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Post by lugg on Jun 23, 2022 20:50:00 GMT
Broxwood Court lies in the hamlet of Lower Broxwood in West Herefordshire, close to Kington. This stunning garden is not strictly a public garden, but 2 or 3 times a year it is opened up to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme ( NGS ) I had wanted to visit for some time and finally got to go there a week or so ago. Often when I visit a new garden in Herefordshire I think – oh wow this is my favourite so far – but I really loved this garden and was green with envy on occasion. A little about the NGS The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Guernsey, and raises impressive amounts of money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake. ( those that have seen my previous garden reports will know/suspect that the availability of tea and cake is always important to me !) More info here; ngs.org.uk/who-we-are/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/and a more local view of the NGS www.orletongardeningclub.co.uk/report-of-talk-by-penny-usher-and-lavinia-sole/In short--It is a really great opportunity to see gardens both large and small that would not normally be open for viewing and supports many health and social care charities in the process. Here is how the NGS brochure describes the garden , “Impressive 29 acre garden andarboretum, designed in 1859 by W.Nesfield. Magnificent yew hedges, longavenue of cedars and Scots pines.Spectacular view of Black Mountains,sweeping lawns, rhododendrons,gentle walks to summerhouse, chapeland lakes. Rose garden, mixed borders, rill, gazebo, sculpted benches and fountain. White and coloured peacocks, ornamental duck. Wildlife meadow in progress. “So let’s take a look, I will start with a map – not sure how clearly it will appear though live.staticflickr.com/65535/52144310850_aabf128119_c.jpgWe entered from the car park (1.) into the area between the stables and the house. (14.) live.staticflickr.com/65535/52144026424_238608d8d9_c.jpgSome lovely plants at a very reasonable price were on sale here, my sis bought a lovely cistus for her new home. live.staticflickr.com/65535/52143787851_21ebea4b8e_c.jpglive.staticflickr.com/65535/52144271305_6b9edd1dff_c.jpgA little about the buildings, I understand that the family have lived in the area from about the 16th century ( possibly earlier but will I jump forward to the later history) In 1858 Richard Snead-Cox commissioned C. F. Hansom to build a large house in the Gothic style. Hansom, however, died with only stables and a service range completed. In 1891 Leonard Stokes (1858-1925), who undertook many commissions for Roman Catholic clients, was called in to erect a Tudor-style mansion, aligned on an avenue of trees planted by Nesfield c 1860. That house was demolished in 1955 and replaced by a smaller house on the same site, also in the Tudor style. The stables and service court was left standing, and in the 1990s converted to residential and office use. So first through and around the stable block and its inner court. live.staticflickr.com/65535/52143808188_46988df16c_c.jpgThere are a number of sculptures and art pieces throughout the gardens but this is the only metal one I saw, live.staticflickr.com/65535/52144034469_e692d9ec96_c.jpglive.staticflickr.com/65535/52143795986_9578cbe6e1_c.jpgWell apart from six or seven wind vanes with Richard Snead Cox’s initials on the stable buildings live.staticflickr.com/65535/52144278860_aebeaf547f_c.jpgSo we headed through the stable block first to see what we would find – taking the decision to ditch the map. live.staticflickr.com/65535/52142790007_169e2f8c60_c.jpglive.staticflickr.com/65535/52144047759_aee8c12558_c.jpgAmazing trees lined the walk until we discovered we were in the kitchen garden area , live.staticflickr.com/65535/52143809526_d00f3b2e78_c.jpglive.staticflickr.com/65535/52143787726_e866aa018b_c.jpgThe chickens roamed freely at least during the day) and no worries as the growing veg and soft fruits are well protected live.staticflickr.com/65535/52144025994_ff5bd371eb_c.jpglive.staticflickr.com/65535/52144270660_731612668a_b.jpglive.staticflickr.com/65535/52142766637_264355287a_b.jpgnext to the protected veg are a wide variety of fruit trees, live.staticflickr.com/65535/52142766512_49907d97f9_c.jpglive.staticflickr.com/65535/52142765997_96a62b12ed_c.jpgand of course a tennis court ! (is this a Herefordshire thing or do all people with immense gardens stick their tennis court next to their veg ? ) live.staticflickr.com/65535/52142766372_23642b7fb5_b.jpgMore to come – it’s likely to be a slow report due to my work, Enzo and other commitments but I wanted to make a start.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 23, 2022 22:42:10 GMT
Oh joy ~ another wonderful garden report from ace garden reporter Lugg!
