Frampton waters and Iron Acton

Another fine spring weekend. Started with a pootle along the Sharpness Canal and the wetlands and ponds of Frampton on Severn:

It's good to see that the waterways around Gloucester are alive and well used by narrow boats and row boats.  

 









After a short break at St Mary's canalside church -

 

 

a great example of an original roadside pulpit

it was off round the surrounding ponds and lakes:

 














Sunday saw us at Algars Manor and Mill in Iron Acton. Algar Manor is a  2 acres woodland garden beside the river Frome containing a mill stream and native plants mixed with collections of 60 magnolias and 70 camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, eucalyptus and other unusual trees and shrubs. It  was planted on former woodland / quarrying land after Dutch Elm disease necessitated the removal of the woodland. Some parts of the garden layout date back to C16.

The Mill has a 2-acre woodland garden bisected by the river Frome. The undulating garden contains spring bulbs, shrubs; very early wild Newent daffodils. The garde surrounds a 300-400yr-old mill house through which a millrace still runs.