Warley Place “AT RISK”

Ellen Willmott (1875-1934) created an outstanding plants-woman’s garden at Warley Place, Brentwood and since her death this garden has substantially deteriorated and its future existence has been at risk. In November 2021, Historic England recognised and acted on the vulnerability of this Grade II registered park and garden by placing it on their Heritage at Risk Register with “numerous ruinous structures surviving from Willmott's garden needing urgent repairs to save them being lost”. 

Trees and bulbs are great garden survivors and these have evolved to create a stunning daffodil display at Warley Place in March and early April.

After Ellen Willmott died in 1934, the garden was plundered of almost anything moveable. In 1937 it was bought by the Carter family, a local building firm, but with the arrival of Green Belt, development was not allowed. It was not until forty years later that Norman Carter, the son of the first purchaser gave Essex Naturalists Trust (now Essex Wildlife Trust) a 7 year lease to manage the garden as a nature reserve. 

Warley Place has continued to be owned by the Carter family and leased to the EWT. Their management has ensured the survival of many aspects of this garden so far. The team of EWT volunteers has worked with the genius of the place, caring for the site as a whole. In addition a research team of EGT and EWT volunteers met once a month, primarily to identify the plants there. This holistic approach has created a tranquil nature reserve within earshot of the M25 where visitors can become entranced by glimpses of a past garden. Volunteers have splendidly cared for the brickwork, removed many damaging sycamores, contained bamboo, almost eliminated Japanese knotweed, propagated vulnerable plants and made Warley Place a reserve where nature and garden history have survived in harmony. This is a place which recent generations have come to love and value. 

 However, many sycamores and evergreen oaks continue to grow, shading plants and ponds and brickwork continues to crumble. A comprehensive 2021 parkland management plan by historical and ecological specialists included a detailed historic features condition survey which recognised and listed the deterioration over the last hundred years of the brickwork features.  All this information has informed a Countryside Stewardship grant application for the site which should give access to considerable funds.

This placing on the Heritage at Risk Register should actually be good news for the site and will open opportunities for much needed funding support. Currently some of the ruinous structures are cordoned-off for health and safety reasons and we ask visitors to keep to the path. 

Warley Place continues to be fully open to the public to come and enjoy the site’s unique historic garden and associated wildlife features.

Volunteering at Cressing

Cressing Temple is often described as a ‘hidden gem’ or ‘the jewel in the crown’ for Essex County Council who own the site. It is one of those places that has a special atmosphere, a certain quality that is keenly felt and often commented upon by visitors. It is much loved by the people who get to know it well, not least the committed team of volunteer gardeners and members of the Friends group who help maintain it and work to preserve and develop this Grade 1 heritage site for the benefit of the local community.

With a history of settlement stretching back to the bronze age Cressing Temple has been a centre of agricultural activity for a very long time  and with each generation another imprint of human experience has made its mark. Soaking up these memories and standing at the centre of the site are the two medieval barns, built in the 13th Century by the Knights Templar, structures which, if they could see, think and speak would probably have much to say about the events and experiences that have shaped it. Despite their magnificent appearance to us today, the barns are unpretentious structures, designed for function more than ornament, a reminder of the scale and importance of the farming industry in the middle ages and testament to the relentless hard labour required from those who depended on what they could produce from the land for their existence.  Countless individuals will have lived here through the ages, contributing their time, their skill, their dedication and endeavour to this remarkable place.

 Today, what remains to be seen, apart from the impressive timber barns and medieval well, is a collection of 16th – 19th century farm buildings and a modern recreation of a Tudor herb garden within the original 16th century brick walls. Enough to stir the imagination, provoke questions and conjure up images of what life might have been like here long ago.  

With such an impressive historical monument on their doorstep, it is understandable that many local residents would want to become more closely involved and help to preserve this local asset by joining our volunteer scheme and taking their turn to be the custodians of this  special place and adding their contribution to the work of those in days gone by.