Great start, Lugg, and lovely that you have such worthy commitments. Personally, I kind of like a slow report with fewer things in each post so I can really pay attention. Your reports are always beautiful and beautifully laid out.
I wonder if that thing about the tennis courts being positioned near the kitchen gardens is because the produce gardens used to be much bigger -- big enough to constantly keep an entire household of family & staff fed. Then, after WWI, with reduced staff and perhaps families fragmenting into small units, maybe there was no need for so much kitchen garden. Or, I have watched too many Downton Abbey type programs.
It would be interesting to know how and where the family lived in all that time before commissioning a house in the mid 19th century & why then, for that matter. Whatever, it's an impressive spread and I'm thrilled that you pounced on the opportunity to visit.
Love the happy hare on the lawn and looked wistfully at the plant treasures for sale at the entrance.
Thanks for this & of course I'm looking forward to more.
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Post by tod2 on Jun 24, 2022 12:26:47 GMT
Absolutely wonderful Lugg! The first thing I admired was those very tall hedges cut into a pointed roof shape. Never seen that before. The weather vanes and garden are are terrific.
I wish my tennis court looked as good as that one you photographed.....mine needs painted white lines which have faded to zilch.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 24, 2022 15:01:21 GMT
very tall hedges cut into a pointed roof shape.  Oooo ~ thanks for pointing those out, Tod! I was lusting after the plants for sale & completely missed the hedges, which are magnificent. |
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 24, 2022 15:29:00 GMT
Looks like an excellent visit of discovery. Although you will almost certainly stun us with the upcoming photos, I am happy to see "ordinary" things for the moment.
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Post by fumobici on Jun 24, 2022 18:51:12 GMT
This is fantastic, I adore this garden! I love the box hedge with the peaked "roof", I hope the pest that destroyed my boxwoods in Italy never makes it up there.
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Post by lugg on Jun 24, 2022 19:33:03 GMT
Thank you all. Bixa I think you are probably right re the tennis courts ; I guess the ground was flat enough and ready for that type of change of use. ( Tod - you have a tennis court - do you play or family members ?) I have found little so far about the family - but I will have another look. I guess I need to split my search ie Snead and Cox Fumobici - I hope the pest that destroyed my boxwoods in Italy never makes it up there. ... oh no I missed that I think |
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Post by lugg on Jun 24, 2022 19:37:53 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 24, 2022 19:50:26 GMT
Okay, now you are dazzling us as expected.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 24, 2022 22:25:31 GMT
Gosh! I don't know what I was expecting exactly, but this place is quite a surprise.
No one loves lush, over-packed English gardens more than I, but the sheer restraint in the landscaping of this property is totally compelling. It makes each romantic touch, such as the tumbling old-fashioned roses, all the lovelier. But it really shines as an expansive, mind-freeing contemplative space.
Your pictures brilliantly capture the many invitations to stop and take it all in.
I have to say that I'm totally in love with the sculptural metal bench in its own miniature beech(?) grove, but the clever marriage of tradition & tech achieved by putting the solar panels in the ha-ha is a real triumph as well.
Is it possible that the constellations disc is some kind of a fountain, maybe with lights in it?
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Post by bjd on Jun 25, 2022 6:53:31 GMT
I too wondered whether the zodiac disc was a fountain.
