Parks and gardens | Now I'm 64

Waddesdon Manor – opulent, ostentatious and over the top

I have often written on this blog about our visits to some of the UK’s grand houses, houses that are hundreds of years old and oozing with history. You might assume that all our great domestic properties have a pedigree dating back many centuries, but you’d be mistaken. Some of them are much younger; Waddesdon Manor, at less than 150 years old, is one of the new kids on the block. Despite that – or maybe because of it – Waddesdon is one of the most opulent and ostentatious of them all. But it’s a bit over the top, in my humble opinion.

***Rear view of Waddesdon Manor. The bedding plants on the parterre are changed each spring and summer.***

Waddesdon Manor is located in the Buckinghamshire village of Waddesdon (no surprises there, I guess!), around 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. It was constructed between 1874 and 1889 at the behest of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839-1898), a member of the enormously wealthy Austrian banking family.

***The fountain at the centre of the parterre was originally made for an Italian palace in Colorno.***

In 1874, Rothschild – known as “Ferdy” to his sister and close friends – bought the Waddesdon agricultural estate from the Duke of Marlborough, with money he’d inherited from his father. He’d come across it when fox-hunting in the area, and clearly saw its potential. The estate had no house, park or garden at that time, and therefore offered Rothschild a blank canvas upon which to impose his will.

***Front elevation of Waddesdon Manor (sadly in shadow, but at least the more attractive rear view – including the parterre – was well lit!)***

Said to be as much at home in Paris as in London, Ferdy was an ardent Francophile. His vision for Waddesdon was to build a magnificent mansion in the neo-Renaissance style, copying features from several of his favourite French chateaux. And he was also keen on giving Waddesdon an unforgettable garden, including a parterre (a symmetrical, formal garden design with intricate patterns), a colourful and fragrant rose garden, a serene water garden and an aviary of epic proportions.

***Ferdy was very fond of birds. This cast iron aviary was erected in 1889 to house his collection.***

Given his wealth, it is to be expected that Ferdy would spare no expense in fulfilling his dreams at Waddesdon Manor. More surprising, perhaps, is the fact that he never intended to live there permanently. His plan was to use Waddesdon simply as a summer weekend retreat, a place where he could entertain high-society guests and show off his vast, priceless collection of art and antiquities.

***The Grey Drawing Room, to which lady guests retired after dinner!***

Baron Rothschild was clearly an intelligent, well-educated man, and must have been familiar with concepts such as modesty, moderation and self-restraint. Plainly, however, he thought they shouldn’t apply to him!

***Ferdy’s “Renaissance Museum” was once housed in this corner room***

The great and the good – as they no doubt liked to think of themselves – were Ferdy’s guests at Waddesdon. Even Queen Victoria and the future king Edward VII spent time there, thus reassuring a man of Austrian heritage and born in France that he’d made the grade as a fully fledged English gentleman.

***The Organ Clock is Dutch, and dates from c1775***

After Ferdy’s death in 1898, Waddesdon passed through the hands of two other members of the Rothschild family before, in 1957, it was bequeathed to the National Trust. At last, some 83 years after the project was born, ordinary members of the public were able to visit the property, to view the stunning art collection, and to witness at first hand how the other half lives!

Left: The Red Drawing Room. Centre: The East Gallery. Right: The Baron’s Room.

Unusually, unlike most National Trust properties, at Waddesdon the donor’s family continues to manage the house and to invest in it through the Rothschild Foundation. And it was through the financial support of the family that the stunning Wedding Cake art installation by Portuguese artist extraordinaire Joana Vasconcelos – which I wrote about in an earlier post – found its way to Waddesdon.

***The dining room seats 24, just enough for one of Ferdy’s famous house parties***

Waddesdon is extraordinary. The “three Os” sum it up perfectly – Opulent, Ostentatious and Over-the-top. I’m pleased we finally got around to visiting it last year. On the one hand it’s a truly magnificent creation, breath-taking, almost surreal. Definitely worth the entrance fee.

***Automaton elephant clock, made in London in 1770***

But on the other hand, Waddesdon is just a bit too much. It’s reminds me of being back at school, of that annoying kid sitting at the front of the classroom, the kid who was always waving their hand furiously in the air to attract teacher, making it abundantly clear that he (or she) was much, much better than the rest of us. You remember that kid, don’t you? Well, Waddesdon’s a bit like that, full of itself, boastful in the extreme, bling on steroids!

