Lime Tea, Anyone?

Recently, the highlight of each week has become finding out what progress has been made on Betley Court, now that our specialist contractors, Midland Construction Limited are on site. Every now and again a new craftsperson pops round to introduce themselves, and it is really exciting to see what they’ve been up to behind the scaffold cladding during the week. Most weekends, Nigel and I step into steel-capped safety boots, hi-viz jackets and hard hats to do a tour of the works. As I’m currently in the middle of a new art residency at work, I missed out last weekend, but Nigel took his trusty little camera around the main house to record the latest progress.

One of the new, freshly shaped window sills

A trolley loaded up with new stone for the repairs to keystones and doorway decorations

Stone masons have been on site, shaping new window sills out of sandstone. Some nice new pieces of masonry have appeared, and will be shaped and faced to replace damaged keystones over doorways. A master stone mason is undertaking a full restoration of the Baroque portico at the front of the house. We knew this would need doing even before the fire, so it is great to see this major piece of work undertaken while the repair work is happening.

The damaged Rococo portico shortly after the fire, before restoration started

More concrete door lintels appear every week, allowing brickwork above them to be redone. There’s something very reassuring about these being replaced, even just from a safety point of view. Each week, walls become stronger, more intact. Gradually, recognisable rooms are appearing again.

A newly installed lintel

Somehow the most thrilling thing for me is seeing floor levels being reinstated. This week, new joists went into what was unit 11, which was completely destroyed during the fire, its ashes descending into unit 4 below it. When new floors go in, I can visualise the rooms coming back together. The floors rescale the building to human-size. The job seems a little less daunting, a little more achievable.

New floor joists in one of the former apartments, with a crash deck underneath.

As floor levels are reinstalled, the scaffolders will return to remove and reconfigure the scaffolding. All the crash decks – the horizontal areas of scaffold planks – are fitted either above or below pre-fire floor levels, giving rooms distorted proportions. Sometimes I go in and think, ‘eek, have they done that at the wrong level!!?’ Of course, it just looks odd because it’s a work in progress. As each first floor room is completed, the scaffolding will come down, allowing access to the cellar. I bow in awe of how they have devised the scheme of works, so the right bit gets done at the right time. Equally, I am amazed that an endless stream of materials seems to arrive as needed, to disappear into the big house, and installed in what seems like one smooth movement. As Prof. Brown was fond of saying, “more power to your elbow!” to our trusty workers.

Mid July in Betley Court Gardens….

Linden flowers, taken last year

One thing I’ve noticed in writing this blog is how the seasons shift slightly each year. This year, the spring was very cold, and accordingly, all the plants held back. Last year I wrote about the flowering of the linden (lime) trees, Tillia x europea in June. This year they have only just come into full flower in July. The fragrance wafting across the gardens is sensational, and lime-flower season is a lovely time to be in Betley Court Gardens.

I would plant linden trees for their fragrant flowers alone. I wonder whether that’s what prompted John Craddock to plant linden trees at Betley Court all those centuries ago? Linden is an incredibly useful wood, aside its use as an ornamental tree in large gardens. The timber harvested from it is not prone to warping, and is used in the manufacture of sounding boards and piano keys. Traditionally, lime bark was used for rope making. Linden responds well to coppicing – cutting back the main stems regularly, to promote the growth of long straight branches. These can then be harvested for bean sticks, hop poles, and fuel. Thicker branches are suitable for turning cups and bowls, where warping is not desirable.

Linden flowers - also known as lime trees or Tillia 

Lindens attract aphids such as greenfly due to the sugary sap they produce. The resultant sticky drizzle that falls as waste from the aphids*, makes life miserable for the hapless car owner who inadvertently parks under the canopy, and returns to find their prised vehicle a tacky mess.

Bees enjoy eating the sugary sap the aphids release from the leaves too.  Linden flowers also make a refreshing tea, that is said to have many health benefits including a calming effect. The best description I’ve seen of the taste says linden tea is ‘a mix of flowers and wood’. Luckily, there’s no need to scale the trees to try linden tea, as it is commonly available in health food shops, if you fancy trying a cup for yourself.

Prof Brown with Nigel and Martin, last year at his 94th birthday

This week, there was a small gathering of the Brown family to mark what would have been Prof. Brown’s 95^th birthday. In July last year, we celebrated his birthday in an almost finished visitors’ hub, taking advantage of a brief easing in lockdown restrictions to invite Nigel’s brother Martin down from Scotland. Godfrey was on such good form - dancing with his arms with his granddaughters to music by Vera Lynn – that I don’t think it occurred to anyone that it was to be his last birthday. His dear friends and neighbours, Marina and Patrick dropped off some miniature roses to mark the day.

A gift from Marina and Patrick 

As the sun started setting over Betley Court, we raised a glass to his memory. I hope he’s looking down on us, and is pleased with how we’re putting Betley Court back together again.

All best wishes

Ladybird Su

*aphids essentially poop sugar syrup!