In my opinion, this garden is nicer than some of the others you have shown us, Lugg. Of course, the size and perfection of the plants are beyond anything ordinary gardeners can do, but it seems more accessible and has fewer gimmicky things to attract tourists. It looks like a beautiful place to wander around or sit and look at the scenery. I just wish my nepeta (carmint) did so well.
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Post by lugg on Jun 25, 2022 18:56:40 GMT
It would be interesting to know how and where the family lived in all that time before commissioning a house in the mid 19th century & why then, for that matter I had attempted to find this out before but today I had time on my hands so really made an effort . I had much more luck in finding about the family history by separating out the names eg Snead and Cox . So in short - prior to the building by Richard Snead Cox , there was no house here; it was purely farming land but part of the family estates. The main house was at Eaton Bishop some miles away. However after Richard Snead Cox (1820-1899) married Maria Teresa Weld Cox (1828-1886) he decided that he needed to move out of the family home at Eaton Bishop and, having inherited Broxwood, he decided to build their home there. The family history is fascinating with most of the history not available on the web but it is archived in Herefordshire archives from the late 1500s. Here is a little more ancient history, The Cox family, now lords of the Manors of Broxwood and Eaton Bishop, in the county of Hereford, and of Souldern, Oxon, claim descent from Clement Cox, a favourite of Queen Emma, mother of Edward the Confessor. Edward bestowed on him the government of the western parts of the realm, and raised him to a high position at court. His son, who was created an earl, fought with his retainers on behali of Harold at the battle of IIastings, but afterwards submitted to the Conqueror, and was entrusted by William with the governorship of the country north of the Tyne.He lost his life endenvouring to suppress one of the Saxon insurrections. The son of this Earl Cox, Clement, is said to have acquired large estates in Herefordshire. In the reign of Henry VI. Sir Gabriel Cox, who married A. de Grey, was a zealous partizan of the House of Lancaster, and was killed at the battle of Tewkesbury. His son John was a great favourite of Henry VII. and Henry VIII., and his grandson, John Cox, was a courtier in the reign of Mary. At the accession of Elizabeth he lost his court favour, and, entering the Spanish service, spent nearly 30 years in the various engagements between the Spaniards and the Dutch. He eventually lost his life in the battle of Neimport in Flanders, under archduke Albert of Austria. His son Richard, returning to England, was knighted by James I., on his accession, and spent the remainder of his life peaceably on his estate. His son, also named Richard, served in the office of High Sheriff of Herefordshire in the reign of James I. He was offered a baronetcy by Charles I., but declined the honour. When the civil war broke out, he, with a regiment raised from his estates, declared for the king, and this troop of horse, led by himself and his son, rendered good service to the royal cause. He was killed at the battle of Naseby by a musket shot in the groin. His son erected a monument of black marble to his memory, which recites that “he was 24th titular Earl Cox, was Colonel of a regiment of horse for his late royal master, King Charles, of blessed memory, sparing no difficulties or expenses for the best of causes, but persisting in spite of all dangers in loyalty to his sovereign, as he sufficiently manifested in the late fight of Naseby, where he fell fighting for his king and country. Of whose soul Jesu have mercy.” His son Richard was a sufferer also for the royal cause, the greater part of his fortune being spent in the king's service. The rebel troops burnt down his house and destroyed his property, and he was declared by the Parliament guilty of high treason. His son, Sir John Cox, a naval officer, served with distinction during the reign of Charles. He was disgraced by the Commonwealth, but at the Restoration received the honour of knighthood, together