Pashley Manor Gardens and the ghost of Anne Boleyn

Posted on March 20 by Platypus Man

On its website, Pashley Manor Gardens in East Sussex claims to be “one of the finest gardens in England”. That may or may not be a bit of an exaggeration – I’m no expert on things horticultural! – but when we visited last autumn it seemed like a pleasant place to while away an afternoon. The flowers were colourful and the manor house was a picture of Tudor charm, but for my taste what raised Pashley to another level was the mix of modern sculptures scattered throughout the gardens. The most compelling of these depicts the tragic figure of Anne Boleyn.

***“To the Show” by Helen Sinclair. The flower towering above her is Brugmansia or Angel’s Trumpets, a member of the nightshade family.***

The current manor, which is not open to visitors, dates from 1550 and retains its classic Tudor half-timbered frontage. But this is not the estate’s original house, as prior to its construction there was a hunting lodge on another part of the grounds.

***Pashley Manor House dates from 1550***

The hunting lodge was owned by the Boleyn family, and it is believed that Anne Boleyn – King Henry VIII’s second wife, who was executed in 1536 – spent part of her childhood here. Appropriately, there is a sculpture of Anne near the spot where the hunting lodge once stood. This haunting work by local sculptor Philip Jackson is a moving tribute to a woman who married for love, and later died on the orders of her paranoid, brutal husband. The gardens that we see today bear little if any resemblance to what Anne would have witnessed 500 years ago, but clearly her ghost still walks the land.

Following Anne’s execution, the fortunes of the entire Boleyn family went into freefall, and in 1540 the estate was sold to Sir Thomas May, who set about building the house that still stands today. In the centuries that followed the Pashley estate passed through the hands of several more families, who further developed it in accordance with the fashions of their age.

The manor house was unoccupied during the period 1922-45, and fell into disrepair. When the current owners, Mr and Mrs James Sellick, bought the property in 1981 the gardens had been long neglected, but the Sellicks were determined to restore them to their former glory. They opened Pashley Manor Gardens to the public for the first time in 1992. Just five years later the gardens won the Historic Houses Association / Christie’s Garden of the Year award, and in the decades since then work has continued to develop them further.

***“The Sky Turned Upside Down” by Helen Sinclair***

The Sellicks clearly spotted the growing popularity of sculpture parks and gardens, and calculated that a scattering of sculptures would enhance the Pashley offer. No doubt these sculptures, which range “from abstract to engagingly figurative” also generate a bit of extra income, as most of the pieces on display are for sale. The works on show are not as imposing or spectacular as those at, say, the Leonardslee Gardens and Sculpture Park, but the best of them are good fun.

Left: “Dancing Dog” by Mary Cox; Centre: “Dancer” by Mary Cox”; Right: “il Marchese” by Philip Jackson.

Pashley Manor Gardens were definitely worth a visit. When we’re next in that part of the country I’d be pleased to call in again – perhaps earlier in the season, when a different range of flowers will be in bloom – to see how the Sellicks’ project is developing, and to spot some new sculptures. Hopefully the ghost of Anne Boleyn will still be in attendance.

Missing hermits and Netflix blockbusters – the Painshill story

Posted on February 14 by Platypus Man

Painshill, in the county of Surrey, is regarded as one of the finest remaining examples of an 18th-century English landscape park. Having been rescued from oblivion by the local council, it has won awards and been used as a filming location for the Netflix blockbuster Bridgerton. In the past, however, Painshill struggled to hang on to its hermits!

***The Woollett Bridge: installed in autumn 2022, replacing Hamilton’s original while copying its design***

The creator of Painshill Park was Charles Hamilton (1704-86), the 14th child(!) of the 6th Earl of Abercorn. Although Hamilton was plainly not at the top his family’s pecking order, his father was wealthy enough to buy him a “classical” education and to pay for him to undertake two Grand Tours of Europe in 1725 and 1732. It was these tours that helped inspire him to abandon formal, geometric garden layout at Painshill, adopting instead a picturesque and more naturalistic landscape.

***The Five Arch Bridge, with the Gothic Temple beyond***

Hamilton’s vision was to create a pleasure park offering visitors a series of sinuous trails and scenic vistas, with a range of eye-catching follies – including a Crystal Grotto, a Temple of Bacchus, a Gothic tower, a Turkish tent and a mock-Gothic “ruined” abbey – scattered amongst them. It was a revolutionary approach to garden design, one that influenced a generation of landscape gardeners. Today, Painshill is regarded as one of the finest examples of the English Landscape Movement.

Work began in 1738 and continued until 1773, at which point Hamilton was forced to sell up to cover his debts. Over the next two centuries Painshill passed through a number of owners. Some of them bought into Hamilton’s vision, most notably Sir William Cooper – the High Sheriff of Surrey – who installed a suspension bridge and a waterwheel, and planted an arboretum. But ultimately the dream began to fade, the Park became neglected and its features started to decay.

