Apple Festival and Country Fair at Hill Close Gardens, Warwick

 

We've visited the delightful Hill Close Gardens in Warwick several times in the past so when I saw there was an Apple Weekend and Country Fair we decided we would visit again.

Hill Close Gardens (or the Hidden Gardens) of Warwick are a rare example of Victorian detached gardens used by residents of the town who lived above their premises in Warwick Town Centre and had no room in their small back yards to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers.

The gardens date back to the mid 1840's when the owner of Hill Close divided his land into 32 plots and rented them out.  Over time the plots were bought by the people who used them.  16 plots out of the original 32 have survived until the present day.

The gardens were cultivated until after World War 2 when Warwick District Council started buying up the plots so that they could be used for housing development and a local committee was formed to try and save them. Research revealed the importance of the gardens and the development was thankfully cancelled.  A trust was set up to save the gardens for the future and restore them.

Many volunteers have worked hard to bring the gardens back into the condition they are in today and they opened to the public in 1998.

The event was quite busy - busier than other events I have attended there and I think I had the very last space in the car park!

Most of the plots have their own little summer house.

Timothy enjoying himself :)

Many of the gardens had short poems on display.

By the tea room there were apples of many varieties on display and for sale.

We had a cup of hot chocolate in the tea room - sadly all the cake had sold out :(

There was a display on one of the walls of hedgehog ceramics made by Carey Moon in 2020.

Wild Arum, Lords and Ladies or Cuckoo Pint berries.

Before leaving we had a look in the glasshouse where there were displays of cacti, apples, pumpkins etc.

There were even quinces. D has been trying to find some of these for a recipe but I don't think these were for sale sadly.

We had a look round the craft fair and D bought E a small felted ornament for her Christmas Tree.

When we got home B had made an apple pie using the last of the apples from the tree in our garden in Herefordshire.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks)