Fancy a quick trip across the Pond? The Walled Kitchen Gardens Network is hugely pleased to announce Harewood House as our venue for 2023, with thanks to Trevor Nicholson, Head of Gardens & Grounds, and the Trustees at Harewood. The theme this year will look at the historic relationship between the Kitchen Garden and the Kitchen – a vitally important collaboration for the management of Estates and their households historically, many again recognizing and enjoying the benefits and working together.
The first day, Friday 6th October, will be at Harewood House, where we will meet from 9 am, with talks during the morning, from our speakers; Trevor Nicholson, Steffie Shields, Claudio Bincoletto and Bent Varming. After lunch, we will spend the afternoon in the 18thC walled kitchen gardens with Trevor and his team and return to the Courtyard with time for discussions, Q&A and tea.On Saturday 7th, we will visit other Walled Kitchen Gardens in North Yorkshire.
Harewood sits in the heart of Yorkshire and is one of the Treasure Houses of England. The House, built during the mid-18th century, has over 50 ha (100 acres) of landscaped gardens laid out by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, set within a wider estate of over 350 ha. Trevor Nicholson oversees this landscape, including of course, the Walled Garden, which sits at the far side of the Lake. It is the oldest garden at Harewood, already under construction when building at Harewood House began in 1759. Its purpose – to provide the kitchens with the finest fresh fruit and vegetables.
Susan Campbell writes: The kitchen garden at Harewood was designed by Lancelot Brown between the years of 1758 and 1781 for the owner, Edwin Lascelles. It is unique in that it looks like an island in the lake created by Brown, but in fact it is built on a promontory jutting into the west side. The lake was created by damming the Stank Beck that flows through the western part of the estate. A watercolor by Turner, painted in 1797, shows how well the kitchen garden melts into the wider landscape. It is also noticeable that the lake can be seen from the mansion, but not the kitchen garden. Complete registration materials can be found at www.walledgardens.net