***View from inside the Gothic Temple***

Painshill was recued by Elmbridge Borough Council. In 1980 the council purchased 158 acres (64 ha) of Hamilton’s original estate, enabling work to start on the restoration of the Park and its features. The following year responsibility passed to the Painshill Park Trust, which was newly created with a remit “to restore Painshill as nearly as possible to Charles Hamilton’s Original Concept of a Landscaped Garden for the benefit of the public.”

***An alternative angle on the Five Arch Bridge, with the Turkish Tent (another folly!) beyond***

At the heart of the Painshill landscape is a man-made serpentine lake, fed by water pumped from the nearby River Mole. Eye-catching in its own right, the lake also enabled the creation of picturesque islands and gave Hamilton an excuse to build some pretty bridges. The Five Arch Bridge is particularly elegant, and featured prominently in an early episode of Bridgerton, a hit Netflix drama set at the start of the 19th century.

***Hidden in the trees, the Temple of Bacchus.*** ***Yes, it’s a folly!***

Bridgerton is a story of upper class secrets, lies and love, in which the poor and the ordinary are notable by their absence. This was also true of the early days of Painshill, when it was only well-bred or otherwise prominent folk – including future US presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams – who were personally shown around by the head gardener.

***The reflections on the serpentine lake were superb on the day we visited, although the grass was brown and parched after a long period without much rain.***

Luckily, these days Painshill Park is open to anyone prepared to pay the modest entrance fee. Mrs P and I visited last year, and loved the place. It’s incongruous, quirky but strangely appealing. Sadly the day of our visit was very hot, and we didn’t feel up to walking into the woods to find the Hermitage, another of Hamilton’s flights of fancy.

***The waterwheel – one of Sir William Cooper’s creations***

Hamilton was clearly an eccentric, and had the resources to indulge his eccentricities. One of these was that his park should host an “ornamental hermit.” Unlike genuine hermits who locked themselves away from the outside world for devotional or spiritual reasons, ornamental hermits were employed by rich estate owners to live in a hermitage on their land and amuse guests by making appearances.

An advertisement was duly placed to secure the services of a hermit to live in Painshill’s purpose-built Hermitage for a period of seven years. The fee was 700 guineas, to be paid as a lump sum at the end of the contract period, but only if the hermit was still in residence at that time and had not broken any rules.

The rules were explained in an advertisement for the position, which advised that the successful applicant “shall be provided with a Bible, optical glasses, a mat for his feet, a hassock for his pillow, an hourglass for his timepiece, water for his beverage and food from the house.” He was not allowed to speak, to cut his hair or nails or to leave the grounds of the estate.

***The Hermitage. IMAGE CREDIT: Rictor Norton & David Allen from London, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons***

This appears onerous, but the fee was generous: 700 guineas is equivalent to around £135,000 (USD 170,000) in today’s money. It’s said, however, that the first resident hermit liked an immediate beer rather more than the prospect of a pot of cash in the distant future. He lost his job after just three weeks, having run away and been tracked down to a local pub, where he was found to be as drunk as a skunk!

The Hermitage eventually fell into disrepair and was finally demolished for firewood in the 1940s. It has since been rebuilt by the Painshill Park Trust, based on drawings of the original structure. Mrs P and I plan to make a return visit to the Park, and when we do we’ll be sure to track down the Hermitage. I may even take up residence…the prospect of living in splendid isolation, insulated from rantings of crazed politicians, random so-called “celebrities” and all their media cronies is strangely appealing!

A remarkable Scottish woman and an unexpected Japanese garden

Posted on January 3 by Platypus Man

The visitor to Scotland is guaranteed lots of treats, including rugged mountains and romantic castles, glittering lochs and golden beaches. And maybe even a glimpse of a majestic red deer showing off an impressive rack of antlers. But a Japanese garden that’s more than a century old? Really?

The Japanese Garden at Cowden Castle was the brainchild of pioneering Scottish traveller and explorer Isabella Christie (1861-1949), better known to family and friends as ‘Ella’. Daughter of a Scottish industrialist and landowner, from an early age Christie made annual trips to Europe with her parents. When her mother died she continued to travel with her father and also alone or with a friend, visiting Syria, Egypt and Palestine.