 Our thriving volunteer group is made up of people from all walks of life. Some come every week, others just from time to time. The reasons for volunteering are as varied as the volunteers themselves. Some come to learn new skills, others to make friends or find support after a difficulty or set back in their lives. The horticultural skills we teach are useful for those wishing to enter the profession and the work can provide a useful bridge between a period of not working and a return to paid employment.

Volunteering brings many rewards and benefits, and we like to think there is more to be gained from time spent volunteering than the time and effort lost in doing so.

 Our volunteers are happy to share what volunteering means to them:

 “The gardens continue to be a wonderful experience for me allowing me time to step aside briefly from my busy role in the City whilst learning many new things about gardening which I have had great pleasure in applying in my own garden at home. I have learnt things not only from formally trained horticulturalists but also a great many things from other volunteers”

“We count it a real privilege to be trusted to do the work. We have met all sorts of very interesting visitors as they drift around the walled garden and we have learnt so much about the  plants.”

“I have enjoyed volunteering on several of the special event days, such as ‘Apple Day’ and on each occasion I have valued the camaraderie and practical sharing of all manner of garden and historical snippets – a mine of useful and interesting information, for which I am extremely grateful.”  

The beautiful surroundings, the tranquil atmosphere, the fresh air, the companionship, the chance for some gentle exercise, the opportunity to learn new skills and knowledge and of course the feeling that you are playing a part in preserving an important, historically significant site that is valued by the local community. This is what volunteering at Cressing Temple gives to people.

Staff work very closely alongside the volunteers, planning tasks and supervising activity. Not only do volunteers work in the garden, they help with DIY and maintenance, sell plants to the public on special event days, grow produce and make craft items for sale, help with beekeeping and act as ambassadors for the site as tour guides. They add value to the site and add value to their own lives at the same time.

The volunteer programme has become pivotal to the work of The Friends Group, a registered charity raising funds to support the site. The work of the Friends Group and the volunteer time they provide makes a significant contribution to ECC’s ability to deliver a high quality visitor experience and enhances the wellbeing of local residents. It is a good example of collaborative achievement, a great team effort with positive outcomes for everyone.

New volunteers work alongside other ‘old hands’, while skills and expertise are shared between us all.  Volunteer days are busy and productive but there is always time for the essential tea break in the middle of the morning and a chat with friends.  Working in the natural environment is varied, as garden tasks change from week to week and season to season. Volunteers like the variety we have to offer and the opportunity to work in different parts of the garden at different times of year.

There are always new projects going on, further improvements being suggested and new areas to be tackled. A new polytunnel to erect, an arbour to rebuild, new plants to try or a new way to display the garden to the public. It keeps us all on our toes and there is never a dull moment!   

No special qualifications or gardening experience are needed to become a volunteer, but we  make use of any individual skills and experience people bring, which are usually considerable. The mix of talents works very well, and the burden of each task is shared. What would be an overwhelming prospect for one person becomes manageable when tackled with others. Many hands make light work is a true adage when it comes to gardening.

These days it is often said that gardening is therapeutic. If so, the therapy is a gentle kind where people can lose themselves in the task to hand, work alongside others with a common interest whilst  problems and tribulations are left to one side for a while and a simpler, less stressful atmosphere and a closeness to nature makes problems seem less overwhelming.

For some people volunteering is a life changing experience.  For others it simply adds a bit of enrichment or sense of personal satisfaction. Either way, Its value lies in the very fact that it is voluntary, something you can choose to do because you want to not because you have to. In a world where so much of our over busy lives feels out of our control that has to be a good thing.

More information about volunteering at Cressing Temple, including a short video featuring some of our current volunteers can be found by visiting the Friends group’s website here.

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Rebecca Ashbey is Head Gardener at Cressing.

All Images: Cressing Temple

The National Garden Scheme broadens its appeal

The pandemic has forced the speed of change in many areas of our lives and the National Garden Scheme is no different. It has been widening its range of gardens at a time when the demand for access to outside space is greater than ever. This change has been evident for a number of years but seems currently to be gaining momentum.

Private gardens have been opening for the National Garden Scheme for over 90 years, raising money for nursing and health charities, their details listed in the prestigious Garden Visitors Handbook, more affectionately known as the Yellow Book. Asked to describe a typical garden it is likely that it would be a period house with a formal garden and gardener, possibly further wilder areas, maybe lovely views.

The small town garden at 18 Pettits Boulevard

There are many gardens like this and they bring huge pleasure to many visitors each year. In Essex we have some very significant gardens which open as part of the National Garden Scheme: Braxted Park Estate, Beeleigh Abbey Gardens, Fudlers Hall, Barnards Farm and Ulting Wick are good examples. Our portfolio has, in recent years, grown to include many smaller gardens as well, often town gardens which sometimes band together to open as a group on the same day. These small gardens are very popular and, as their many visitors have a similar plot themselves, the visit takes on a slightly different purpose. From enjoying the splendour of a country estate and the escapism that provides, there comes a more immediate interest in how a design feature could work at home or how an idea can be borrowed and adapted.

Visiting a Town Garden

At the same time conversations surrounding mental health issues have become more public and the physical and mental health benefits of gardens and gardening more obvious. An interest in those for whom the garden is being created has also grown.

These statistics illustrate the growth in the diversity of gardens which are opening for the National Garden Scheme in England and Wales this year:

• 3,602 gardens are due to open with 1,121 of these opening as part of a group

• 657 are new gardens and of these 195 are opening as part of a group

• 1,110 gardens are opening by arrangement

Hilldrop in Horndon is designed to encourage wildlife

• These figures include 35 allotment groups, 14 community gardens, 21 hospice gardens and 13 school gardens

This is reflected in Essex where we have six group openings, in Brightlingsea, Harwich, Writtle and new for 2021 in Bradfield, Chesterford and Sheepcote Green, Clavering. We also have gardens where wildlife is prioritised and habitats are created for insects and plants.

Similarly, not all our gardens are private. This year we have a charitable horticultural project in Brentwood opening in May and August. The Gates offers therapeutic lessons for students with learning disabilities. The sessions are often horticulturally based and the flowers and vegetables which result are either sold at open days, used by the Borough for their planting displays or simply enjoyed by students, staff and volunteers.

An Open Day at The Gates horticultural project in Brentwood 

We have the 11-acre garden at Little Havens Hospice in Hadleigh opening for us in July and are actively seeking similar gardens to add to our portfolio.  Allotment groups are popular destinations for visitors and we hope to encourage some Essex based groups to join us.

As the range of our gardens broadens so we hope the profile of our average visitor will similarly change and that more people will know that they will receive a warm welcome as well as enjoying the benefits of visiting a garden. 

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Debbie Thomson is the Publicity and Social Media Coordinator for the National Garden Scheme in Essex. Details of all gardens opening in the county this year can be found here

https://www.paperturn-view.com/?pid=MTQ143117&v=1.4&p=3

All photographs: NGS

My Gardening Journey by Eleanor Abrahams

So here I am, writing about my gardening journey. The opening act to this story stars my husband as the main character, who was a talented gardener who loved his plants so much, possibly more than me! I could usually be found just happily wandering around, admiring his handiwork, and soaking up the garden’s beauty.

We were both born and raised in Zimbabwe. Unbelievable as it might seem, the plants and flowers are mostly the same as we have here on this little isle. Growing up, my mother grew flowers with glorious fragrances like sweet peas, roses, carnations, jasmine and many others. I realised retrospectively that the problem with my dreadful hay fever was the huge, beautiful jasmine growing outside my teenage bedroom window! We also had numerous fruit trees in our one-acre garden, and the very best was the mulberry tree. Us children spent most of our lives with purple feet from walking around the tree and eating those delicious berries. Mum had a huge vege patch, in which the artichokes took pride of place. The many plants just kept on producing and all the family would come round for ritual artichokes and hollandaise sauce feasts.

