in our house, but this shop tested my mettle (pun intended).

Black and white geometric patterned lidded pots alongside golden leaf imprinted vases

More pots, a taller/thinner pot with black/white vertical stripes and gold on the top next to a black white and pink leaf design lidded pot

The final thing on my list was this flamingo plate - the vibrant colours and the design were the attraction for me.

A green plate with two flamingos alongside white orchids

One thing I’m sure of, we’ll be back here again at some point for more mooching around, and maybe even a purchase or two.

The Orangery is the centre piece of the Italian garden at Belton House. It’s built using cast iron and glass and is faced in local Ancaster Stone, and was the first iron and glass domestic conservatory ever built - and it was so extraordinary that the drawings were exhibited at the Royal Academy’s 43rd exhibition in 1811. And on top of that it’s a fantastic looking building that’s a favourite part of Belton for me.

exterior view of the orangery - looking up at the figures on the roof

We first visited Belton last August when we were staying at the lodge at Easton Gardens. We’re back in Lincolnshire for a few days staying in one of the villages just north of Grantham, so couldn’t resist a visit while we were here. After refuelling at the cafe, the orangery was next on my list, and I wasn’t disappointed.

a cactus in a terracotta pot in an alcove in the orangery

a female statute in an alcove with spider plants at feet level

I’d looked at my photos from our first visit recently, and I’m not sure why I hadn’t shared them here. Maybe I’ll do a ‘compare and contrast’ post for the differences between an August and March visit at some point, but in the meantime here’s some of the photos from our most recent visit.

A statue at the rear with lillies in front and a pond with fish

I hadn’t remembered there being so many statues, but this time that’s what caught my eye. There was also more colour than I remembered and the plant below is one that I’ll be getting my plant app out on. It’s definitely got rhubarb and custard vibes.

A close up of one of the plants with pink/yellow 'flowers'

I think we’ll have a few more visits to Belton House, there’s much more of the park to explore than we’ve scratched the surface of yet. I’m also keen to get another look in the house, especially as things start to return to more normal times, our first visit was during Covid, and I’m sure that, understandably, the rooms and collections available to view were reduced.