On the Friday afternoon we decided to go to Berrington Hall and visit the walled garden. We struggled to park for ages as unusually it was really busy there. I had forgotten it was the school holidays!
There are some lovely old trees in the parkland which was designed by Capability Brown.
There were some lovely plants and seedheads for sale by the visitor centre. I was really tempted by some of the former but in view of the problems we are having with pots at the caravan and lack of rain I managed to resist!
This is part of the new flower garden which was created last year.
Sadly, quite a few of the plants in the new and the walled gardens were really suffering from lack of water.
Another view of the new garden.
The Berrington estate was sold by the Cornewall family in 1775 to a Thomas Harley, son of the third Earl of Oxford.
The hall was built between 1778 and 1781. Thomas Harley's family had had connections with Herefordshire for many years. He had made his fortune in London as a banker and government contractor. In 1776 he was declared MP for Herefordshire.
Thomas Harley had no male heir but in 1781 his second daughter married the son of Lord Admiral Rodney and after Harley's death the estate passed into the hands of the Rodney family for 95 years. The estate was sold, to pay gambling debts, to Frederick Cawley from Lancashire. The estate came into the hands of the National Trust in 1957.
The walled garden was originally the kitchen garden for the hall but fell out of use in World War 2 as it was too expensive to maintain. The National Trust has replanted some of the garden with orchards using pre C20th varieties of apples.
A lovely herb garden surrounded this greenhouse.
We sat for a while on a bench under the shade of a mulberry tree and watched blackbirds and song thrushes feasting on the fruits. We also saw a great tit and a juvenile robin just gaining its red breast.
Due to lack of rain the gardens were not really looking at their best which was disappointing as usually at this time of year they are full of flowers. We found a similar situation when we visited last September for exactly the same reason.
There were several wild carrot plants which was lovely to see as it is one of my favourite wild flowers.
More plants suffering from the drought :(
The orchards had a good crop of apples.
This is a photo of the actual dress which I saw in the "Fit for a King" exhibition in the hall in 2022.
Ivy leafed toadflax
I checked this huge Common Ragwort plant but couldn't find any Cinnabar Moth caterpillars.
I thought at first this was an owl nest box but now I am wondering if it is meant for house sparrows? Does anyone have any ideas?
Then we went into the Curved Wall Garden created by Capability Brown in 1783 which is one of only two in existence. It was believed at the time that curved walls were good for growing fruits and vegetables as they provided more heat than straight ones.
Then back into kitchen garden.
By now it was beginning to get rather too hot so we went and had an icecream and I had a quick look round the second hand bookshop. I didn't stay long as it was crowded with people.
Reference: Berrington Hall Guide Book and various information boards.
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).
8 comments:
Beautiful gardens, and due to the lack of rain and extreme heat, all the plants in our gardens have a hard time enduring such weather without abundant and regular watering, and in large gardens this is not always possible.
Thanks so much Stara. I appreciate it would not be possible to water all of a large garden. To be honest our garden at home looks absolutely parched too. It is very hard to keep everywhere watered. We just concentrate on the vegetables and pots.
Looks a lovely garden, I like a walled garden there is something very special about them and the curved walls at Berrington are most unusual. The sunflower in your photo looks as if it has one large eye peering at the passers by. The Mantua dress is amazing in its extravagance, I like the willow version too. Thank you once again for your help with the unusual monument at Sudbury:)
Thanks Rosie. Had huge problems publishing your comment. Blogger comments didn't seem to have a box to approve a comment! Not sure what is wrong with blogger atm :( lol re the sunflower. The real mantua dress is amazingly beautiful. So pleased to be able to help re the Sudbury monument - it really intrigued me.
Those Yew balls looked to be really struggling last summer. Now I think they have had it - didn't they move them (and then regretted it).
A shame everywhere was struggling with the heat. I thought they had planted a colourful wild flower garden but that appears to have suffered too. The orchard is fab - I took loads of photos of what trees were there as some of them such ancient types.
Thanks BB. I agree when we went last summer the yews were struggling as you say. Yes they moved them to make way for the new garden they have created. Such a shame they were a lovely feature.
I think perhaps the wild flower garden you mean is possibly the one in the curved walled garden - it was past its best but also struggling I believe from lack of rain. Or have they planted one elsewhere too? I love the orchards and the old varieties of apples there too and the way the NT let the grasses and wild flowers grow.There is a lovely walk by the lake but it was just too hot to do it again.
I enjoyed that! I know there are plants looking sad, but overall there is still quite a lot of colour and loads of interest. I'm glad they are leaving the mowing of the orchard until later on for the wildlife.
That dress though! Absolutely nuts! You couldn't sit in it, could you? It would be hard enough just to walk in it. Bet it weighs a ton too.
Thanks so much Mandy. There is a lot to see in the garden there and as you say the orchards are great for wildlife.
lol: re the dress - you wouldn't get me wearing it! A few summers ago there was an exhibition there of loads of dresses like that!
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