Baddesley Clinton - Churchyard and Garden

Last Thursday afternoon, after doing some shopping in Solihull and meeting my daughter for lunch, I spent a few hours at Baddesley Clinton.


I walked first along the church walk to see the wild flowers in St Michael's churchyard.

Buttercups Ranuculus sp.(and Dandelions) lined the path.

The scientific name for buttercup comes from Rana the Greek word for frog as buttercups often flourish in damp habitats. Richard Jefferies described a field full of buttercups as "enamel of gold". In the Victorian Language of Flowers it represents ingratitude and centuries ago it was used as a cure for the King's Evil and the roots were ground up with suet to cure the plague!

Before the 18th century it was known as Crowfoot. Other local country names include "Cuckoo-bud", "Gilt Cup", "Galland", "Butter flower", "Blister Plant", "Butter-cresses", "Eggs and Butter", "Horse-gold", "Gold Weed" and "Butter Daisy".

Horse Chestnut "Candles"

Speedwell species (Germander?) My grandfather used to call this flower "Bird's Eye".

Finally, after years of trying, I spotted a Holly Blue that was prepared to stay still while I took a photo.

Red Campion (Silene dioica)

The Romans gave Campion its common name when centuries ago in Rome Champions at the Games wore garlands that were made up of campion flowers. At one time its crushed seeds were used to cure snake bites - one West Country name for the flower is "Adder's Plant". Other local names include those connected with Robin e.g. Robin Hood and old tales refer to campion as the flower of the fairies.

Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea)

This is also known as "Pixie flower" as if you pick a bunch you could be led astray by the pixies that hide in it. Other country names include "Devil's Shirt Buttons" (it is however also a plant used to remove evil as it is associated at Whitsuntide with the Virgin Mary); "Daddy's Shirt Buttons", "Bachelor's Buttons", "Eye-bright", "Milk Maids", "Starwort" and "Star of Bethlehem". Names such as "Jack-in-the-box", "Pop Gun" and "Poppers Device" refer to the way it shoots out its seeds when they are ripe. Children in the past were told not to pick it as it was said that if you did so it would cause thunder and lightning!

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is also known as Hedge Garlic or Jack-by-the-hedge. It is a member of the mustard family and is sometimes called "Poor Man's Mustard". Its leaves when crushed smell of garlic and it is the food plant for the larvae of the Orange Tip and Speckled Wood butterflies.

Holly flowers

Lambs are growing up.

St Michael's Church

I was a bit horrified at first because part of the churchyard had been mown but

fortunately in some areas the grass had been left to grow and was full of wild flowers.

I thought this was a lovely sentiment to put on a gravestone.

Forget-me-nots were flowering everywhere.

Sadly, I failed to see any butterflies apart from the Holly Blue earlier and a few unidentified "whites" in the distance.

Back down the path towards the house

Timothy pleased to be getting a breath of fresh air rather than being cooped up in my back pack!!

There was a beautiful vase of flowers in Reception which I think were cut from the gardens.

Canada Geese with their Goslings took to the moat as I turned the corner.

Baddesley Clinton is a medieval moated manor house - home to the Ferrers family for 500 years before being sold in 1940.

Another pair of Canada Geese on the lawn in the walled garden.

Wisteria in full flower on one of the walls.

Parents and Goslings left the moat - not the best of photos but I had to include them because they were SO cute.

Mrs Mallard

I am not sure what is going on outside the walled garden - the pampas grass and hazel grove have been removed and they appear to be creating beds for flowers or vegetables?

Note - I have just checked the website and twitter feed and it appears they are moving the vegetable garden to this location. A new one was created in 2004 but as the ground was sloping and badly drained it quickly became water-logged and has proved not really suitable for growing vegetables.

There was plenty of colour in the garden - alliums, lilac, peony, fringe cups and perennial cornflower.

Granny's Bonnet (Aquilegia) and Iris followed by photos of the Clematis and more pictures of the beautiful Wisteria.

Timothy said "Au Revoir" to Baddesley - I will return as Baddesley and Packwood are my closest National Trust properties and I try to visit both several times a year.

Reference:
"Britain's Wild Flowers" by Rosamond Richardson
"Discovering the Folklore of Plants" by Margaret Baker