Britain has a rich history of landscapes in industrial settings from the earliest period of the industrial revolution to the 21st century. Our talks this year will provide an opportunity to gain an insight into these gems.
Wednesday February 22 Talk. A Walk in the Park. Alistair Bayford. A follow up talk of particular interest for those who went on our visit to the Olympic Park. Alistair is Regional Operations Director for Idverde UK and a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute with over 15 years’ experience working in the public and private sectors of landscape and open space management. He leads Idverde UK’s Strategic Parks Management contracts at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (where he worked as Park Manager), The Regents Park, Jubilee Gardens and Bromley, and oversees the delivery of landscape construction in the London area. Alistair is a Green Flag Judge and passionate horticulturalist.
Wednesday March 8. Talk. The Factory in a Garden. Dr Helena Chance. When we think about Victorian factories, 'Dark Satanic Mills' might spring to mind - images of blackened buildings and exhausted, exploited workers struggling in unhealthy and ungodly conditions. But for some employees this image was far from the truth, and this is the subject of Helena Chance’s talk, The Factory in a Garden' which traces the history of a factory gardens movement in Britain and the United States from its late-eighteenth century beginnings in Britain to its zenith between the Wars. Helena will give the second part of her talk ‘Tech Nirvana’. Why gardens at the office are good for you’ in December 2017.
Helena’s book The Factory in a Garden: a History of Corporate Gardens from the Industrial to the Digital Age will be published in February.
Wednesday March 22. Talk. The new garden at New Place. Glyn Jones is the recently appointed head of gardens at the Shakespeare Birth Place Trust, a position which follows a career of some 40 years working and managing fine gardens and extensive travelling to study plants in their natural habitat. His talk will focus on the recent renovation of the gardens at New Place as well as providing an opportunity to hear about the plans for all the five gardens in the group for which he is responsible.
Talks will be held at the Quaker Meeting House, High Street, Warwick CV34 4AX. Start at 7.30 pm. Members £3. Non Members £4. There is parking on-street and in the WDC car parks, nearest at New Street, Castle Lane and West Gate. See car park information. There is a small overnight charge for these car parks. The WCC Barrack Street staff car park (c270 spaces) is more distant, but available free after 6 pm, weekdays, even though this is not mentioned on the web site.
Booking is now open for the following trips in 2017.
April 26 - Visit to Batsford Arboretum
. Batsford is home to one of the largest tree collections in the world and manages a number of surviving Red List species. The Arboretum participates in the Conifer Preservation Project and is home to some of the most endangered species in the world. Additionally, it holds the national collection of flowering Japanese cherries which should be in bloom at the time of our visit. There will be a guided tour of approximately one and half hours led by one of the volunteers at the Arboretum it will focus mainly on the conservation work undertaken there. A minimum group size of 20 is required for the visit.
May 10 – Visit to Honnington Hall
We are pleased to have arranged a visit to Honnington Hall courtesy of Mr Benjamin Wiggin, the owner, which will include a guided tour of the fine Caroline Manor House originally built in the early 1680’s by Henry Parker. The interiors were substantially remodelled when the house was acquired by Joseph Townsend in 1737. At much the same time the elaborate formal gardens that had surrounded the earlier house were remodelled with advice from Sanderson Miller to create one of the most significant and delightful ‘Rococo’ landscapes of the period. He is credited with the design of the grotto and cascade. The original course of the Stour was altered to form a lake below the hall. A grotto was formed on the far side with stepped waters flanked by sculpture piers. Vestiges of this survive today. There is a maximum group size of 25 for this visit.
June 15 – Visit to Broughton Grange
Broughton Grange is now one of the most significant private contemporary gardens in Britain. Set in 350 acres of parkland, farmland and open meadow, with much of the planting owing its origins to the fashions of the Victorian era. In 2001 Tom Stuart-Smith was commissioned to create a 6 acre walled garden, and from 2003 onwards, an arboretum, with a wide range of interesting species and cultivars, covering 80 acres has been under development. There will be an introductory talk and guided tour, followed by light refreshments.
7 – 8 – 9 July South Wales Gardens Long weekend
Week-end trip to South Wales. As a result of responses to our initial circulation, we have settled on the following outline plan. We will travel by a comfortable minibus (or more, dependent o take-up) The tour will feature visits to Duffryn, St Fagans and Penlegare on the Friday en route to an overnight stay in Swansea. On the Saturday the National Botanical Gardens and Aberglasney before returning to our base in Swansea. We have a local speaker booked who will talk to us about the development of the industries of South Wales which funded the creation of some of these stunning landscapes. The return journey will include stops at Gnoll Gardens, Neath and Margam Park, Port Talbot. Cost around £250 to include travel by minibus throughout, 3* hotel in Swansea and all meals. Please send your expression of interest as soon as possible.
The remainder of the programme of talks and visits will be announced shortly.