Even though my childhood backdrop was so wondrous, I was not inclined to actually get on my hands and knees and do any gardening. I was a musician from a very early age, so was an exclusively indoors girl. I trained as a piano teacher and taught class music for many years in Zimbabwe and Botswana, which was a dream come true.

We moved to England in 1997 with our three children, bringing with it the struggles of migration. Nevertheless, my husband left a trail of magic wherever we went, creating beautiful gardens with nothing more than a few cuttings from here and there. He spent hardly any money at all - as opposed to me who has now spent a lifetime’s worth of savings on plants and gardening tools!  

Patiently, he taught me the basics of plant care after I took over the gardening at our home in Colchester, following his heart attack. He was, however, justifiably terrified of my pruning tactics. I would boldly cut off any offending branches and stems - offensive to me, not to a regular gardener. I remember buying 2 honeysuckles, which I cut right back in order to move them. I don’t think he ever forgave me, and glared at me for weeks, calling me a honeysuckle murderer. As an aside, the honeysuckles have thrived, thank goodness. I have learned a lot since those early days, and just really love working/playing in my garden now. It has filled the creative void in me that I have missed for so long. How amazing nature is.

After my husband died in 2018, I thought it a brilliant idea to carry on his legacy and to really learn how to look after his splendid garden. Enthusiastically, I signed up for the RHS long distance course Level 2 but was flummoxed by all the Latin names. How on earth was I supposed to even pronounce such words? I spent many months learning how to pronounce plant names, then looking those words up to put a face (or bush) to a name. I adored learning about all the soils, biology of plants and such like, but it has taken me a while to get back into the swing of academia.

Enter WRAGS. I was always buying plants from random people through social media. During one such visit I happened to meet a lady who, quite frankly, changed the direction of my life. I told her all about trying to get to grips with the course, and she asked if I’d heard of WRAGS. I was eager to learn more about the scheme, so I phoned, and kept on phoning and emailing Jane Palmer, the regional manager of Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. She was marvellous, so encouraging and knowledgeable. I used to pester her with questions about plants, and she in turn tried to find me a placement. Nothing doing for a year or so, then the Regional Manager of Suffolk found me a placement in a big private garden, for which I was delighted. However, after a month of working there and loving it, the first lockdown was announced, so that was that. I was not happy with the universe, I can tell you!

Then Jane told me that the National Garden Scheme were prepared to pay for an apprenticeship placement, so she contacted Springmead Community Gardens in Brightlingsea. Julie Ford, the head gardener (soon to become manager), agreed to take me on as her apprentice, and I started in October 2020. I am grateful to them for this gift, and so glad to be getting a chance to get hands on experience. As an aside, one of the volunteers looked at me and said laconically “well, you’re never too old to be an apprentice I suppose”. I thought this was very funny, as well as feeling a bit indignant, being as I am a mere sixty years of age. Anyway, moving swiftly on…. 

Julie is the most marvellous of teachers, and with her extensive knowledge of plants and garden design, is the perfect tutor for me. She is patient, kind and funny and has taught me a multitude of horticultural delights. She has, however, despaired of my inability to tell the difference between a Miscanthus Sinensis Zebrinus, a Miscanthus Sinensis Variegata and a Stipa (even though she has told me 10 times, and I have looked it up 50 times)! I even have some of these in my garden, so I really need to get a grip. I’m sure you can tell the difference, you knowledgeable beings. I am, however, much more at ease with the Latin names of plants now that Julie is educating me. 

I love learning, getting muddy in the bog garden, slipping down the woodland slopes, pruning plants (Julie has to keep an eye on me with my tendency to be over enthusiastic with the loppers) and getting in the pond to remove great mounds of duck and blanket weed. Seeing new spring bulbs and flowers peeking through the soil every day is such a delight.

 The garden is enchanting, and many people come here, saying how peaceful it is, and that just being there has helped them in these difficult times that we are living in. Julie and her many volunteers have made it such a welcoming place to work, and the living, breathing heartbeat of the garden is indeed a much-needed balm for the soul. 

All images. Author’s own.

