Who knew that we would choose the hottest weekend of the year and possibly the warmest since 1976 to visit the gardens of Derbyshire! Thankfully the coach was only two weeks old with superb air conditioning. Thirty six villagers from Fowlmere and Thriplow with a few friends from other Gardening Clubs settled in their seats full of anticipation of a lovely time – they were not disappointed! Read on…………
First stop was Easton Walled Garden in Lincolnshire. We had mixed thoughts about this visit – yes Lady Cholmeley would meet us and give an introductory talk but we were also given stern instructions to wear ‘shoes suitable for a walk in the country!’ We need not have worried, Lady Cholmeley introduced herself as Ursula, she was donned in gardener’s garb and later seen wandering the gardens with secateurs in her hand – a hands on ‘Lady’. We loved the sweet pea beds, just coming into flower with such heavenly scent particularly from old varieties, also the rose meadows with over 50 varieties, the cottage garden and of course the tea room! Admirably Lady C had involved local people at every stage of the Garden’s redevelopment and now also provided jobs for some of the nearby village.
Onward to Ridgewold Farm, a 2 acre rural garden set in the Leicestershire wolds’. After a somewhat formal e-mail exchange with owners, Mr and Mrs Waterfall, we were delighted to find Robert and Ann to be a thoroughly charming couple who were more than keen to show off their garden. There was much justification for this as not a plant was out of place – and so many of them, all behaving themselves! We quickly found our pencils and scribbled down the names of the ones we admired.
Robert, a former farmer, led us on a woodland walk crammed with trees of every variety, called up a herd of calves in an adjacent field with a whistle and described the main features of the garden whilst telling us amusing anecdotes as we walked. Back on the lawn we enjoyed tea and so many cakes – Ann had excelled herself, such generous hosts. Reluctantly we left this little paradise and returned to the coach.
Derbyshire at last – arriving at Mickleover Court Hotel we were met on the coach by the charming manager, given a welcome drink whilst booking in and made to feel very welcome then and throughout our stay.. Later some of our number enjoyed the spa and the swimming pool. The hotel was comfortable and superb breakfasts prepared us for every day!
Day 2 and off we go to Renishaw – home to the Sitwell family for nearly 400 years. The famous literary trio, Edith, Osbert, and Sacheverell Sitwell were all patrons of the arts and played a significant part in the artistic and literary world at the beginning of the 20th century. Renishaw is still very much a family home which adds to its unique atmosphere. Unfortunately for us the family were at home (not that we saw hide nor hair of them) so we had to be content with one of the most important classical Italianate gardens in Britain! Over 115 years ago Sir George Sitwell created the garden with its ornamental ponds, a spectacular fountain, secret garden rooms, classical statues, overflowing borders and long vistas, roses galore …… we loved this garden.
A free afternoon to enjoy the delights of Bakewell with its attractive courtyards, its location on the River Wye, interesting shops and its parish church with 9th century crosses and Anglo-Saxon stonework. Many of us escaped the continuing hot weather to enjoy Bakewell pudding in the Old Original Pudding Shop and others had a picnic of Bakewell Tart and lemonade in the shady well planted Community Gardens opposite.
Sunday and we are on the road again. Our first visit was to the Calver Alpine Centre – a massive scree with over 3.000 plants! From a young age Dr. Furness had a great interest in Alpine plants and took years to make his unique Alpine garden containing plants not seen anywhere else in the world. He lectures widely across the UK and the USA and shared some of his knowledge with us. There was a fine collection of plants for us to purchase and quite a few made their way onto our coach. A quick coffee stop at ‘The Eating House’ on Calver Bridge which also boasted that it was the home of the ‘Derbyshire Craft Centre’ and in truth some of our number enjoyed shopping, forgoing the coffee!
Our next stop was Chatsworth. Dr. Furness (from the Alpine Centre) insisted on boarding our coach at the point of departure to enthuse about Chatsworth, giving us tips on how to look at every feature with ‘new eyes’ as nothing is as it seems. For instance the huge boulders which make up the rockeries were brought in under Joseph Paxton’s instructions in the early nineteenth century. The immense challenge of moving them and the way in which they fit into their surroundings, looking as though they occur naturally in the landscape is simply miraculous.
However there was so much to see that I am not going to begin to describe every detail of the house, the gardens etc. in the hope that readers will make that journey themselves one day, if they have not already done so! Instead I must mention a very special exhibition which took years to put together. ‘House Style’ explored five centuries of fashion and adornment at Chatsworth. We saw fashion through the ages by following 16th century Bess of Hardwick, 18th century Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire and 20th century Adele Astaire – sister and dancing partner of Fred! Layering art history, fashion, archival material, design and textiles, the exhibition is organised by theme. Highlights include exceptional couture designed by Jean Phillipe Worth and Christian Dior, together with influential contemporary garments from designers such as Gucci, Helmut Lang, Margiela, Vivienne Westwood, Erdem, Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane and Vetements. Interestingly some really old styles still endure today as witnessed by some of Galliano’s dresses.
If you like fashion, book your ticket today! Such an exhibition may not be staged again in our lifetime.
Our last day began with a visit to Haddon Hall – probably my favorite garden of the whole trip. Set in the heart of the Peak district National Park and located overlooking the River Wye, parts of the house date from the 12th century, there are jewel-like Elizabethan terraced gardens and beautiful views of countryside on all sides. Few gardens still exist of which all the main features – steps, paving, balustrading – are over three hundred years old. The framework of the garden is ancient but the planting is modern! Roses and Clematis on the walls surround new planting schemes by renowned garden designer, Arne Maynard. Since 2012, an Elizabethan knot garden has been developed on the Bowling Green Terrace; defined by Germander (Teucrium), Lavender and Rosemary, it displays plants popular 400 years ago. Borders bloom with medicinal and dye plants, and fragrant lavender, attracting bees and butterflies. The large herbaceous borders provide a backdrop of lush colour throughout the season. It is no wonder that film makers love the house and gardens and many films have been recorded here such as Jane Eyre (three versions!), Elizabeth, Pride and Prejudice and The other Boleyn girl.
Our last stop was at Calke Abbey – quite a change from anything we had seen over the last few days. Here was an English country house in decline. The National Trust made the bold decision to carry out a massive amount of remedial work but no restoration work. So the interiors are as they were found in 1985 so the decay has been halted but not reversed. Before the National Trust’s work everything had remained untouched since the 1880’s. There were mixed views about this property especially as the gardens were “modern” and set away from the house. Time did not permit us to walk through the surrounding park so we missed ‘the wonderful landscape of graceful old oaks and chestnuts, in whose shade fat white sheep graze the meadows.’ So, the jury is out …….. go and look for yourself.
Mickleover Court Hotel – farewell!
One last meal with our sociable group and the very last trip to be organized by Mary Duff, the current Chair of the Gardening Club. For more than ten years the Club had enjoyed annual weekend breaks organized by Mary, covering the length and breadth of the country including trips to Kent, Devon, Cotswolds, North Wales, the Lake District, Dumfries and Galloway, to name but a few. Unbeknown to Mary a farewell drink had been organized – such a surprise as was a card continuing many signatures and messages of thanks, a lovely shopping bag from Chatsworth and if that wasn’t enough – a voucher towards the cost of a meal at Cambridge’s Michelin Star restaurant!
What a lovely note to finish my last report!
Mary Duff – Chair Fowlmere & Thriplow Gardening Club – 21 June 2017
