Berkshire
Gardens Trust
Reg.Charity No.1201501

Kiftsgate Court Gardens: Three Generations of Women Gardeners

By Vanessa Berridge

 

Following the formal Annual General Meeting (AGM), our Autumn Lecture this year will be given by Vanessa Berridge.  We are very pleased to welcome Vanessa who was the launch editor of The English Garden magazine and is now an internationally published garden writer and historian. Her books have included The Princess’s Garden: Royal Intrigue and the Untold Story of Kew and Great British Gardeners: From Early Plantsmen to Chelsea Medal Winners. She won the 2019 Garden Media Guild Book of the Year Award for Kiftsgate Court Gardens: Three Generations of Women Gardeners. Her history of Borde Hill Garden in Sussex will be published in Spring 2022. She lives in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, where she opens her garden for the National Gardens Scheme. She is also county organiser for the NGS in Gloucestershire. 

 

One of England’s greatest gardens, Kiftsgate Court Gardens in Gloucestershire was created in the early 1920s by Heather Muir, an untrained novice. Over more than a century, the garden has been tended and enhanced by Heather, then her daughter, and now by her granddaughter. Vanessa’s talk about Kiftsgate’s history will be illustrated by a tour of the garden through the seasons.

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Time: Please arrive from 1:30 to 1:45.  The AGM will start promptly at 1:45pm.  The lecture will start immediately following the AGM at approximately 2:30. 

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Venue: Purley Barn, off Beech Road, Purley-on-Thames, Berkshire RG8 8DR

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Refreshments:  Afternoon tea will be served following the lecture at approximately 3:30.  If you have any dietary restrictions, please email bgtmembership@gmail.com immediately after booking.

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Note:  We hope that there will be no COVID restrictions by the time of this visit, but please be understanding if there are last minute alterations in the arrangements if the situation changes.   

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Cost: There is NO charge if you intend to attend only the AGM.  Tickets for the lecture are Members £15; Non-Members £18.

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Queries: Please contact Janet by email at bgtmembership@gmail.com; or phone Fiona on 0118 994 3504 for queries about the AGM.