Hillside Gardens

The Old Corn Mill

The first of our garden visits is situated at Aston Crews near Ross on Wye. A 17th century water mill nestles at the bottom of a 45 foot drop from the road above to Rudhall Brook at the bottom.. Terraced gardens cover around one and a half acres.

 

 

Winding paths lead through the meadows, woodland glades and orchards. Banks are thickly planted with grasses, shrubs and groundcover and primulas.

Plants were chosen to suit damp conditions in a rural situation and underpin around a thousand trees on the site. Can you spot the faces in the trees?

 

The lower meadow contains the stream and pond, home to water vole and an array of birds, some nesting on site include Green Woodpecker, Goldfinch, Robin, Stock Dove and Spotted Flycatcher. 

Southbourne and Goblin Wood @ Pine Lodge

Our second stop incorporates two south facing adjacent gardens totalling just under five acres with panoramic views over Bodenham Lakes to the Black Mountains and Malvern Hills.

Southbourne has a steep access to 2 acres of terraced lawns, herbaceous beds, shrubs and woodland. Which adjoins Pine Lodge. The gardens terraced retaining walls, lawns, herbaceous and shrub beds together with a fish pond, patios and spring flower area. The developing woodland comprises young trees and shrubs which include a Columnar Pear, Scarlet Oak and Dawn Redwood. Tea and cakes were on the terrace with views over the SSSI  at Bodenham Lake to the Skirrid and Black mountains.

 

Autumn colours are just beginning to show through.

At Pine Lodge, which includes Goblin Wood, paths meander through 2½ acres of woodland featuring most of Britain’s native trees plus some unusual oaks. It was for many years a field originally owned by Worcester College, Oxford and rented out for agriculture but the steep slope made it difficult for tractors and machinery. During WWII it was used to train glider pilots — the gliders would be winched off from the top of the field, hopefully avoid the trees at the bottom, and glide over the orchards and lake and then over the Lugg flats.

The woodland is kept wild to encourage wildlife.

The adjacent woodland above the top path is very ancient and was part of the Hampton Court estate. The path along the top of the wood is very old — a medieval horseshoe was found here. lt may have been a forerunner of Dinmore Road and it is possible that this track dates back to Roman times or earlier. On the flat area at the bottom track are a number of large stones originally in a circle that may be Neolithic.

Distributed around the gardens are interesting pieces of garden art

Why Goblin Wood? Owner Frank Ryding reckons:

“There are old stories of small goblin-like people being seen along the top path especially near sunset and after dark. If you want to avoid them it’s best to whistle as goblins can’t whistle and will hide away. Also singing about your toes will make them run away as they can’t sing and they have no toes. Beware of any goblin houses you may find goblins are bad-tempered and don’t like to be disturbed. Look for a wizard, a dragon, a sundial, some gargoyles, Goblin Lane, 2 ‘A pence, and some gold coins”.

 

 

Queenswood Country Park and Arboretum

Our third and final visit was another woodland sloping walk through the wonderful arboretum at Bodenham with its panoramic viewpoints.

Queenswood is a fragment of the vast ancient oak wood that once stretched to the Welsh borders and beyond. It was held by the crown on and off throughout the ages and only changed its name from 'Kings Wood' to 'Queenswood' in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

During the 17th century Queenswood became part of the Hampton Court Estate, which still borders the country park on the opposite side of the main road. The land was originally purchased following a public appeal by the Campaign to Protect Rural England in 1934 following concerns that land in this beautiful area was being sold off for holiday homes. This was because the woods were clear-felled during the WWI to provide timber for the war effort and by the 1930s the woodlands, which had once been managed for the profitable timber and coppice products were no longer economically viable.

The wood slowly started to regenerate and in 1945 Sir Richard Cotterell, a neighbouring landowner, became chairman of the management committee and looked at planting the woodland for amenity. When the cost of planting the whole 170 acres proved to be too great, it was decided to focus on the central 47 acres which is now the arboretum.

 

anyone remember Hissing Sid??

Downton Revisited

The ancient market town of Bampton (also called Bampton-in-the-Bush) lies in the south of the Cotswolds in the county of Oxfordshire, not far from the River Thames. Until about 1850 it stood in the centre of a large area of common land. Bampton is sometimes described as a town, because it used to be a market town until the 19th century. It is now officially designated a village but has both a Town Hall and a Village Hall. The town has many pleasant 17th and 18th century houses, a few inns and a minute early 19th century Italianate Town Hall. Bampton is one of the oldest towns in England.

At the time of the Norman Conquest, Bampton was one of the three largest settlements in the county. It had an important salt works and an early market. The town enjoyed amazing prosperity in the early Middle ages.

Whilst the fictional village of Downton is located in Yorkshire, the outdoor filming actually takes place here in the village of Bampton on the edge of the Cotswolds. Churchgate House is used for the exterior shots of Isobel Crawley’s house. St Mary’s Church dates from the 1100s, which is renamed as St Michael and All Angels during filming, has hosted a number of dramatic Downton Abbey events including weddings, funerals, christenings and even a jilting at the altar.

The parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin was built on the site of a late Anglo-Saxon Minster - the tower of that minster survives within the present church. It has a 13th-century 170ft spire and carved stone reredos of Christ and the apostles from around 1400.
From the Church gate you head down Church View. Immediately on the right is an old wooden arched door set into the stone wall. This is the entrance for Bampton library and archives, but during filming it doubles as the entrance for Downton Hospital. The street of Church View has appeared regularly throughout the series; it was the site of Downton Fair and is the home of two fictional pubs, The Grantham Arms and The Dog and Duck.

 

We then diverted onto the Bampton circular walk, first crossing Shill Brook

Round passed the decommissioned RAF Bampton Station, once RAF Bampton Castle. The site was not a flying station, but a communications station. It was closed in 2006 and more than 70 communications masts were removed.

Returning along Shill Brook to Bampton

It was then on to Cogges Farm via Whitney.
 
Cogges Manor Farm in Witney, Oxfordshire is a beautifully preserved collection of Cotswold stone farm buildings set in its own grounds. The site has been farmed since before the Domesday Book and parts of the manor house date back to the C13.

Cogges Manor Farm is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The manor house and 17th century farm buildings are Grade 11 Listed, appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086. The first owner of Cogges being Wadard, who appears as a Norman knight riding a horse on the Bayeux tapestry. The manor house stood originally by the River Windrush. 'Cogges Castle' was defended by a moat.

Cogges was transformed into Downton’s Yew Tree Farm, as some volunteers, sheep and chickens achieved fame when they were picked as extras! Filmed in the manor house kitchen and grounds, Yew Tree Farm is home to the Drewe family in series 4 & 5, where Lady Edith’s child is brought up. Dame Maggie Smith and characters Tom Branson, Lady Edith and Lady Mary featured in episodes. Cogges also featured in series 6.

The church at Cogges dates from the l2th century but was extended and remodelled in the l4th century. It has a curious tower that is square at the base but octagonal further up, with a pyramidal roof.The church also contains a memorial to William Blake, his wife Sarah and son Francis, who lived at Cogges Manor Farm next door.