Christie’s wanderlust, as well as her bank balance, received a boost following the death of her father in 1902. From 1904 to 1905 she travelled east to India, and then on to Kashmir, Tibet, Ceylon, Malaya and Borneo. Two years later she visited China, Korea and Japan. In 1910 and again in 1912 she took herself off to the Russian Empire, travelling part of the Silk Road and visiting Ashkhabad, Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent and Khiva. At a time when most of her contemporaries found their horizons severely restricted by prevailing attitudes towards women, Ella Christie broke the mould.

As an intrepid and inquisitive traveller Christie* must have been exposed to a huge variety of new ideas, but it was Japanese gardens that particularly captured her imagination. So, following her return from the orient in 1908, she decided to recreate a taste of Japan in her own backyard.

Christie’s home was at Cowden Castle just outside the small town of Dollar, lying 36 miles north west of Edinburgh and 37 miles north east of Glasgow. She decided to set aside 7 acres (3 hectares) of the castle’s grounds to create her own Japanese garden. To plan and design it she enlisted the skills of Taki Handa (1871-1956), a Japanese garden designer who was studying in England at the time. This seemingly routine appointment was in fact revolutionary, with the Japanese Garden at Cowden becoming the first and only garden of its size and scope to be designed by a woman.

The work involved in creating the garden at Cowden included damming a stream on the castle estate to create an artificial loch [lake], importing plants, shrubs, trees and a traditional stone lantern from Japan, and building a tea house. It was clearly a job well done, as in the mid-1920s Professor Jijo Suzuki, Head of the Soami School of Imperial Garden Design at Nagoya, declared Cowden to be the best Japanese garden in the western world.

In its heyday the Cowden Japanese Garden enjoyed a steady stream of visitors, but after Christie’s death in 1949 things began to go downhill. The garden opened to the public for the last time in 1955, and in 1963 it was badly vandalised by local teenagers when tea houses and bridges were burnt to the ground, and stone lanterns were thrown into the water.

The garden languished – largely untended and apparently unloved – for nearly half a century until, in 2008, it passed to Sara Stewart, Christie’s great, great niece. Determined to restore the garden to its former glory, Stewart created a charitable trust for this purpose and led a fundraising campaign to raise £1m (USD 1.27m) to pay for it.

Restoration began in 2014, guided by the renowned Japanese architect and garden designer Professor Masao Fukuhara. Although the project was not completed until 2022, Cowden Japanese Garden re-opened to the public in 2017 as a “work in progress”.

We visited the garden a few months ago and were pleased to see that Ella Christie’s achievement has been successfully revived. The garden is clearly not in the same league as those of – say – Kyoto and Tokyo, but as a taster of an approach to garden design that most Brits will find unfamiliar it’s definitely worth a visit.

Ella Christie* called her garden Shāh-raku-en, meaning a place of pleasure or delight, and that name is well merited. Its restoration serves as a fitting memorial to a formidable and truly remarkable woman.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Footnote – more about Ella Christie

***IMAGE CREDIT: Anon. none given by Nat’l Library of Scotland – dated 1909, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons***

* Ella Christie was –

fluent in four languages
the first western woman to meet the Dalai Lama
the first western woman to travel from Samarkand to Khiva
one of the first cohort of women to be elected Fellows of The Royal Geographical Society
a published author, who in 1925 wrote “Through Khiva to golden Samarkand; the remarkable story of a woman’s adventurous journey alone through the deserts of Central Asia to the heart of Turkestan“

Out of Africa – Leonardslee Gardens and Sculpture Park

Posted on October 18 by Platypus Man

Our visit to the south of England earlier this year was full of pleasant surprises. Not least amongst these was the discovery of an unexpected outpost of southern Africa at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, located on the outskirts of Horsham in deepest, darkest West Sussex. The gardens were a haven of colourful tranquillity, to which the scattered sculptures of South African artist Anton Smit added an extra, intriguing dimension.

***“Ghemo Speed” amidst the colourful tranquillity of Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens***

Dating back to the early 19th century, Leonardslee’s ornamental plantings have received a Grade I listing on the national Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, and have been described as “the finest woodland gardens in England.” And yet this treasure was nearly lost forever. Having been sold to “an international business man”, Leonardslee closed to the public in 2010, after which the gardens were untended and left to grow wild…until Zimbabwe-born and South Africa-based entrepreneur Penny Streeter came to the rescue.

From the late 1990s Penny Streeter (b. 1967) developed a successful business in the arena of medical staffing, winning the title of CBI (Confederation of British Industry) Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003. She made so much money that she was able to diversify her business empire, buying up a South African wine farm and estate in 2013 and a West Sussex golf club in 2016, before turning her attention to Leonardslee the following year. Her ambitions for the new venture were, and remain, high:

The present owners…dedicated themselves to restoring, maintaining and further improving [Leonardslee’s] gardens and buildings so that the public can once again experience their beauty and unique qualities…[In 2019] the gardens reopen [sic] to the public after nearly being lost after years of neglect. Extensive restoration is ongoing to protect and preserve this heritage site for future generations.
Source: Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens website. Retrieved 02/10/23.

Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic shortly after it reopened, good progress has clearly been made in restoring Leonardslee to its former glory. The gardens are famed for their outstanding displays of Rhododendrons and Azaleas, which grow in a range of woodland and parkland settings. There are also no fewer than seven picturesque lakes. The overall effect, at the time of our visit, was restful and eye-catchingly colourful.

***“Agape”, just one of many Anton Smit sculptures scattered across the gardens***

Anton Smit’s sculptures add an extra dimension to any visit to Leonardslee, where his Walk of Life solo exhibition is described as “one of the largest sculpture parks in Europe by a single artist”. Born in South Africa in 1954, Smit is (according to his own website!) “widely revered for his overwhelming heads and monumental African sculptures, evoking themes of suffering, reconciliation, glory and sublimation.”

The collaboration between Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens and Anton Smit began in late 2019 and flows from a long-standing professional relationship between Smit and Penny Streeter. My guess is that both parties do very well out of the arrangement: Streeter gets to add a unique attraction to her business that sets Leonardslee apart from rival attractions, while Smit gets to showcase – and maybe even to sell – some of this magnificent sculptures.

Yes, that’s right, many of Smit’s sculptures on display at Leonardslee are for sale. The relevant websites are, however, noticeably shy about the price of his monumental pieces, and I’m not nearly brave enough to ask! Next time, maybe?

Meanwhile this blog, illustrated by Mrs P’s photos of our visit, will have to suffice as reminder of a delicious sculpture trail, and of the unexpected role two people from Southern Africa have had in the restoration of a significant English horticultural landmark.

It’s World Topiary Day!

Posted on May 14, 2023 by Platypus Man

Today, Sunday 14 May, is World Topiary Day. Who knew? Not me, obviously, but Mrs P stumbled across a reference somewhere and thought it might make for an interesting post. For the uninitiated, topiary is the art of shaping shrubs and sculpting compact trees and hedges into ornamental representations of birds and animals, as well as various decorative architectural forms. It is believed to have originated in ancient Rome, was revived in Renaissance Italy, and became a big hit in 17th century England.

***Tatton Park Italian Garden, Cheshire, UK (2018)***

Today, if you look hard enough, you can find examples of topiary just about anywhere. We see it frequently when visiting grand stately homes in the UK, but have also encountered it in parks, gardens and other horticultural settings as far apart as Costa Rica, Australia, the US and Singapore.

***Felley Priory, Nottinghamshire, UK (2017)***

At its best topiary is great to look at, and you are left wondering “How long did that take?” or “How did they manage that?” and, just occasionally, “Why on earth did they bother?” It’s an art form, and I can’t help admiring people with the imagination, skills and dedication needed to turn a few random bushes and trees into something so spectacular that “Wow!” is the first thought springing to mind when you encounter their creations.

Of course, the trouble with living things is that eventually they die, and one of the saddest sights is to see topiary creations disfigured by the ravages of time and disease. Unfortunately, it’s a particular problem right now in topiary fashioned from the box tree. Box is a compact, slow-growing evergreen tree that is ideal for topiary work, but a fungal disease called box blight causes leaves to turn brown and drop off, leaving behind unsightly bare branches. This, sadly, is ruining and sometimes killing off many otherwise attractive topiary creations.

**Trentham Gardens** ***Italian Garden, Staffordshire, UK (2018)***

Some places go mad for topiary. Zarcero, for example, is a totally unremarkable little town situated in the mountains of Costa Rica, roughly 80km from the capital San Jose. Unremarkable, that is, until you visit the park, where cypress trees have been painstakingly shaped into arches, dinosaurs, birds, dogs and sundry other shapes. Not at all what we expected on our 2008 trip to Costa Rica, but loads of fun!

Zarcero, Costa Rica (2008)

And what about Railton? Although wildlife viewing was the main purpose of our only visit to Australia – as it had also been when we went to Costa Rica – how could we resist a visit to Tasmania’s “Town of Topiary”? Looking back to my blog of that trip I see I had a lot to say about Railton, not all of it very complimentary. I observed that “Many of the living sculptures have seen better days and are apparently suffering from die-back, or neglect, or both. A few are plainly still tended and the “topiary park” has some reasonable figures, but others have clearly been abandoned to their fate and nature is taking its inevitable course.” That was back in 2016. Hopefully things have improved since then, and the Town of Topiary is back on track..

