Public Places
“The combination of wet and mild weather has seen an increase in chafer grub
activity and, unfortunately, large tracts of grass either side of the main central waterway have been damaged by badgers searching for the grubs”
Badgers after chafer grubs are causing considerable damage
my visit, was away on leave. Corrine is responsible for planning and managing all the upper gardens, e.g. those around the house, visitor centre and walled gardens. She, along with Chris, manages six apprentices and three full time gardeners. Any additional labour is sourced from a one hundred strong local volunteering force. These volunteers help at different times of the week to suit the needs of the park. During the summer months, the main lawns, all the hedges and any pesticide spraying is put out to a local contractor who also cuts the large lawn areas on a weekly basis. However, Corinne and her team maintain the lawns around the house.
John was keen to explain that the first job English Heritage had to do when they took over Wrest Park was to draw up a twenty year management plan, spending many months researching old records, plans and pictures of the park to obtain enough information to understand the garden and its many layers, and then produce a schedule of work to restore them to their former glory.
Once the information was collated, it was a case of prioritising and costing the work required and then applying to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their support. To ensure the gardens would be a success, it was important to firstly build and develop a visitor centre to include a cafe, shop and car parking. This was done in conjunction with refurbishing a number of the walled gardens to form the 82 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2013
One of the largest Tulip trees in the UK turns a bright yellow in Autumn
entrance and welcome area, which also included a large children’s play area. Other work centred on rebuilding and
refurbishing a series of paths to restore the historic setting and improve public access around the gardens. These were all relaid or resurfaced using a Coxwell self- binding gravel from Grundon Sand and Gravel. A new lawned access pathway for wheelchair access was constructed using reinforced Netlon fibres in the rootzone to help stabilise the turf and reduce wear. A major dredging of one of the canals also took place, along with repairs to the sluice that controls the water flow through the network of canals. The sheer size and scale of the gardens is very impressive, as is the Orangery. This delightful building is regularly used for weddings and educational purposes. The park is busy throughout the year with corporate and private functions, evidence of which was the dismantling of the marquees, during my visit, from the last wedding event of the year. John was keen to show me the canals
and large waterways that run around the perimeter of the site, along with the avenue walkways leading to the many hundreds of statues on display around the park.
The combination of wet and mild weather has seen an increase in chafer grub activity and, unfortunately, large tracts of grass either side of the main central waterway have been damaged by badgers searching for the grubs. John explained that, once they have stopped
Evidence of tree planting by Capability Brown
The Orangery
Work is onging to return their gardens to their former glory
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