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Tag: Belsay Hall

  • Wednesday, November 22, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Head Gardeners at Historic Sites – Debbie Crombie at Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, Online

    The Gardens Trust Wednesday webinar series this Autumn will focus on head gardeners working at historic sites. This is the first lecture of the second set of five talks, exploring how individual head gardeners are balancing the heritage of their site, the wishes of its owner(s) and their own interests and experience. We’ll hear about the role from both seasoned head gardeners and those more recently appointed. Learn about the challenges they face, including climate change, as well as the joys of horticulture and heritage. you may purchase a ticket for the entire course of 5 sessions at a cost of £20 via the link here. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Since this is the final lecture of the series, you may wish to sign up for the single session.

    On November 22, the series wraps up with Debbie Crombie. The gardens at Belsay in Northumberland are largely the work of Sir Charles Monck, who was inspired by Greek architecture and Mediterranean landscapes. Stone for a new house was quarried on the estate and the resultant gorges were set to garden. Formal gardens with arcaded ha-ha and Italianate terracing were built close to the house. The Quarry Garden and Crag Wood were Picturesque in style.

    Charles’ grandson Sir Arthur Middleton extended the formal gardens and overlaid the Quarry Garden with exotic plant introductions. Species rhododendrons from China and the Himalayas thrived in the sheltered microclimate of the quarries, while a three-acre hardy hybrid Rhododendron Garden is now Belsay’s most photographed view.

    More recently, as part of the ‘Belsay Awakes’ Heritage Fund project, Dan Pearson removed opaque, senescent greenery and embroidered the formal gardens with his painterly, naturalistic plantings. This has introduced more biodiversity, whist remaining true to the original design and historic intent.

    Debbie Crombie is Head Gardener and works with a team of seven gardeners to nurture the gardens at Belsay, supported by a group of volunteers from the local community. Debbie was a pharmaceutical scientist before training as a horticulturist and has previously worked in beautiful gardens in the northeast of England, including Blagdon Hall, The Alnwick Gardens, Seaton Delaval Hall and Gibside. Debbie has been at Belsay for under a year and is excited to share the delights of the garden with you.

  • Wednesdays, July 7, 14, and 21, 1:00 pm Eastern – Unforgettable Gardens of Northeast Britain, Online

    In this series of three talks sponsored by The Gardens Trust, the last before the summer break, The Gardens Trust are celebrating the glorious and unforgettable gardens of Northeast Britain.

    This ticket costs £12 for the entire course of 3 sessions or you may purchase a ticket for individual sessions, costing £5 via the links below.

    Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards.

    Week 1. July 7: Belsay Hall: John Hawley will lead us on a virtual tour of the Grade 1 listed gardens of Belsay Hall in Northumberland, famed for its nationally important picturesque landscapes and gardens as well as its diverse plant collection. The garden is part way through a major restoration project, currently the largest of its kind in English Heritage. Find out more about these exciting works which will rejuvenate Belsay Hall Gardens for years to come. John has worked in historic gardens for over twenty-five years, having worked for the National Trust for much of my career. These include Clumber Park, Cragside, Lyme Park and Hardwick Hall before becoming Head Gardener at Sizergh Castle in Cumbria. He led the restoration of the walled garden at Gordon Castle in Moray, where he was head gardener. Currently he is Head Gardener at Belsay Hall , a post he has held for the past three years.Part of a series of 3 online lectures, £5 each or all 3 for £12.

    Week 2. July 14: Cragside: Lord and Lady Armstrong transformed a bare moorside into a man-made paradise. They drove the development of the expansive gardens, which were intended to form a series of outdoor rooms inspired by landscapes from around the world. The couple understood horticultural science and had already experimented with the dramatic potential of artificially formed landscapes at Jesmond Dene, their Newcastle home. Millions of trees and shrubs were planted. Swathes of rhododendrons and pines created the fantasy mountain scenery of the Debdon Valley. Tumbling cascades and engineered waterfalls enlivened the Burn. In the Formal Garden, a vast complex of heated glass houses displayed palms, ferns and succulents from the southern hemisphere. As well as lighting the house with hydroelectricity, Lord Armstrong continued his experiments with hydraulic power, damming the Debdon Burn to create Tumbleton Lake and installing a hydraulic ram to irrigate the gardens and remarkable revolving flowerpots in the Orchard House. The whole estate was a Victorian playground of experimentation, and it continues to be a site of invention and imagination today. Presenter Clara Woolford has been the Property Curator at Cragside for two years. She is responsible for the care and presentation of the site’s heritage assets, including its Grade I listed Parks and Gardens. Clara has worked as a curator in the heritage sector for over a decade, specialising in 18th and 19th century architectural history and managing large-scale conservation projects.Part of a series of 3 online lectures, £5 each or all 3 for £12.

    Week 3. July 21: Alnwick Garden: The brainchild of The Duchess of Northumberland, The Alnwick Garden is 12 acres of meandering and magnificent Gardens based in Alnwick, Northumberland. The Cherry Orchard at The Alnwick Garden has the largest collection of ‘Taihaku’ in the world. Comprising of 329 trees, they all bloom together for up to two weeks around the end of April/beginning of May. In June and July, the Rose Garden comes into its own with 300 highly scented roses. The Alnwick Garden also plays host to the small but deadly Poison Garden—filled exclusively with around 100 toxic, intoxicating, and narcotic plants. Robert Ternent will give a behind the scenes account of caring for a visitor attraction and explain the history and future plans for the garden. Robert Ternent has worked his entire career at Alnwick and has recently been promoted to Head Gardener. Part of a series of 3 online lectures, £5 each or all 3 for £12.