A Taste of the Grand Tour

There’s been quite a mixture of weather, with late July alternating between warm sunshine and surprisingly heavy rain. Whilst that might not suit anyone working on a mahogany tan during lockdown, it’s causing the flowers to put on a satisfying amount of growth. I’ve hacked back the overgrown cotoneaster and shrubs that threatened to overgrow the stone steps on the front terrace (thank you, to Melvyn and Shane, who, like the mythical shoemaker’s elves, surprised me by taking away all the cuttings overnight).  

The striking red montbretias (Crcosmia ‘Lucifer’), planted last summer, have really settled in well, and there’s now a pleasing scarlet parade running from the terrace along the two ‘hot’ borders.

Clearing the stone steps up to the terrace
The conditions are also suiting the two roses (R. ‘Red Flame’) scrambling up a pair of obelisks. I was rather cynical of the grower’s promise that the scent is a full, fruity, raspberry perfume (as the label boasted), when I planted them last year. Lo and behold, one year later, they are blooming profusely, and the scent is a marvellously jammy raspberry fragrance.  
Rosa 'Red Flame' a gorgeous, raspberry scented rose

Elsewhere Melvyn and Shane’s hard work restoring the long path continues. It’s an arduous task, but careful measuring has restored the lovely long lines of the path as it looked when it was first conceived one hundred years ago. Hopefully, it will be finished this summer, so the plants can settle back in.  Around the visitors’ hub, the wildflowers and woodland grasses I sowed in April/May have established soundly.

Woodland wildflower planting by the visitors' hub
It makes the hours of watering I did back in the Spring well worthwhile. Some of the plants have even given us flowers this year. There’s a soft and dreamy feel to the planting in this part of the garden.
Soft, dreamy woodland grass species, looking toward the old walled garden

Over at the house, the clearance continues. I was amazed to discover the arrival of a new set of scaffolding this week, constructed on the three-storey part of the house (where most of the apartments were housed, before the fire.

The new scaffolding, complete with debris chutes
Historically, this part of the house was the servants’ quarters, known pejoratively as ‘the factory’ by locals, due to its severe Georgian architecture and purpose). The sad task of clearing the upper floor apartments of debris was in full swing this morning. Two red plastic tubes have been installed from the second-floor windows, to the ground, where a battered wheelbarrow catches rubble to be dumped in a skip.
The latest in a series of huge skips to take away the debris
The sound of residents’ possessions being cleared is quite a specific noise; the crashing of crockery, tinkling of smashed glass, “thunk!” of bricks and tearing of woodgrain. I will be pleased when this period of clearance is over.

We had the chance to get away this weekend, a lockdown staycation fitting for these strange Covid19 times. It was just a couple of hours drive from Betley, down to Ludlow in the beautiful county of Shropshire. We were guests at Henley Hall, a Georgian country house set in 12-acres of gorgeous gardens.

Henley Hall, Ludlow. Another Georgian country house
Normally at this time of year, I’m sure they’d be chock-a-block with high end weddings. 2020 and the global pandemic has put paid to that for some time to come! However, this meant we were able to book an apartment in a converted stable block for few days rest, fairly isolated from the rest of the world. Our grown-up children, all academically interrupted by lockdown regulations, were able to join us, which was a treat in itself. There were several darkly humoured jokes, along the lines of, ‘ah, it’s Georgian architecture, like Betley Court, BUT IT’S STILL GOT A ROOF !!! AND WINDOWS! AND FLOORS!’
The west side of Henley Hall, and to the left, the orangerie, another Georgian status symbol

I’ll be honest with you; a big draw of Henley Hall was the grounds. Obviously, being the grounds associated with a Georgian mansion, the gardens have been reimagined by each family that took on its custodianship. However, a great many elements typical of the period remain.

Romantic stone features, a picturesque stone bridge and balustrade over the River Ledwyche
Many elements typical of Georgian landscape design were inspired by the European Grand Tour. Not to be confused with the TV series of car-based adventures featuring those eternal schoolboy petrol-heads, Messer’s Clarkson, May and Hammond, the European Grand Tour was essentially a rich-boy’s gap year. Following their graduation from Oxbridge, wealthy young men would undertake a cultural exploration of Europe in pursuit of knowledge, experience and taste (and often sex too, but that’s not a subject for this post!).   

It’s not surprising then, that this widening of horizons was brought home, and recreated in English landscapes. That, coupled with the fact that enclosure acts saw tracts of former common land become private estates between 1604 and 1914. These privileged fellows returned to family estates keen to show off how fashionable and worldly they were. Lakes, temples, grottos and shrubberies became the must have accessories of the wealthy. The control of the land, taken from the common man to a fortunate few created huge private wealth through farming that paid for these extravagances.

What better way to show off the farmland that maintains your fortune than by separating your house and garden with an a la mode ha-ha, creating the perfect pastoral view, without the unsightliness of a fence in your eyeline?

The ha-ha - a retaining wall that got rid of the need for a fence, but kept the sheep off the lawn!
It has the added benefit of keeping the cows and sheep eating your roses! Henley Hall has a prime example of a ha-ha, complete with raised promenade to a viewing balcony. There’s even an antique ornamental planter at the end.
A little bit of romance, the raised promonade, framing the pastoral view, complete with antiquity      nic-nac.
Antiquities, acquired from Europe, were also another Georgian must-have. Betley Court had a ha-ha too, created by the landscape designer William Emes in 1785, but erased by William Barron’s later 1866 sunken lawn.

These country estates also provided opportunities for gentile activities. Circuit walks were laid out, purposefully designed to evoke emotions and heighten the senses, with dark tunnels of greenery opening out into sunny glades. In some ways, the wilderness was being recreated in a stylized way within the safety of the garden. The newly fashionable shrubbery was used to disguise utilitarian features like walled gardens. Again, both Henley Hall and Betley Court boast these features, and would have included newly introduced species from abroad.

Georgian landscapes often incorporated bodies of water to create picturesque scenes. At Henley Hall, the River Ledwyche snakes through the gardens, with a romantic stone bridge crossing it, and weirs arc bank-to-bank, bringing life and sound to the water.

The romantic stone bridge, with Juliette balcony, and the weirs livening the water of the river.
At Betley, broad shelterbelts of trees were planted, that drew the eye down to Betley Mere – a borrowed view. Only a small part of this lakeside was actual owned by Betley Court, but the implication was that Betley Mere was part of the estate. Clever, eh? And shelterbelts also kept prying eyes at bay, with only the household and their invited guests should be able to feast their eyes on the landscape.

In a similar vein, another Georgian landscape trick employed was buying a distant hill or prominent outcrop of rock, and building a romantic folly on it that could be seen from the house. A great example of this locally is the folly at Mow Cop, once owned by Lord Wilbraham of Rode Hall, some 3 miles away. Not only did it make a memorable venue for picnics, but it also implied he owned the land between his home and the folly.

As these things happen, the Georgian landscape park became a style of garden that in turn influenced gardens throughout Europe. An influence that went full circle.


I must admit, I came away from Henley Hall rested and inspired. There’re quite a few garden ideas we could adopt at Betley Court. There are many horticultural stage sets within the garden, making perfect backdrops for wedding photos that are the Hall’s specialty.

A horticultural stage-set. Perfect for wedding photos.
And there were many plant combinations that combined shape, form and colour in perfect harmony. That’s something I’d like to create at Betley Court, in our own style, of course!

All best wishes

Ladybird Su

 

 

 


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