Chrysanthemum, book review by Gill Payne

This new book on the history of the chrysanthemum species is a work of diligent scholarship as well as a very good read. The illustrations are many and varied, some very old and academic explaining the popularity of the chrysanthemum through the ages and across the world.

The wild chrysanthemum in China was valued both medicinally and spiritually. The first Chinese mention of the plant was during the Shang dynasty (C1600-1046BC) and over the centuries that followed numerous varieties emerged, with differing colours and petals, becoming intrinsic to Chinese culture in its widest sense.

In Japan the Emperor took them for his imperial symbol and from the 13th century it had become the official flower of the royal family, said to occupy the Chrysanthemum throne. There were chrysanthemum shows, paintings, furnishings and woodcuts; among the better known are those by Hokusai, many of which are among the beautiful illustrations in the book.

The nature of the flower, hybridising easily and producing many seeds, added to its popularity and the brilliant colours, shapes and size of the exhibition flower is a long way from the small yellow flowers native to China.

They first reached Europe in the 17th century and crossed the Pacific to America soon afterwards. Since then the plant collectors and the nurserymen breeders contributed to a surge in popularity in the Victorian and Edwardian gardens.

Many French impressionists found the shapes of chrysanthemums irresistible and Japanese gardens became the latest fashion with “tea houses” on sale in Liberty’s of London.

The author has such a comprehensive knowledge of plants, people and garden history that opening the book at any page will take the reader into a fascinating world.

There is also a very good index, a timeline of important introductions and shows, a photo acknowledgement of sources and their locations and a clear reference list. Further reading, websites and associates complete a useful and delightful book on a rather misunderstood plant and its relatives.

Published 2020 by Reaktion Books

Picture credit: Reaktion Books

Book Review by Jenny Milledge: Suburban Gardens by Twigs Way

Twigs Way explores, in her inimitable and entertaining way, the rise and fall of the suburban garden in the 20th century and shines a light on this hitherto neglected element of garden history.  With a twinkle in her eye, Twigs has captured the atmosphere of the 1920s and 30s when many city workers aspired to a house with its own plot of land in the burgeoning suburbs.

Suburban Gardens is a slim volume but every page is full of fascinating details interspersed with nuggets of “Did you know?” facts.  As well as exploring the origins of suburban gardens, we are transported to a world where gardening became a popular leisure pursuit which stimulated a huge rise in products to fulfil every gardening need. The variety of illustrations which are on every page provide the perfect evocation of this world, where aspiring gardeners were encouraged to transform their modest plot into a garden of delight. For those who were perplexed by their new acquisition there was a bountiful supply of advice in the form of books and journals. There is a chapter covering the impact of the second world war, where garden-owners as well as allotment-holders were encouraged to Dig for Victory.

 Although these suburban idylls became the butt of jokes and in the post war period saw a further decline as people paved over their front gardens to provide space for a car, I think these privet-hedged enclosures are still held dear in public consciousness. A final chapter brings us up to the 21st century and looks at how outdoor space became the subject of “quick-fix” gardening shows such as Alan Titchmarsh’s Ground Force. For those who would like to explore the subject further, the Places to Visit and Further Reading sections are a welcome inclusion.

Twigs Way

 It would be interesting in this year of Covid 19 and lockdowns to see how many suburban gardens are enjoying a renaissance as the value of nature and outside space has become appreciated by so many.

 I would recommend this beautiful little book not only to those who wish to explore the subject of suburban gardens but to anyone who enjoys a trip down “memory lane”. In its pages, I am transported to my childhood where, through my bedroom window, the rumble of the lawn mower combines with the aroma of mown grass and oil as I lie un-sleeping on a summer evening.