Railton, Tasmania (2016.) The horse and jockey is probably the best single piece of topiary I’ve ever seen.

Our experience at the Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, was more positive but equally unexpected. There are plenty of good reasons for visiting the smallest state in the US, and topiary isn’t one of them. However Green Animals offered a welcome distraction from the endless extravagance of the Gilded Age mansions, and was definitely worth the side-trip we made to see it in 2007. It claims to be the oldest topiary garden in the US with more than eighty sculpted trees, including teddy bears, a camel an elephant and even a person in a peaked cap.

Green Animals Topiary Garden, Portsmouth, Rhode Island (2007)

Our own garden is large enough to accommodate a piece of topiary – indeed, our neighbour, who is a keen and talented gardener, has done just that – but it’s not something I’ve ever been tempted to try. In my view, life’s way too short to consider turning hedge cutting into a hobby. The wretched things needs clipping regularly, or they quickly become unkempt: look carefully at the photos, and you’ll see that many of the living sculptures we’ve seen over the years were badly in need of a trim!

So instead of creating my own piece of topiary I’ll have to make do with appreciating other people’s efforts, like those shown in the photos taken from Mrs P’s extensive archive of our travels. Who would have believed you can achieve so much with just a few trees and a hedge trimmer? The way I see it, topiary is definitely worth celebrating, so long as it’s someone else who’s doing all the hard work. Have a Happy World Topiary Day, guys!

Art and Nature in harmony: the Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Platypus Man

The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden is a very special, magical place where art and nature exist in perfect harmony. Hidden away in the leafy Surrey countryside, the garden was the brainchild of Dutch journalist-turned-art-curator Hannah Peschar and her New Zealander husband, the landscape artist Anthony Paul. They acquired the property in 1977, and spent over half of their adult lives turning it into a place to enjoy – and maybe even to purchase – some wonderful sculpture.

At the heart of the site stands a 15th century cottage, set in 10 acres (4 hectares) of gardens. These were first landscaped in the 1920s, but had been left unmanaged for around 30 years and were therefore vastly overgrown when the couple moved in. Anthony spent the next five years restoring order to the chaos they had purchased. Hannah, meanwhile, was contemplating how the reclaimed and newly landscaped garden could be put to good use. Her “big idea” was a public sculpture garden, a courageous vision at a time when such ventures were all but unknown in the UK.

***The 15th century, Grade II listed cottage where Hannah and Anthony lived from 1977***

The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden opened to the public in 1986. Every year around 200 pieces are on display, the work of more than 40 artists from the UK and Europe. The sculptures come in various shapes, sizes and styles, and make use of a range of materials including bronze, stone, wood, wire, glass and ceramics. Most are available to purchase, but only by those with gardens and bank balances that are big enough!

What makes this place particularly appealing is the placement of the pieces. Unlike some similar enterprises, there is no sense here that the curators have crammed in more sculptures than the garden can tastefully absorb. The positioning of each amongst the verdant foliage has clearly been planned with great care, and all are given sufficient space to sit comfortably within their surroundings. Every sculpture has the opportunity to shine, and no doubt this helps with the sales figures, which – let’s face it – is the name of the game.

I would be lying if I claimed to like everything I saw when we visited last October, but overall the collection was a pleasure to view. And to do so in the tranquil surroundings of a beautifully landscaped garden was an absolute delight. Nature and art are in perfect harmony here, each enhanced by its juxtaposition to the other.

Sadly, Hannah Peschar passed away in 2021, but Anthony Paul continues to live in the Grade II Listed cottage he and his wife bought nearly half a century ago. The garden that encloses it is a fitting tribute to their enormous vision and creativity, and is well worth a visit if you’re ever in the area. You’re certain to see something you really like, but do check the prices carefully before reaching for your credit card!

Clockwise from top left: Scylla, by Giles Rayner; Pinnate Leaf, by Peter Clarke; Keeper of the Light, by Jeremy Moulsdale; Interred in Aluminium by Joseph Hillier; Flight of Fancy, by Jilly Sutton, 2022; If, by Guy Stevens; Big Red Flower by Neil Wilkin.

The lovely bones of sculptor Wilfred Pritchard

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Platypus Man

One of the highlights of our recent trip “down south” was a day spent at The Sculpture Park on the outskirts of Farnham in the Surrey Hills. Home to several hundred sculptures for sale (or could it be thousands…who really knows?) dotted around ten acres / four hectares of scenic woodland and lakes, it’s a mind-blowing place to spend a day. I’ll write about it again in future posts, but with Halloween just around the corner I thought I’d focus on Wilfred Pritchard’s lovely bones.

