In the village of Holt, near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, not to be confused with Court House, East Quantoxhead, Somerset, on the coast, visited recently. This was the first of two visits, with my friend Daphne, to National Trust properties (gardens only) on the same day recently.
The house, ‘an early Georgian gem’, which is never open for visitors, was built for one of the area’s prosperous cloth manufacturers. The garden was set out at the beginning of the twentieth century by then owner Sir George Hastings, and developed a few years later by subsequent owner, Lady Cecilie Goff. To quote my book on the gardens of the NT, ‘It is a compartmented garden, … each section has a formal structure. Generally it is a quirkier composition [than Hidcote, ‘England’s most influential twentieth century garden’] : Lady Cecilie loved springing surprises.’
A one-way system and social distancing were in place. It was, of course, grey and overcast, with rain threatening, and a bit of a breeze.
It was coming up to lunchtime, and we had picnics with us. But I had been over-optimistic with (insufficient) clothing to sit in the breeze, so we moved on to the location of our second visit, and ate separately in our respective cars.
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Sorry about the temperature but thanks for taking us on your tour, always interesting to look round grand gardens.
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We’re fortunate to have a number of them round here.
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I enjoyed the tour, especially those “drifting” shrubs.
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Very odd – but fun!
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Beautiful gardens even on a grey day!
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Yup!
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That looks like a lovely garden.
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It was.
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I volunteered there for a few years, but ended ten years ago.
The covered posts are actually square stone columns, rather an odd use of stone. The story told was something about stretching cloth from the mill, not credible to me as the slender stone would be too weak in bending. The central stone looks a little like a tall font and has a Green Man carved into it. There was somethind odd about it.
The curved clipped shrubs, which may be Yew, ‘just happened’. Indeed they look worse now than I remember. ISTR a photo of Bowood showing something similar but much less curved. It didn’t make sense that the had curved towards daylight as they weren’t shaded. The one at left has really gone over. They are wired, in a spiral if I recall properly, so it may be more powerful growth on the one side.
The garden had something for everyone, ponds, formal garden, kitchen garden, coppiced hazel*, orchard, and a small arboretum.
*I wondered if the hazel had a use in the mill, and was retained for that reason.
I’m glad you liked it.
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Thank you for those explanations! Whether relevant or not, I heard on the radio the explanation of the word ‘tenterhooks’. They were used to hold cloth while it was being stretched – tented. I wonder if they might have been attached to those columns, if indeed they were used for stretching cloth, which you doubt.
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In the seventh photo, did you notice the Yew with rather slender long twisty branches? A Doveaston Yew, the only one I’ve seen.
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That’s a new one on me.
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Enjoyed the tour – an interesting variety of views.
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Thanks, Mary.
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Tenterhooks were used in the Pennine weaving towns for holding woollen cloth stretched tight to dry in the fresh air. Used by artisan weavers, working from home in a state of near poverty, the cloth would be sold when dried. Meanwhile, short of money and waiting, the family were ‘on tenterhooks’. Being outdoors the cloth was at risk of theft, but that’s another story.
The stone columns might represent wooden posts previously used. I recall they had iron hooks fixed to their tops. One broke when I was there, cracked across all by itself. More decorative than functional was my view. A simple wooden frame would have done the job.
I didn’t explain the history of the site includes a woollen mill making ‘broadcloth’. It was water-powered, there remains a leet beyond the boundary. Possibly the ponds were originally a part of this.
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There’s certainly a goodly amount of water.
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Quelle chance d’avoir tous ces jardins si diversifiés tout proches. On apprend toujours beaucoup de choses en te suivant dans tes visites, merci !
J’aime beaucoup la procession de poussins verts géants, ou de manchots ! C’est à quoi ça me fait penser 😉
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Yet, as you can see from bruceb’s comment above, your chickens/penguins just happened, and have grown ‘worse’ over time!
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I guess they are the Fastigiate form of Yew, ie multiple branches rising parallel to the trunk, which helps attain the basic taper.
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It seems as if the shrubs decided to create some “land art” of their own!
The shape in circle of the stone posts with their central one supports the idea of some cloth stretching use, real or allegorical.
Thank you to bruceb for all the interesting explanations.
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The Head Gardener I’d worked for moved from The Courts to ‘Overbeck’s’ a Nat Trust garden on the S Devon coast near Salcombe. It’s on a slope looking out onto the sea and estuary, with different areas, as this one has. With the mild climate some quite sensitive plants grow outside.
I think if you’re ever that way, you’d like it.
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Thanks, Bruce.
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