Holly and Ivy

We took a massive step this week, and readers in Betley will have noticed that we’ve decided to put a temporary roof on the shell of Betley Court. Scaffolding experts arrived yesterday to start the ten-week construction of the scaffold framework. It is quite an undertaking. The scaffold comes out about 3-4m from the building, and eventually will lean out over the house so they can create a weatherproof canopy over the void in the middle. This will allow the long process of drying out the walls, which has been estimated will take 10 months. It will also prevent more water ingress, and further damage to the structure from, for example, freezing weather. Best of all, it will create a dry (ish) environment for our tradespeople to work in as they rebuild internal walls.

Nigel sought permission (from the local authority) to take down a couple of trees close to the house, to clear the way for the scaffolders. One was a conifer planted by a former tenant, and was a little out of hand anyway. Once felled, Nigel found that the wall behind the tree was covered in millions of bugs, presumably hibernating in the cover of the conifer’s evergreen boughs. They’ll had a rude awakening, and shock exposure to December weather!

The conifer growing too close to the house (photo: Nigel Brown)

And after it was felled. Roomfor the scaffolding, now. (photo: Nigel Brown)

The other trees make up an arboreal feature we call ‘Barron’s yew screen’. The feature was planted as part of the Victorian garden designer William Barron’s scheme in 1865 and used to be a neat, closely-clipped screening hedge. It’s now a shaggy, overgrown arc of yews that could do with a good tidy up. Although untidy, this is not quite so close to the wall, so the scaffolders have threaded steel poles through the branches. When the scaffolding’s finished, Nigel can hop up onto the scaffold to trim the yew back. It’ll be the first part of getting Barron’s yew screen back into order.

Starting the scaffolding - Barron's hedge is in the right of frame. (photo: Nigel Brown)

Scaffolding taking shape at the front of the house. Barron's hedge is in the background (photo: Nigel Brown)

Elsewhere in the gardens, there’s been another step towards the completion of the visitors’ hub. We’ve had vinyl flooring laid throughout the tearoom, kitchen, and toilets, and it looks very smart. Its also very practical, and easy to mop, ideal in a food serving area. We’re looking forward a time when we can welcome the public in and actually serve tea, when these strange Covid times are behind us.

The entrance hall of the visitrs' hub (photo: @ladybirdsu)

The tearoom, looking rather smart! (photo: @ladybirdsu)

We received a nice phone call from members of the congregation of St Margaret’s church during the week, asking if they could collect some holly to decorate the church. We were more than happy to let them collect a few sprigs, and it prompted me to wonder why there is such a strong association between holly [Ilex aquilfolium] and Christmas. Obviously, hollies produce their bright red berries over winter, making a strong seasonal connection to the Christmas, a bright splash of colour in the bleak winter landscape.

A Victorian Christmas card

From the earliest days of exchanging Christmas cards, imagery based on holly, especially when associated with ivy and mistletoe as been a perennial motif. Holly is often referred to as Christ’s thorn, with the prickly leaves symbolising the crown of thorns Jesus, with the red berries representing his blood.

Holly from the garden (photo: Nigel Brown)

The symbolism of holly is not restricted to Christian culture. To the Greeks, it was a symbol of foresight, and the Romans gave it as a gift at the time of Saturnalia to represent good will. When used ornamentally, Europeans of old believed that the tree would protect the home from evil spirits and lightning strikes. Sensible, then, to bring some indoors during the long, dark winter nights. In heraldry, holly is used to symbolize truth, again, a positive connotation. Druids wore holly in their hair to protect against evil spirits (prickly!), and fiction’s most famous boy wizard, Harry Potter had a magic wand made of its wood. Holly seems to have a special place in culture and religion!

Hopefully, enough decent holly has been found for the church’s decorations, and St Margaret’s will look splendid during this special period of the Christian calendar!

All best wishes

Ladybird Su