Archives

2011 AGM & Conference Visit To Broughton Castle

Bathed in sunshine the honey-coloured stone of Broughton Castle, near Banbury, was a beautiful sight to behold as we enjoyed our morning coffee. Built as a manor house in about 1300 by Sir John de Broughton, the greater part survives to this day together with the moat. In 1377 it was bought by the Bishop of Winchester - a convenient base as he was overseeing the building of New College, Oxford. It passed to his great-nephew, Sir Thomas Wykeham who obtained a licence to ‘crenellate and embattle’ in 1406, then to that incumbent’s granddaughter who married Sir William Fiennes. This is a familiar surname to us today and perhaps one of the reasons that Broughton Castle was featured in Shakespeare in Love (starring Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow) as Viola de Lessop’s home.

Historians will also think of Celia Fiennes, a plucky young woman who, with two friends, travelled the length and breadth of England on horseback in the late seventeenth century. Sir William Fiennes later became the second Lord Saye and Sele. ‘Saye’ relates to land owned in France where Henry VIII met Francis I on the Field of Cloth of Gold, and ‘Sele’ is Seal in Kent.

Our tour of the house was led by a well-informed guide and started in the Great Hall which incorporates the original hall of 1300. Buildings do not stand still, however, and large sixteenth century windows illuminate a beautiful eighteenth century ceiling, portraits and suits of armour, including some items from the Civil War. Passing a spiral staircase that leads to the solar, we entered the current dining room which was an undercroft in the medieval house. Here we surprised Lady Saye who appeared with a duster hoping to polish the tables before we arrived! Moving on we arrived in Queen Anne’s Room, so called as she slept there in 1604. A squint in the corner of the room provides a view of the fourteenth century private chapel with original tiles and some magnificent stained glass. The long gallery was remodelled in the Gothick style in the eighteenth century; the doors are exquisite and there are many family portraits. There isn’t sufficient space to go into the detail that such an excellent property deserves, so suffice to say that the King’s Chamber, the Great Parlour, the Council Chamber, the Oak Room and treading the leads offered further delights. I urge those who were unable to visit with us to get there as soon as they can.

Our visit ended on a real high with a tour of the garden led by Lord and Lady Saye who are enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable gardeners. Down some steps from the house one enters the walled garden which is on the site of the sixteenth century kitchens. It is breathtakingly beautiful with box-edged fleur de lys beds filled with luxuriant planting including roses, verbascum and salvias that continued in the long borders along the boundary walls. Outside the enclosed garden, on the other side of the walls, clematis scrambled joining another exuberant display of planting. In short, it was heavenly and I, for one, wouldn’t have been anywhere else on earth at that moment. I think quite a few others felt the same! It is incredible that just one gardener achieves all this, but I have a feeling a bit of deadheading might be done by Lord and Lady Saye so I’ve sent them some ‘Herbies’ on behalf of the Society. Opening times vary – see www.broughtoncastle.com or call 01295 276070

Gwenneth Raybould

Herb Society Garden On BBC's Escape To The Country!

During the summer of 2011 the BBC came to Sulgrave Manor and filmed Council member Cheryl Waller in the Society's herb garden. She was shown discussing herbs with a couple who were looking for a new home in the area. The programme was aired on 23 December 2011 on BBC 1.

To see the Herb Society's garden at Sulgrave Manor take a virtual tour

Peter Leyel, Patron of the Herb Society and grandson of Hilda Leyel our founder, has provided images of paintings created by his great grandmother, Mary Anne Wauton, née Denton, in the early 1840s. The paintings come from a 'Ladies Album' owned by Hilda. At the back are photographs c.1853 of Burpham in Sussex where Hilda's mother Elizabeth Anne Wauton, née Drewitt, was born and married in 1879. One of the pages is signed MAW so Peter feels confident that the album belonged to Hilda Leyel.

Elizabeth Anne Wauton, née Drewitt, was the sister of Dr F. Dawtrey Drewitt, author of such books as 'The Romance of the Apothercaries Garden at Chelsea' and 'On the Latin Names of Common Flowers: Their Pronunciation and History'. Dr Dawtrey Drewitt was no doubt a huge influence on his niece, Hilda, and her love of health, herbs and nature.

As well as being an eminent physician, he represented the Royal College of Physicians on the committee of management of the Chelsea Physic Garden and became its vice-chairman. He was also a council member of the Zoological Society and served as a committee member of the British Ornithological Union. In his spare time Dr Dawtrey Drewitt made many water colour paintings and pencil drawings of birds, nature and wild flowers. He even had an interest in astronomy.