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Aroundtown MEETS


Bramble Bashers tackling the new paths


their own flowers – things that people wouldn’t grow themselves or are reminiscent of the past – but there are plans to create a self-sustaining flower farm. One of the larger projects on the horizon is the redevelopment of the grade II listed Camellia House to the rear of the gardens. The plan is to transform the derelict building back to its original use from 1738 as an orangery that was used as a tearoom by Lady Rockingham, the wife of the 1st Marquess. A daytime tearoom will couple up with an evening events space.


The painstaking multi-million- Before


by offering a shelter for families, a venue for children’s parties, or somewhere families can gather for a special celebratory afternoon tea.


Retired teacher Alan Williams knows how important it is to modernise the offer to appeal to a new generation of visitors. “We’ve got to keep going forward. There is no point just saying there is a garden here and that’s that. We get real joy from seeing people walking around enjoying the fruits of our labour. It’s not unusual for people to arrive at 9.30am and still be here when we’re closing the gates, people who want to stop and talk to us with sincere intrigue. Listening to children laughing is just magical.”


One of the recent projects the garden team has undertaken to improve accessibility is the revival of the 200-year-old formal paths. Scott researched the original routes including the old carriage drive that had completely grassed over. The volunteers helped shovel and rake 58 tonnes of Scottish red granite gravel on the newly dug paths to mimic the original red shale that would have been used from the Earl’s collieries. As we meandered through the gardens on our visit, the extent of the paths in both width and length really hit home how backbreaking this project must have been. “The wide paths are great for social distancing, but just you imagine what the ladies in the 18th century would have been wearing


After


as they took a leisurely stroll outdoors. It certainly wouldn’t have been skinny jeans, that’s for sure,” Alan jokingly gestures at my own outfit of choice. A lady’s hooped skirt with layers of petticoats would easily pass through the gardens without so much as a snag on a nearby branch.


As things continue to blossom, Scott is keen to ensure the garden remains as sustainable as possible with little to no impact on the environment. The volunteers already grow and sell


pound project will see the historic building carefully restored, protecting the collection of Camellias which are some of the oldest and rarest in the western world. The 2nd Marquess was one of the earliest collectors of rare blooms from China and Japan, so it is uncanny that today’s head gardener Scott’s Manchester florist was one of the first importers of exotic blooms used in bouquets presented to superstars like Madonna and Beyonce.


Daring projects such as the Camellia House will help safeguard the fate of Wentworth Woodhouse in years to come. But for now, we can all enjoy this historic habitat right on our doorsteps for a purse-friendly day out for all the family.


General admission to the garden when pre-booked online is £6 for adults and £3 for children aged five to 16. Or a family ticket for two adults and two children is £12. The gardens are open Wednesday to Sunday 10am-4pm.


www.wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk


Please note: Some of these images were photographed before Covid-19 and social distancing


Volunteers at Camellia House


READ ALL


New book about Wentworth Woodhouse set for release this May When people hear the name


ABOUT IT


Wentworth Woodhouse, they think of the imposing house. But there is so much more to the story than its stately façade.


A new book Wentworth Woodhouse: The House, the Estate and the Family, written by the late historian Mel Jones, his wife and lecturer Joan, and solicitor Stephen Cooper, delves into the fascinating history of how the Wentworth estate became a political and economic powerhouse.


Over ten chapters, readers are taken on a historical 400-year timeline from the birth of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford in the 1590s, to modern day with its acquisition by the Preservation Trust in 2017. Research uncovers the impact the family had on the model villages they built and the care they had for their workers and tenants. As a residency, Wentworth


Woodhouse was home to a knight, a baron, a viscount, two marquesses and nine earls, each with their own story. One was beheaded for treason, one was prime minister twice, and one bought an ocean liner to search for buried treasure in the Pacific. Celebratory events were to the grandest scale, with a golden wedding anniversary that went on for 12 days and a christening attended by 7,000 people.


The book also details the parkland and its gardens which once grew hundreds of pineapples a year and were home to a menagerie of 86 species of animals from across the globe up until the 19th century, including kangaroos, alpacas, Indian antelope, and an American brown bear.


Published by Barnsley-based Pen and Sword, the book was incidentally commissioned by garden volunteer Alan Williams’ daughter, Heather. It is priced at £14.99 and available to pre-order at


www.pen-and-sword.co.uk aroundtownmagazine.co.uk 7


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