with the command of the Prince man-of-war. At the outbreak of hostilities with the Dutch he was appointed commander of His Majesty's fleet, and during the obstimately contended battle of Sole's Bay, while serving under the Duke of York, he was killed by a cannon ball, 28th May, 1672, in the 63rd year of his age. By his wife, a daughter of Samuel Delahay, Esq., he had an only son, Gabriel Cox, of Farmingham Lodge, Kent, who, like his ancestor, was conspicuous for his loyalty, aud at the abdication of James II., followed his king to France and advanced large sums of money to relieve his royal master's necessities. He was killed out hunting with the king in the forest of St Gerinain's, near which place he was buried, and an elegy was written to his memory by Sir Roger Lestrange.† The said Gabriel married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Snead, Esq., of Eaton Bishop, Herefordshire, by whom he had five sons and three daughters. The eldest son, Samuel, followed the profession of the law, and died suddenly at Farningham Lodge, in 1715. He married Alicia, daughter of Richard Kilby, Esq., of Souldern, and left two sons, Samuel, who succeeded him in his estates, and Gabriel, who married Mary, daughter of Richard Walker, Esq., of Brailes, by whom he had two sons, Robert Kilby, who inherited his uncle's property, and Samuel, of Eaton Bishop.Later on I will tell you a little about some sad events in the family's more modern history |
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Post by lugg on Jun 25, 2022 19:02:48 GMT
Thank you all for your comments; so glad youare enjoying this garden with me. I think that you are both probably correct Bixa and Htmb re the the zodiac slab being a fountain. the sculptural metal bench in its own miniature beech(?) grove, Such a lovely place to sit - ps I think they are silver birch |
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Post by lugg on Jun 25, 2022 19:06:21 GMT
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Post by lugg on Jun 25, 2022 19:22:32 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 25, 2022 21:23:12 GMT
I like seeing the lush watery areas because the drought is so bad in France that entire rivers have dried up, like the Loire. And some of the gorges in the south have the water 6 metres below what it should be.
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Post by bjd on Jun 26, 2022 6:51:44 GMT
Incredible huge rhododendron bushes.
In our town, on the grass in the big park by the lake as well as other larger municipal areas they also do what they call "tonte raisonnée" or "tonte différenciée", where they leave swaths of longer grass.
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Post by fumobici on Jun 26, 2022 19:12:11 GMT
More beautiful pictures! Heavenly.
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Post by tod2 on Jun 27, 2022 15:10:06 GMT
Oh crikey! What a fantastic place. I am so grateful to you for showing us this splendour which I'm sure I will never get to see " Ïn real life". Just too wonderful for words Lugg.
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Post by htmb on Jun 27, 2022 15:33:56 GMT
Loving this so much, Lugg! What an interesting place, and the carvings are a wonderful touch.
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Post by lugg on Jun 27, 2022 18:55:42 GMT
Thank you guys- much appreciated.
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Post by lugg on Jun 27, 2022 18:58:28 GMT
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Post by bjd on Jun 28, 2022 7:12:17 GMT
At first I thought you meant that Wolfie had an unfortunate name, then saw the poem about a dog. Yes, I guess Boris is going to affect name-giving for a while.
Thank you for mentioning kites. I looked to see what they are called in French (milan) because there are lots here too. My husband identifies them by their wingtips that look like fingers.
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Post by tod2 on Jun 28, 2022 14:02:34 GMT
The most beautiful little chapel to suddenly come across! I did get a lump in my throat when I read the young mens ages. Just boys. It makes me feel so sad. Wasted lives and pain with sorrow for their families forever.
