Apples at the abbey
Ramsey Walled Garden (Cambridgeshire)
Go through the gates and step back 150 years to find yourself in a beautiful walled Victorian kitchen garden bursting with fresh vegetables, gnarled fruit trees, colourful flowerbeds and a meticulously restored Victorian greenhouse. Wander through the apple tunnel and see if you can spot the twenty varieties of locally cultivated apples growing all around you, identify herbs both new and familiar in the herb garden or just stroll around an acre of dazzling colours and aromas.
UnbeCleveable
Pop round to Anne’s house for a look into Tudor and Elizabethan domestic life! Dating back to the 15th century, this house gifted to Anne of Cleves by Henry VIII has been well preserved enough for a snoop around the parlour, bedroom and Tudor kitchen - stocked by the historically accurate fruits and vegetables of the garden, which has been inspired by a traditional Tudor planting scheme.
Anne of Cleves House Museum
See how (some!) Tudors lived at Anne of Cleves' home, a gift from a certain ex-husband. (© Anne of Cleves House Museum)
Work it out
National Trust - The Workhouse & Infirmary (Nottinghamshire)
For a different perspective on the kitchen garden, learn about life at Southwell’s Workhouse and Infirmary. Discover how the plants grown in the gardens were used to feed and heal the poor and vulnerable for over 160 years, up until the 1980s. From the Victorian infirmary to the contemporary exhibitions on themes of Identity and the Workhouse (The Midlands Forum Textile Exhibition) and domestic abuse (The Women’s Quilt and The Leighann Wightman Quilt), there is so much to discover about life at the Workhouse.
A helping herbal hand
Friendly Hound (Northumberland)
Feeling a little under the weather? Join one of the workshops at The Friendly Hound and learn how to use herbs easily grown in gardens (or windowsills!) for a variety of remedies, skincare solutions and sleep aids. Once rejuvenated, have a go at traditional wood carving or environmental arts, or take a break in the sunken fire pit in the tranquil surroundings of rural Northumberland.
Hands on heritage crafts at the Friendly Hound
The lavender may not be in bloom in September but the Friendly Garden will still be a serene sensory space. (© Friendly Hound)
Champion's garden
The Friends of William Champion's Garden (Bristol)
Explore a hidden world of wonders in this lost 18th century pleasure ground with its giant Neptune statue, Echo pond, grotto and more. Currently being carefully restored you can now find a wildflower meadow and Heritage Orchard planted with fruit trees from Champion's time.
William Champion’s Garden at Warmley
Will you brave Neptune's stare to find the heritage orchard in this special garden? (© The Friends of William Champion's Garden)
Hit the (Edible) Roof
Find out how the Reading International Solidarity Centre is creating renewable energy, harvesting water and irrigating a wide variety of plants on a forest roof garden. Utilising a small space, discover which herbs and vegetables are used for food, clothing, dyes and medicine and learn how dependent we still are on these easy to grow plants.
PLEASE NOTE - These events were accurate at the time of publication but details are subject to change. Check the individual entries for details.
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