LIVE 24-SEVEN
held no place. Armillary Court is the first main area you see, named after the armillary sphere in the centre. Looking across from the terrace above, the ancient dovecot sits peacefully under the feet of its resident flock, framed perfectly by the undulating fields beyond.
Well Court is formal and houses a Venetian stone well-head. Water is never far away at Snowshill with water spouts surprising you from numerous walls, one from the mouth of Bacchus no less (surely a little disappointed to be substituting his usual wine for a weaker beverage!). A pond proud of its water lilies guards the entrance to the Sancta Maria Byre, one of the open garden houses in this area. Benches and seats throughout are painted in a colour which became known as ‘Wade Blue’, a most pleasing deep turquoise which Wade believed was the perfect foil to the grass and foliage.
If nearby Bourton-on-the-Water’s model village was the only local one you were aware of, then add ‘Wolf’s Cove’ to your list. This dainty model fishing village, which Wade designed, is currently being reconstructed based on documents and old photographs. It should be ship-shape and ready for inspection later this year!
Elder Court is another area under restoration following the loss of the original elders in the winter of 1963. These were Wade’s favourite plants and their return is felt to be true to his spirit, providing, once grown, the cool and fragrant shade that Wade loved about this part of the garden.
Elsewhere, I was delighted to see an orchard with many heritage varieties including a ‘Flower of Kent’ apple – the cultivar which
dropped on the head of a certain Mr Newton in his garden in Grantham. Rather apt to have this horticultural nod from one enquiring mind to another!
This time of year, the formal structure encasing the often informal planting is really highlighted as frost covers hedges like the most glistening of New Year’s Eve ball gowns and the old sycamores frame the entrance with the grandest of greetings.
My dear Grandmother, Esme Snow, is not the only snowy namesake marking a centenary this year, for 2019 welcomes one hundred years since Mr Wade came to Snowshill! Open for the new season in March, this promises to be a year of celebration and a place not to pass by.
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THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE CAMI L LA BAS S E T T - SMI TH
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