Heritage Open Day Saturday at Luton Hoo

I drove to the Walled Garden to see what I could cover at the event, taking only one camera, my trusty 5D MkII and 24-105mm lens. I was surprised that there seemed to be far fewer visitors than I would have expected since entry to the event was free. But after only ten or fifteen minutes many more arrived. I must have arrived at around many people’s lunchtime!

I had been here only last Wednesday afternoon so I was not expecting to see too much of a change, I was soon disabused of that, as many more blooms were present than earlier, and weeding had continued unabated, and there were still even some volunteers working away as visitors wandered around. Deborah who designed and manages the Apothecary planting was constantly surrounded by enquiring visitors. The visitors were a mixture of individuals of both sexes, couples young and old and several family groups. I also spotted a few in guided tours learning of the history of the gardens and the plans for its restoration and regeneration.

The encouraging sign as had been the case on the Wednesday, was how many honeybees were to be found on the flowers; a welcome profusion. I was saddened by seeing that one of the greenhouses had suffered a serious collapse, I just hope some form of support can be arranged before the onset of winter.

I spotted a daytime moth which had made one particular flowerhead its territory, and was fascinated by its complex wing structure. I cannot find a name for it, it has a mark that is similar to the Silver Y moth, but it did not have the distinctive Y structure.

Windy Wednesday in the Walled Garden

I had had too much grief in front of the computer; I needed to get out, so even though I knew it would be rather late, and it was both dull and very windy, I took myself off to the Walled Garden at Luton Hoo.These winds were the precursor to autumn, or as the Americans would say Fall. I prefer autumn to the the more prosaic description to just the single aspect of the dropping of leaves. Autumn evokes the colours of the season, and today despite the inclement weather still had the colour of late summer flowers, and the leaves have yet to fall.

My patience was somewhat tried as some shots took several minutes of waiting for the lull in the wind, and nothing could be grabbed as I had little margin of error due to the low light level. And at the best of times patience is not really my strong suit, and these last few weeks have not been the best of times. I persevered, and the end result is more colourful than I had expected. Many of the volunteers had already finished, but there were still several hardy perennials determined not to be defeated by the weather, and they had obviously worked hard clearing the weeds and thinning out the plants and flowers that had past their best.

The handcart is nearing completion, and the next in line for refurbishment, now that most replacement parts have arrived, is the Drag Saw. It is hoped the handcart will be ready in time for the Pumpkin and Apple Gala Day, and certainly the Apples and Pears are the best I have seen, having suffered less from the ravages of wasps and the like.

The 2nd Open Art Exhibition at Luton Hoo

Preparations are well under way for this year’s Open Art Exhibition being held in the The Conservatory, a semi-permanent Marquee within the Walled Garden at Luton Hoo. The exhibition opens on the 18th March, and continues till 20th. Full details can be found at: http://www.lhwg.org.uk
I went along to the gardens and to the former Mushroom House, but there was less activity in these areas than normal, partly due to my somewhat late arrival, and also the weather was far from conducive. Work upon the Boiler-House drains was being undertaken by two keen lady volunteers at the front, where the grilles above what I soon realised were windows from the cellar, were being cleared of several wheelbarrow loads of soil and stones! At the rear two men were at work trying to clear a sump at the bottom of the stairs, of several years’ worth of oily sludge.
Out in the gardens a lone female was later to be seen tilling the soil with a hoe.

In the marquee were numerous people hanging paintings, assembling the bar area, up ladders attending to the spotlighting, whilst around the schools exhibits children, their parents and teachers were putting the finishing touches to their chefs d’oeuvres. I have tried to capture the overall picture of the displays and some of those beavering away to make the show a success.

I look forward to taking a closer look in the evening at the Preview to which I have been invited.

Still Very Much PreSeason at Walled Garden

On this my second visit to Luton Hoo’s Walled Garden this year, it is obvious that the weather has taken its toll; some of the polythene covering on the greenhouses has been shredded by the winds, and the incessant rain has puddled much of the roads and paths, and growth has been held back. Despite this there are the signs of Spring, and the volunteers have done sterling work in clearing the beds for the new season. There is also new paving for the tree-lined path to the greenhouses.

In the former Mushrooom House, the handcart restoration is progressing from the stripped-down kit of parts I saw on my earlier visit; the wheels have been treated for woodworm been filled and were being sanded down, and a new end piece for one of the sides was being shaped. Next door, a staging was being prepared for one of the propagating sheds; it was taking shape from reclaimed wood and later being trimmed to fit against the large pipes.

