Daffodils for St David’s Day

It was St David’s Day yesterday. Fittingly, the first of the daffodils have started to open around Betley Court Gardens. They seem to be a little bit reluctant to get going this year, although with the recent bad weather, who can blame them! The snowdrops (Galanthus) are in their full pomp now. There are lovely informal drifts around the paddock, in contrast to more formal planting in the flowerbeds at the front of the house.

Snowdrops (Galanthus) in front of the west wing

By the visitors’ hub, the plants I bought from Bluebell Cottage Nursery a few years ago are just starting to come into flower. The hellebore (Helleborus x sternii) has really taken off this year and is giving a beautiful display of chartreuse flowers. Alongside it, a pretty purple cardamine (Cardamine quinquefolia) has self-seeded in the gravel of the paths. It’ll only bee a few weeks before the wild primroses and oxlips make and appearance. Their lime green leaves have forced their way into the light from underneath a mat of autumn leaves.

Hellebore (Helleborus x sternii) with its distinctive chartreuse flower

Cardamine (Cardamine quinquefolia) self-sown in the gravel path

Inside Betley Court, there are incredible signs of change too. The Hiab (the huge crane/lorry that joined us before the storms drove it away) returned and squeezed into the forecourt again, and this week a flatbed lorry arrived, bearing tonnes of steel beams. We had better luck with the weather this time, and each piece of metal was carefully lifted into the grounds, over Craddock’s wedding gate to the front of the house. The next step is taking the beams inside, and placing them onto concrete pads, strategically placed around the walls. Once in place, these steel beams will carry the weight of the roof, hopefully for another 300 years.

The flatbed lorry bearing new steel beams

The Hiab carefully lifting the beams into the grounds

The largest beam frames resting in the garden before they are winched up to the roof

The first of Anastasia Fenton’s bow roof features, to the left of the southern elevation, has started to take shape, and we are beginning to see the familiar silhouette of the conical section sketched out in lengths of wood. Lorry loads of timber laths have been consumed in the rebuilding of the roof, and we are in awe of the skills our specialist contractors, MidlandConservation Ltd, who are beavering away behind the scaffold wrap. There is something incredibly pleasing about orderly lines of laths, awaiting their tiles, and equally the repeating patterns of Welsh slate across the vast expanse of the factory roof. Soon the roof will be open to the elements again, doing its job, and keeping the rain out of Betley Court.

Some of the scaffold wrap roofing was removed so panels could be lifted in

Attention to detail - this stone coping stone has been protected with a custom-made wood cover.

Long expance of Welsh roofing tiles

Anastasia Fenton's bow end - the distinctive cone-shape being recreated in wood  

Anastasia Fenton's bow end - the distinctive cone-shape being recreated in wood, as ssen from the front. Of course, this will all disappear under tiles eventually.

We’ve had another skilled conservation craftsman on site, working on some of the Georgian windows in the north wing of the building. Quite by coincidence, Phillip Bailey is based next door at Betley Court Farm in one of the workshops. I came by his work quite by chance when he posted a picture of a shepherds’ hut that he’d hand built. Those of you that know me will know I’ve restored a retro caravan, and so any posts on social media about tiny homes on wheels tend to grab my attention! It turns out shepherds’ huts aren’t the only thing Phillip can make. We asked him in to see what he could do for some of the Georgian windows that need refurbishing, particularly those ones that were partially damaged in the fire. Suffice to say, Phillip is a window genius, and can strip a sash window right down to sort out problems with weights, sticking frames and broken catches. A draft excluding strip is going to be fitted to each side of the frames to help with the efficiency of the windows. Most importantly, residents will be able to open, close and fasten their Georgian windows once he’s done.

Reburbishing the sliding mechanism of a sash window

Sliding glazed panel, getting some TLC

Fully reburbished window - just needs a lick of paint!

EVENTS

We have an open weekend coming up in a few days’ time. On Saturday 12^th March, we holding a meeting of the Emes Society. This group started as a volunteer group in 2008, and we held many gardening sessions to work on parts of the garden. We’re holding a new session, and this time we’re dividing daffodils ‘in the green’ to restore areas damaged when the dam was restored. Nigel and I will be on hand for a chat and hot drinks will be available in the visitors’ hub. Attendees are most welcome to bring their own tools if they prefer, and we’ll provide isopropyl alcohol to make sure not nasties are imported or exported from the gardens. Places are limited. BOOK HERE.

Our visitors' hub

On Sunday 13^th, at 2.30pm, we’ll be holding a heritage tour of the gardens at Betley Court. Find out more about the gardens that were created for the descendants of John Craddock, founder of Betley Court in 1716. We’ll be looking at some of the landscape designers who shaped Betley Court Gardens, and some of the horticultural fashions that have been and gone during the 300-hundred-year history. Places are limited. BOOK HERE. Afterwards attendees are welcome to walk around the gardens until the gates close at 4.30pm.

Hope to see you there

All best wishes

Ladybird Su