Ripley Castle is just outside of Ripon and has its own tiny village to go with it. The Ingilby family have lived in the castle for over 700 years. We've passed the village of Ripley many times but as its just off the main A61 to Harrogate we've never been there until last Sunday when we went with the U3A to visit their gardens. As you would expect there is a lot of history attached to the castle (more a crenellated manour house really) no dungeons but it does have a priest hole. The walled gardens are beautiful but on the day we went many of the beds were being redug and the plants moved.
Still there was quite a show. You can see the magnificent hot house at the back of the picture.
The entrance to the walled garden has a bell. This was where the young servant was sent by the cook to collect the daily veggies. He would ring the bell and wait for one of the under gardeners to come and take the list the cook would give him. He would then wait for the gardener to return with the goodies. He was not allowed inside the walled garden.
This is the back entrance to the hot house which leads directly to the walled flower and kitchen gardens. There were several single under gardeners and they all lived in bothies built onto the back of the hot house (they were lucky they had central heating in the wall of their bothy coming from the hot house).
This is one of the bothies, now used to store plant pots.
Today they grow modern and medieval vegetables (above is not an artichoke but something beginning with a C - forgot its name). They also grow old varieties of apple but are not allowed to sell them or use them, they are grown for their seed and go to various agricultural bodies. Trees are one of the attractions at Ripley and many were planted around 1840. This sweet chestnut tree has a very convoluted trunk and I saw this lady in the folds. Not everyone could see her, some thought I was hallucinating so can anyone else see her?
This Beech is self perpetuating. They do not know why but where the branches have reached the ground they have rooted and new trees have grown there.
I always knew the U3A were a lot of tree huggers - again can't remember the name of the tree but its a Canadian redwood. The bark is warm and spongy and just asks to be touched.
And here is our own little tree hugger - Buster on his morning walk in the local woods.
This Beech is self perpetuating. They do not know why but where the branches have reached the ground they have rooted and new trees have grown there.
I always knew the U3A were a lot of tree huggers - again can't remember the name of the tree but its a Canadian redwood. The bark is warm and spongy and just asks to be touched.
And here is our own little tree hugger - Buster on his morning walk in the local woods.
2 comments:
Lovely photo's. The plant is called a Cardoon, I bought one when I went to the Lost Gardens of Heligan, in Cornwall a few years ago. Unfortunately I lost it when I tried to move it, as it had grown so tall.
Very interesting post annette and, yes, I can see the lady with the flowing locks!
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