Village Gardeners
On a balmy evening in early July a group of Village Gardeners paid a private
visit to the very beautiful Chippenham Park Gardens, kindly hosted by the
owners, Mr and Mrs Eustace Crawley. After an introductory talk from Mr Crawley
we were free to wander, first through the more formal gardens dominated by the
vast redbrick house dating from the seventeenth century, and on around the
fifteen-acre garden. This includes a vast lake, three quarters of a mile long,
a three-acre walled garden and large areas of informal woodland frequently
punctuated with very beautiful and sometimes amusing sculptures. Two hours
after arriving we found ourselves reluctantly leaving this very interesting and
often spectacular garden.
The following Saturday, 10th July, brought yet another wonderful summer's day and our annual coach outing, this year to Coton Manor Garden in Northamptonshire. This charming garden occupies ten acres of hillside sloping away from a picturesque 17th century manor house, the lovely golden stone walls of which are home to many climbing roses and clematis. We wandered past deep herbaceous borders, through welcome shady woodland and beyond a lake to a wild flower meadow and bluebell woodland (the latter better seen in May though!). A welcome cup of tea was enjoyed under the shade of a huge black walnut tree in the Stable Yard and judging from the carrier bags brought back onto the coach most of us could not resist the attractions of the extensive nursery! A day to be remembered.