Monday 1 June 2009

The Walled Garden


Some pictures of Shugborough Hall's Walled Garden (above and below), which started something of a revolution in food production when it was created in 1805/6. It's thought the original kitchen garden was located somewhere behind the Doric Temple in Shugborough's Park, but a combination of unsuitable growing conditions, and the fact that the family didn't want labourers cluttering up the view, led to a commission for architect Samuel Wyatt, who was tasked with designing a new Walled Garden half a mile from the house.


The brick walls were hollow and contained intermittent furnaces that created a sort of micro-climate, while a series of bothies provided accommodation for young, unmarried gardeners. A large heated greenhouse, where they grew pineapples, grapes and peaches, extended towards a central plunge pool (see below), used to capture rainwater for watering crops. Another hothouse was heated with steam and produced melons and cucumbers.



Photographs © Memoirs of the Celebrated Mrs Woffington.

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3 comments:

Vic said...

I learned something new today. Those hollow walls are fascinating!

Mrs Woffington said...

Thanks Vic. We weren't convinced it would have worked, but hey, that garden was universally famous for its produce and techniques, so what do we know! Apparently George Anson introduced the Moorpark Apricot there, which is still the most popular variety of apricot in the UK.

Eliza Ward said...

Gosh that sounds complicated! It's gorgeous though. What a lovely place to take a stroll on a sunny summer afternoon...