Book details: 64pp. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4456-8326-3 RRP £8.99

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Some words from the author of December’s guest writer, Jenny Milledge:

I have always enjoyed all things connected with the natural world and gardening.  As a child I had my own plot of garden and have nurtured a garden wherever I have lived since my marriage. I have been a member of the RHS for many years and in the 1990s I attended many sessions held by the RHS at Writtle College to develop my knowledge. I then studied for the RHS General at Writtle which was taught by Christine Walkden.  This was followed by a garden design course at Capel Manor.  It was a WEA course at Cambridge Botanic Gardens, led by Twigs that introduced me to Garden History. I went on to study for the Diploma in Garden History at Capel Manor (run by Birkbeck College, University of London).  I then had a few years actually teaching the 18th century for this diploma and then decided that I would benefit from studying for the Masters in Garden History - again run by Birkbeck College.  I am particularly interested in the 17th and first half of the 18th century and the subject for my dissertation was the work of Charles Bridgeman at Sacombe Park in Hertfordshire.  I have continued to carry out research for the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust, as well as research for my own interest, but find that the arrival of grandchildren and the demands of my own garden often succeed in winning my attention. 

At the start of lockdown this year Peter, my husband and I, found great pleasure in working in our garden.  As holidays were no longer an option we spent the glorious Spring and early summer growing fruit, vegetables and lavishing care on the garden, swapping seeds, plants and advice with neighbours.  Coffee breaks and many lunches were taken beneath the azure blue sky and we commented that there is nowhere quite like the UK when the weather is good!  As a result of this glorious summer, we have been persuaded to open our garden for the NGS as part of a group  of 4 gardens at Sheepcote Green, Clavering.  This is both terrifying and exciting in equal measure - I am now busy pruning roses, mulching borders, planting alliums and other early summer bulbs and crossing my fingers that the weather on Sunday 30th May will be kind to us.

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Image credits: Cover of Suburban Gardens, Amberley Publishing, 2020; Twigs Way, Amberley Publishing.

The Pulham Family and Their Work in Essex by Tina Rowland

THE FORMER JAMES PULHAM & SON FACTORY SITE IN BROXBOURNE

James Pulham and Son of Broxbourne were one of the most important firms of landscape designers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They produced a brand of artificial stone known as ‘Pulhamite' used in the creation of water gardens and rock gardens - building cliffs, ferneries and grottoes - as well as a terracotta material used in the manufacture of pre-cast vases, urns, sundials and other garden ornaments. James Pulham I set up the business in 1834 and it was developed in turn by the eldest sons, all called James. On his death in 1838 the business was taken over by his eldest son (James II) who moved with his family to Hoddesdon.

James Pulham III joined the firm in 1865, from which time it became known as James Pulham & Son. It was during his tenure that the firm, operating from the Broxbourne manufactury was at its busiest and by the mid 1870s, their landscaping business was thriving.

PULHAMITE AT AUDLEY END

Probably Pulhams’ best known work in Essex is the picturesque rockery at the southern end of the Pond Garden at Audley End, together with the Otter Pond and the Fish Pond constructed in 1868 for the sixth Lord Braybrooke.

Pulhamite at Audley End

Other less well known Pulham commissions in Essex included work for members of the extended Barclay/Gurney/Buxton family of Leyton and Woodford. In the 1870s they constructed a “cliffs for plants to grow on” for Joseph Gurney Barclay (of the banking dynasty) at his home at Knotts Green House, Leyton. The house was demolished in 1961.

James Pulham & Son ceased to operate at the end of the Second World War.

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Tina Rowland is a Volunteer Researcher with the HGT Research Group and her research projects have included two Pulham gardens in Hertfordshire; Presdales in Ware - the Presdales mansion is now an academy school where the Pulham garden made way for new school buildings in 1963 - and High Leigh in Hoddesdon where, garden features believed to be by the Pulhams, were installed in three phases in the 1850s, 1870s and 1890s. Amazingly all of these features still survive. She has given several guided walks and talks around the High Leigh grounds for interested groups and HGT members and their friends.

The snippet’s primary sources were from the 2008 HE booklet Durability Guaranteed, Pulhamite Rockwork – its conservation and repair, and The Pulham Family of Hertfordshire by Kate Banister which is Chapter 8 in the HGT book Hertfordshire Garden History – A Miscellany, also published in 2008. Additional information was gained from the London Garden Trust’s website.