You see, sculptor Wilfred Pritchard appears obsessed with skeletons, and good fun they are too!

A number of Pritchard’s works can be found at The Park, which is probably not surprising as he owns the place under his real name of Eddie Powell! And who can blame him for displaying plenty of his own wares? Born in 1950, the Welshman clearly has a prodigious talent as well as a fertile and somewhat macabre sense of humour.

Cast in bronze, Pritchard’s skeletons are to be seen enjoying themselves in a variety of ways, dancing, performing gymnastic routines, riding a penny-farthing bicycle, playing a tuba and pulling a garden roller. They seem to be having a great time, although the same can’t been said for the poor skeleton whose leg is caught in the jaws of a man-trap!

“Celebration”

Pritchard’s skeletons might be seen as emblematic of Halloween, the time of year when some believe the boundary between this world and the next becomes especially thin. They offer us a benign, stress-free encounter with our own mortality: as they are now, so shall we one day become, living the good life in the after-life.

There’s no great depth of meaning here but the lovely bones are, quite simply, a load of fun. I found it impossible not chuckle at their antics, nor to marvel at the imagination of the man who created them.

Top Left: “Hard Labour”. Top Middle: “Brassed Away”. Top Right: “Man Trap”. Bottom Left: “Back Flip”. Bottom Right: “Acrobats”.

If money were no object, I’d invest in one of Pritchard’s works. I’d display it outside Platypus Towers over Halloween, giving the neighbours both a cheap thrill and a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with a piece of genuine high-quality art. However, these skeletal masterpieces cost anywhere between about £10,000 and £30,000 (USD 12,000 – 35,000) plus tax, so maybe I’ll give it a miss for now. But if my number ever comes up on the lottery, who knows…

A riot of colour: enjoying azaleas and rhododendrons in Norfolk

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Platypus Man

Although we’ve been to Norfolk many times we normally go in early spring, before azaleas and rhododendrons come into bloom. This year, however, we delayed our visit by a few weeks and were rewarded with a riot of colour at Stody Lodge and Sheringham Park, two sites famed for their azalea and rhododendron collections.

Over 1,000 species of rhododendrons and azaleas occur naturally across the globe. Most come from eastern Asia and the Himalayan region, but smaller numbers occur elsewhere in North America, Australia and Europe. None are native to the UK.

***Sheringham Park boasts an eye-watering array of azaleas and rhododendrons***

The first rhododendron to be introduced to Britain was from the Swiss Alps, and is believed to have been brought to England by Huguenot refugees in the 16th century. Other species were introduced from America and Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, while many Himalayan varieties found their way here courtesy of the botanist Sir Joseph Hooker’s expedition to the region between 1847 and 1851.

Today, most of the species seen here in collections at Sheringham, Stody and similar gardens across the country are hybrids, the creations of man rather than nature. And perhaps because they are the work of humans rather than natural evolution, subtlety is not the name of the game. To be blunt, I think we’re talking gaudy. Sheringham Park, for example, showcases an eye-watering array of bushes clustered amongst the trees and lining the paths, all sporting vividly coloured blossoms that seem to shout “look at me, look at me!”

***Stody Lodge Gardens at the height of the season – like an explosion in a paint factory***

Sheringham Park is a landscape park and garden surrounding a Hall that bears the same name. While the Hall is privately owned, the Park, which dates from the early 19th century, is run on behalf of us all by the National Trust. A variety of attractive plants can be seen in the grounds , but the undoubted star of the show is the large collection of rhododendrons and azaleas.

***The approach to Stody Hall is lined with rhododendrons***

As well as horticultural types, Sheringham Park attracts dog walkers, fun runners and lovers of the countryside. It’s open every day from dawn until dusk, and was busy with visitors when we were there. Stody Lodge Garden was even busier, unsurprising given that it’s open just a few days every year, at the height of the rhododendron and azalea season. The people running Stody have identified their main asset, and are exploiting it vigorously.

Stody Lodge Garden has been home to a stunning collection of rhododendrons and azaleas since at least the late 19th century. It belonged to Daily Mail magnate and controversial press baron Harold Sidney Harmsworth (1st Viscount Rothermere, 1868-1940), for most of the 1930s, but unlike Sheringham, it remains in private ownership to this day. We discovered Stody to be a great place to visit during the flowering season, but do remember to take your sunglasses: an explosion in a paint factory would be less colourful!

