Newsletter – January 2018

February 8th, 2018 by JCope

I am sure you will have heard of or even visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall. I suspect it is less likely that you have heard of the Lost Garden of Halesowen. Our speakers this month were Mick and Carole Freer and their topic was ‘Leasowes Walled Garden – Lost in Time’.

The Leasowes, once internationally famous for its design and beauty, is the mid 18th Century creation of the poet, William Shenstone. A reflection of its importance is its designation as a Grade 1 Listed Garden. It vied in importance with Hagley Park and Enville Hall. The Walled Garden which lies at its heart together with an outer garden cover about two acres and although they have been in existence for 240 years their historical significance has not been understood. The fact that it is unknown is largely due to it not being open to the public, being used as a storage compound for the Council’s Parks Department and latterly as an educational Horticultural College.

Mick and Carole are members of the Halesowen Abbey Trust which purchased the garden in 2014 and dedicated it to public benefit in perpetuity. Work has recently started by an army of volunteers to restore it to its former glory and we hope to invite them both back in the future to review their progress.

Our next meeting at St Saviour’s Church Hall is on Tuesday 6th March 2018 at 8.00pm with a presentation by Derek Clarke RIBA entitled “The Repair of the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich”. Visitors are most welcome at all our events – see home page for details and contacts.

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