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PROGRAMME 2010  

 
Thursday 25th March 2.30 p.m. 

Bankers and Botanists – The Lubbock Family and their garden at Emmetts

Richard Wheeler, the National Trust’s Curator of Gardens and Parks for the South and West of England, will give an illustrated talk on the recent restoration of the garden at Emmetts. This charming garden was created by the Lubbock family in the late 19th century and was greatly influenced by William Robinson’s interest in alpine and woodland gardens. Frederick Lubbock was a passionate plantsman and many of his plantings of newly introduced exotic shrubs still survive.

Richard Wheeler has worked for the National Trust for 33 years. He is chairman of the Conservation Committee of the Garden History Society. This will be an exceptional opportunity to hear a leading authority on the history of gardens talk about one of the most fascinating gardens in Kent.  

Venue: Westerham Village Hall, Quebec Avenue, Westerham, Kent TN16 1BJ

Cost £10 to include tea 
 

Sunday 25th April 2.30 p.m. 

Blossom time at Brogdale National  Fruit Collection

A visit to the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale in blossom time

The National Fruit Collection is the greatest collection of temperate fruits on one site in the world. 2,000 different varieties of apple and 550 of pear are grown at Brogdale and smaller collections of many other types of fruit. Some varieties are very old dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. Fruit growing has been a very important part of the economy of Kent for centuries and even now 80% of the country’s orchards are in Kent.

We will have a private guided tour of the collection and we are hoping that our guide will be Dr Joan Morgan, the renowned authority on the history of fruit growing. The tour will end with tea at the Visitor Centre. 

Venue: Brogdale Farm, Brogdale Road, Faversham, Kent ME13 8XZ

Cost £15 which includes tea and a donation to the Friends of Brogdale 
 

Sunday 16th May at 10.15 a.m. 

A visit to the gardens at Pympne Manor and Balmoral Benenden

We shall see two remarkable gardens in Benenden with connections to the great plant collector Capt. Collingwood ‘Cherry’ Ingram 

Pat Thoburn has kindly agreed to show us her beautiful garden at Pympne Manor. The garden, set in an unspoilt part of the Kent Weald around a typical 15th century ‘hall’ house was planted by the present owner’s father, a friend of ‘Cherry’ Ingram with many different species of rhododendron and azalea and other interesting trees and shrubs.

Lunch will be arranged at the historic Bull Inn after which we will visit ‘Balmoral’ the home of Charlotte and Donald Molesworth. The house was originally the gardener’s cottage for The Grange, the home of Cherry Ingram and the Molesworths have created an enchanting garden around it. Plants have been chosen with a discriminating eye and are planted exuberantly. Hedges and topiary provide structure and vistas. We will then pay a visit to the garden of the Grange which still contains many interesting plants and there will be a short talk about ‘Cherry’ Ingram and his plant introductions.

The day will end with tea 

Venues:

  1. 10.15 a.m. Pympne Manor, Goddards Green Road, Benenden, Kent TN17 4AR
  2. 2.0 p.m. Balmoral, Benenden, Kent TN17 4DL

Cost: £25 to include morning coffee, Ploughman’s lunch at the Bull in Benenden and tea 
 

Wednesday 15th September 10.15 a.m.

A visit to the Sturry Road Community Garden followed by a private guided tour of the garden at Walmer Castle

A chance to see the 45 acre community garden at Sturry Road which was created with the help of Kent Gardens Trust and which members will have heard so much about. We shall be shown round the garden by Allison Wainman, the KGT trustee who was primarily involved in the project to create the garden and some of the Sturry Road trustees who now manage the garden and park. KGT initiated the project and facilitated its creation with the help of funding from the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme. The site contains a one acre garden and ten acres of woodland and is set in landscaped parkland. It contains many play areas for children. It is now beginning to mature well. 

We will then proceed to Walmer Castle where lunch will be available (not included in the price) followed by a private guided tour of the garden with Tom Hooijenga the Head Gardener. The castle was originally built during the reign of Henry VIII as part of a chain of coastal defences and has been the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports since 1708. It contains memorabilia of past Wardens including the Duke of Wellington and the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The 10 acre garden within the castle walls is listed Grade II by English Heritage. Magnificent herbaceous borders, a productive vegetable garden and the late Queen Mother’s garden which was designed by Penelope Hobhouse are some of the delights in store.  

Venues:

  1. 10.15 a.m. Sturry Road Community Gardens, Sturry Road, Canterbury CT1 0AA
  2. 2.30 p.m. Walmer Castle, Kingswood Road, Walmer, Deal CT14 7LJ

Cost: £15 (lunch not included) including entry to Walmer Castle and donations to English Heritage and the Sturry Road Community Garden. 
 
 

Wednesday 17th November 7.00 p.m.

Landscapes at risk - protecting the historic parks and gardens of Kent

Our annual autumn lecture this year will be given by Charlotte McLean, the South East Regional Landscape Officer at English Heritage.  Charlotte will explain the role of English Heritage in the planning system and how it works to protect parks and gardens with some recent examples. Charlotte is a Chartered Landscape Architect who previously was a director of the eminent landscape design firm Elizabeth Banks Associates. Wine and light refreshments will be provided before the illustrated lecture. 

Venue: Lenham Community Centre, Lenham, Maidstone ME17 2QT

Cost: £12.50 including wine and light refreshments 
 

Please apply for tickets on the enclosed form or telephone Sue Chipchase on 01233 811611

 

 

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