The sun was very intermittent, but in a brighter moment I brought the previous year’s restoration project, the Apple or Egg Cart, out into the courtyard to record it in all its glory.

In the greenhouse, which had been Rosetti’s Studio in the TV film ‘The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’ a couple of far more recent garden benches were being given a new white coat. In the gardens, raspberry canes were being dug up and consigned to the smoke and flames of a bonfire just outside the walls of the garden. Along the Potting Shed wall the first signs of Spring growth were to be seen below the windows, and along the tree-lined walk were some flowers from last season alongside snowdrop clusters, and soon with a bit of warmth the daffodils will come into bloom.

Luton Hoo Walled Garden January

January is nearing its end, and so I paid a visit to Luton Hoo’s Walled Garden for the first time in 2011. England’s recent weather has done it no favours, but it was still very obvious that both employed and voluntary workers had cleared the detritus of the past season readying the garden for next year’s growth. Taking photos within the walled garden in the gloom and fine drizzle would not have shown the efforts, but simply filled a viewer with sadness.

As I walked around beyond the wall towards the Boiler House and beyond, I could hear animated conversation. As I came to the former Mushroom House I met the team who over at least the last two years had restored the Apple Cart. I learnt that the next projects were to continue work on the dragsaw, and start on a small handcart. I was shown some of the parts, and the start being made, but there was nothing beyond a series of early faded photos that showed how it had once looked during its former working life.

In the smaller room next door a parcel from America was being slowly unpacked to reveal some goodies rescued from a ‘Bone Yard’ – what we English would describe as a ‘Scrap Yard’! However the contents revealed a delightful cornucopia of parts that could bring the dragsaw back to energetic life. I heard it described as a Christmas present! They would still require work, and in some cases could only become patterns for newly machined components such as the crankshaft, but all were very welcome.

Meanwhile in the small courtyard, work was proceeding trying to lift a large grating, which did seem to be resisting all efforts to being opened. Soon two of the volunteers were turning their attention to some of the smaller connected grilles and then one of them set to removing some of the gloop in order to rod the pipes to clear them; this task was still ongoing by the time I came to leave, so I do not know the final outcome. What I do know is that it was hard and dirty work that was being done with enthusiasm.

1st Visit to Walled Garden in 2010

The forecasters predicted sunshine, but they forgot to tell the clouds over Luton – as I started putting the cameras into the car, it was spitting with rain! Arriving at the Garden, it was immediately noticeable that changes were afoot, there was a much larger and far more permanent-looking marquee and that half of the Octagon had been further fenced off to make this area more exclusive, with lights placed to light the wall after dark.
The cold weather had noticeably had its effect on the plants; the snowdrops and crocuses were still out and no sign of flowers on the daffodils. Much of the brambles outside the wall were gone, and there were now areas of aluminium walkways.
The volunteers were repotting seedlings, digging, edging, erecting posts, burning, clearing weeds and mending fences.
The cart which last year was still having its woodwork restored was now undercoated and being painted, Keith is doing an excellent job and the restoration has so far taken a year. Dave was restoring the door their work area, which had been the mushroom shed.
By the Portakabin the car park was being resurfaced and levelled. Visitors in the coming year, who have visited before will certainly notice the changes.

Luton Hoo Walled Garden – High Summer

For a change, I managed to get up to the garden much earlier, which meant I was able to capture more of what was happening this Wednesday, the artists were sprinkled in every part of the garden and outside the wall to record the buildings and flowers in the bright sunlight.

I found a small group were taking a break in the cool of a walkway by a gate leading to the big house, now, the hotel – what they had not spotted, was that at the very end, silhouetted against a slightly lighter area, was a muntjac grazing quietly.

The volunteers were busy tying up the climbing plants, moving pumpkins away from the grass walks, and weeding, whilst the artists were sketching, drawing and painting, and occasionally moving to a new position.

A farm vehicle is being lovingly restored in one of the outbuildings, and it is definitely in the tradition of family heirlooms – by the time it is completed it will undoubtedly resemble the original, but like the knife that has had two new handles and three new blades!

Unlike the beehive itself, there was a general hive of activity all around the garden, with conversation drifting in the breeze.

It was indeed a very colourful scene, and I hope I have managed to capture it to advantage.