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Post by lugg on Jun 28, 2022 19:10:44 GMT
I did get a lump in my throat when I read the young mens ages. Just boys. It makes me feel so sad. Wasted lives and pain with sorrow for their families foreve Me too Tod - such a waste. My husband identifies them by their wingtips that look like fingers. Yes but the tail of a kite is forked as opposed to buzzrds etc so that also helps with id. |
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Post by lugg on Jun 28, 2022 19:17:18 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 29, 2022 2:06:19 GMT
The family history is fascinating with most of the history not available on the web but it is archived in Herefordshire archives from the late 1500s. Fascinating, indeed! I could see someone weaving it into a series of historical novels. Thank you SO much for looking all that up. the rather gorgeous replacement It really, really is. I kept flicking back & forth comparing the two and just love how the new one references the old one, but is actually rather better. Peonies! Poppies! I would have died from happiness in those borders. The Abbot Who Came to Dinner ~ ?? The views going towards the ponds & looking back from them are as fine and expansive as English landscape gardening can be. I am in love with Broxwood Court! The ponds are of course wonderful, and the whimsy of the carved benches seems a touch designed to make the family happy & a reminder to visitors that this is a family's home. Great shot of the red-tailed kite. The arboretum is magnificent & so beautifully integrated into the rest of the grounds. Poor Boris -- you just know he was a good boy & his name was neutral when he got it. I was admiring the little chapel & thinking how nice and prettily placed it was ...... then read about the lost boys. The continuing obscenity of wars. The Avenue is beautiful -- what a great walk, especially with the prize of lemon drizzle cake awaiting you at the end. This is a real treat of a report, Lugg, and your favorite image at the end is winner. Thank you!
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Post by lugg on Jun 29, 2022 18:54:40 GMT
Thank you Bixa, so glad you enjoyed viewing this garden I neglected to post this other link that I found on my searches for the family history - one of the sons of Richard Snead Cox was an artist who ended up in the US initially in San Fransisco and latterly New York - some of the history may interest you and others. tonymillett.tripod.com/cox.html?fbclid=IwAR3XNJgAilA3812QpJa5UYnm8xNHNon9jQfgz_rCZSLjnz_QdVujgYh7mA8here are a few edited snippets from the link above Walter Ignatius Cox (1867-1930) was an English-born California painter who seems to have thus far escaped scholarly notice .Cox married Lavinia Carson Millett (1869-1933) of Hampshire in 1897. The couple emigrated to the United States in 1904, settling in San Francisco, where Cox opened a portrait studio on Van Ness Avenue. Unfortunately, just as Cox was establishing himself in the Bay Area, the 1906 earthquake struck, followed by the conflagration, and like most of the other residents he lost almost everything, including the major works described above. His small cottage, located on Sacramento Street, near the intersection of Franklin and Van Ness, was one of the last to be consumed by the out-of-control fire. The loss of an artist’s production meant that not only was his inventory gone, but also his creative history, his sketches, studies, and sample portraits. The Oakland Tribune dramatized the situation of the artists and sculptors for its readers, who had watched the catastrophe from across the bay with horror: The studios of San Francisco which were destroyed – and they were all laid in common ruin – represented the work of years not only of the owners, but also of the kindred souls possessed of genius and the restoration of them and their contents can be accomplished only by hand.
And the summary.. Like many society painters, he was described as “genial and gentlemanly” and having the “faculty for making friends by his personality as well as creating admirers by his brush.” Cox was known for achieving a good likeness and many of his commissions were for full-length portraits in the grand manner. His upbringing and education gave him a scholarly air which gave his sitter’s confidence in his taste as well as his artistic ability. Those who sat for portraits by Cox included President Warren G. Harding (1865-1923) and former President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court William Howard Taft (1857-1930). The link has images of some of his work. one of which in particular reminds me of Broxwood - " The Garden By The House" |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 30, 2022 3:45:09 GMT
Oh, thanks for that, which is most interesting, although just awful about the fire. I looked at all the pictures, too, and found it amusing that his self-portrait is a good bit better than some of his lady subjects, who must have preferred
flattery for theirs. And yes, The Garden by the House is surely Broxwood, especially if you look at your 4th picture down in reply #13.
Again, that family is fodder for fictional dramatization! Thanks for the expanded information.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 30, 2022 14:27:50 GMT
English society has always been a hotbed of drama, and we must thank them for that. Even the Japanese and the Koreans base a lot of their terrible tales on events that actually happened in Great Britain. Whether or not people like Agatha Christie, it is undeniable that the English countryside provided a huge number of her crime plots.
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