The Walled Garden lies deep within the grounds of Crom. You cross the White Bridge and walk several hundred yards until it appears, the former head gardener's lodge being opposite it.
Its old, red-brick walls are in good condition, the National Trust having re-built at least one side some years ago.
It extends to roughly three acres in size; and it has been utterly overgrown since its demise after the second world war.
Exotic fruits, which are nowadays taken for granted, were a rarity then and only the wealthiest families could afford to cultivate them.
In fact many people may never have seen a pineapple or a peach or known they existed.
On one side of the garden there were raspberries; while strawberries grew on the other.
Heated glasshouses contained peaches, nectarines, pineapples, grapes and tomatoes; not to omit lettuce, marrows, cucumbers and orchards with apples, plums, pears and greengages.
There were also beehives, sweet-pea, daffodils, dahlias and magnolias.
In the middle of the garden there was a large palm-house, now sadly gone, about thirty feet high, where the weather reading was taken every morning. The lily pond remains, though.
The whole garden swarmed with butterflies, bees and other wild insects; birds flitted in and out to help themselves to Nature's goodness. It must have been heavenly.
Will the National Trust restore the walled garden? It is sad to see these sites neglected. Even at Castle Coole last week I noted that while the Stable/Court Yard is well preserved it is sterile. Wouldnt it be good to see some horses and some traditional craftsman here plying their traditional trades? Bring it back to life. Surely that would reinvigorate visitor numbers. It is sad to see these houses as empty museums even if preserved. Julian Brown
ReplyDeletegreat post ...love wild gardens gone to seed yet with a life of their own.
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