However, all things must pass, so by the time you read this the rhododendron and azalea flowering season will be over, the riot of colours simply a distant memory. No worries, though, they’ll be back next year, as bright, bold and riotous as ever.

Back to nature – a day at Pensthorpe Natural Park

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Platypus Man

Finally, after more than two years confined to barracks by the pandemic, we’re back on the road again. Not overseas: the timing still doesn’t seem right, and in any case the burning desire to visit far off foreign parts has cooled a bit. Maybe the passion will return in due course, maybe not, but unless and until our outlook changes there’s plenty to keep us occupied here in the UK.

***Created by the gravel extraction industry, the lakes at Pensthorpe are now managed for wildlife. This shot shows only a small section of one of the reserve’s lakes.***

The county of Norfolk is one of our favourite English destinations, and it was the obvious place for us to take our first proper UK holiday (that’s “vacation” to you guys in North America!) since summer 2019. And every time we visit Norfolk we make a point of spending a day at the wonderful Pensthorpe Natural Park.

***Mandarin ducks are one of the more exotic species found at Pensthorpe***

Pensthorpe started out as a large gravel extraction enterprise, with over 1 million tonnes being dug out and carted off to who-knows-where. But instead of becoming a permanent scar on the landscape the site has been sensitively transformed into something of real value to the local community, and to visitors from further afield like Mrs P and I. Today it’s a bit of an oddball mixture, part old-fashioned waterfowl exhibit, part nature reserve, part conservation hub, part sculpture park, part kids’ activity centre. There’s something for just about everyone at Pensthorpe Natural Park.

***We were pleased to get good views of this Four Spotted Chaser***

The Park is run as a business, which in principle sits a little uncomfortably with me. In practice, however, the owners – Bill and Deb Jordan, top dogs in a family-owned breakfast cereal company – appear genuinely committed to the restoration and protection of the natural world. There’s nothing to suggest they put profit ahead of sound conservation practice, and I’m therefore relaxed in saying that they get my vote.

***“Wild Boar” by George Hider (2014), one of the eye-catching sculptural pieces dotted around the Park.***

Bill and Deb win further brownie points from me for setting up a charitable trust, the Pensthorpe Conservation Trust, to work with their commercial operation. Established in 2003, the Trust aims “to establish a centre of excellence, habitat management and restoration alongside conservation of wetland and farmland bird species through captive breeding programmes in national conservation partnerships.” Corncrakes, cranes, red squirrels and turtle doves are amongst the species currently benefitting from the Trust’s activities.

***Pensthorpe is a partner in a captive-breeding conservation project to boost numbers of wild corncrakes***

Our return visit to Pensthorpe last month did not disappoint, even though the management has yet to erect a commemorative plaque at the spot where I broke my ankle in a fall on a snowy winter’s day in 2013! The lakes and woods teemed with wildlife, and although there was nothing exceptionally rare to be seen on this occasion it was great to get back into natural world after the miseries of Covid.

***Lucky visitors to Pensthorpe may stumble across a muntjac deer***

It was also great to bump into a former work colleague, albeit totally unexpected given that we were around 120 miles (nearly 200 km) from the office and had not seen each other since she moved on some eight or nine years ago! Amanda is a lovely lady, passionate about sport, physical fitness and wellbeing, and – as I now discovered – birdwatching too.

***Great Spotted Woodpecker, an unexpected Pensthorpe bonus***

Amanda explained that she is currently working on the government’s Green Social Prescribing project. The initiative enables doctors to help improve mental health outcomes and reduce health inequalities amongst suitable patients by prescribing “nature-based interventions and activities, such as local walking for health schemes, community gardening and food-growing projects.”

***Families of Egyptian Geese wander the Park, helping to keep the grass short!***

I was previously only vaguely aware of Green Social Prescribing. But hearing Amanda talk about the initiative as we sat together in a bird hide, gazing out over a tranquil lake where ducks, geese, and swans were going about their daily business and squadrons of swallows whizzed happily overhead, it now made perfect sense.

***A large walk-through aviary allows visitors to get close to Bearded Tits (aka Bearded Reedlings), birds that are tricky to see in the wild***

I felt more at peace on our day at Pensthorpe, and during the visits we made the same week to several other Norfolk nature reserves, than at any time since Covid hit. For me there is no doubt that getting back to nature – close to wildlife and wild places, distant from the stresses and strains of 21st century urban life – revives the spirit and nurtures the soul.

Before our visit last month it had been around three years since our last trip to Pensthorpe. But guess what – we’ll be going back real soon!

So, follow our example and get back to nature, guys. You know it makes sense!