OUT & ABOUT
The Avenue Walled Garden
The walled gardens once served as the kitchen gardens for the Hall, where fruits and vegetables would be picked for the many dinner parties hosted by the Spencer-Stanhopes at their family seat. In recent years, this area has become renowned for the many pear trees that line the walls.
Using the original plans from almost 300 years ago, head gardener, Dan, and his team of volunteers helped redevelop the walled garden to how it would have looked in Georgian times. “All the gardeners who have worked here since it was established in the 1700s have each put their own stamp on things, so it had become a bit of a mismatch,” Marcus tells us. One obvious difference is the removal of the clematis archway which went through the centre of the garden with a rectangular pond next to it. That pond, built in the 1980s which was leaking and the paving falling apart, has now been filled in. The new circular pond has been installed in Woods’ original location after an archaeological dig found the remains of the Georgian pond. From this, the team were able to calculate its original size and replicate it for the 21st century. “We’re thankful that the wildlife has come back to this area, especially the ducklings that
you often see running about,” Marcus says.
A lot of the plants from the walled garden have been moved and replanted to create a more open aspect. The old raspberry garden has been transformed into a modern area zigzagged with grasses and feature planting in various textures. And the old pumpkin patch is now a quiet area for families to sit and relax.
New planters have been created at a more accessible height for wheelchair users and children. They will grow veg for the school kitchen and for scavenger hunts hosted by the learning team. There will be a trail for children to follow around the walled garden, looking for ingredients for Mrs King's recipe, as well as a potting area for younger visitors to get their hands dirty. Within the walled gardens are a host of interesting features, such as the giant rhinoceros head that was donated some years ago. An original sun dial has also been reinstated after being in storage for many years; it was actually stolen from the Hall decades ago and was found in an auction in London!
Being a kitchen garden, there are of course a fair few greenhouses on site to grow the various fruits and vegetables. The north greenhouse on the far wall had been in a state of disrepair for many years. As part of the project, this has been restored to become a new seating area with information display boards about the many varieties of pear and fruit that line the walls of the garden.
Fairy Land
Pleasure Grounds
Down in the Fairyland, an area designed based on one of the Stanhope children’s dreams, an archaeological dig had been done to decipher the origins of a plunge pool.
Walter Spencer Stanhope had pneumonia and his physician advised him to jump in cold water once a day.
The pool is filled with fresh natural water that runs off the grounds and in it you can spot a variety of pondlife including koi carp. Through the stone archway, which has become a much- loved backdrop for wedding photographers, there is a south facing mirror pool, named because it has a perfect reflection. Conserving natural habitats has always been an important and integral part of the project; there are hundreds of varieties of plants, trees, flowers, fruit, animals, birds, fish and amphibians on site. Within the woodland area on the
other side of the front lawn, there is now a discovery trail which will interest young and old. Can you find the den building, little twig house, or musical instruments? Volunteers helped cut through the formerly unused area which has added a third of extra space to the parklands for families to discover. One of the volunteers, Mick, is a retired tree surgeon who has skilfully crafted a range of elements from the wood removed by the garden team.. Going through this trail will lead you to two charming old buildings which have also been excavated and cleaned up. These are the privy midden toilet and the ice house which stored ice from the nearby pond at Gardeners Cottage. And of course, what’s a visit to Cannon Hall without marvelling at the iconic building itself. The hall is now a museum which tells the tale of the Spencer-Stanhope family and includes a range of furniture, ceramics, glass and artwork throughout the museum, and hosts the DeMorgan collection on the second floor, and the famed Victorian kitchen in the basement.
For more information about the park and its opening times, visit
www.cannon-hall.com
aroundtownmagazine.co.uk 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
