ABC Wednesday 4: W is for...

... Walsingham

Sometimes I'm amazed at how little I know about my own country and its history: I didn't know a place like Walsingham existed until a couple of weeks ago. During medieval times, this was the second most popular destination for pilgrims in England - Canterbury was the first - all because Lady Richeldis had visions of the Virgin Mary in 1061.

Today pilgrims still make their way to Walsingham and shrines and churches of the Catholic, Anglican and Russian Orthodox faiths are crammed into an otherwise small village. Many of the houses seem to be used for housing pilgrims, with glazed pottery plaques dedicated to the saints adorning their walls. I say seem as the door of the one dedicated to St. Anne opened whilst we were passing to reveal a bent old lady intent on watering her potted plants. This made me think some of them might be almshouses. Even the village shops are in on the act - there's a gift shop with a nice line in the largest, most ornate crib scenes you could ever wish for, even in June. The secondhand bookshop reflects the village's heritage in name, stock and the appearance of its owner in the window (click on the picture for a larger image). Here Theology takes up half of the shop's space and Gardening is reduced to sitting alongside others on the single shelf dedicated to Hobbies.

The entrance to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham has a Mediterranean feel to it reminiscent of a Spanish patio garden. It's a place unlike any other I've been to in the UK - the link gives you a good idea of what's there. Inside all is candles, ornate carvings and little notices like the one pictured. Outside again, at the back is a lush, peaceful garden containing lots of lavender, alliums, geraniums, roses and waving Stipa gigantea. It was a lovely spot for a quiet stroll and the shrine's refectory did a very nice, reasonably priced cup of tea and coffee to round off our visit before we took the steam train back to Wells-Next-The-Sea. NAH now has lots of incentive to keep on with his low very fat diet as he's managed to reduce his cholesterol level to an acceptable one without needing to take tablets, so we didn't have any of the tempting cakes on offer :(

PS W is also for... WaterAid. Our choir will be taking part in Sing for Water South West in Bristol on Saturday, a major fundraiser for this very Worthwhile charity. I'll be telling you more about it on Friday. In the meantime, you might like to have a look at my Open Garden blog. This will tell you all about my Sing for Water experiences in London last year as well as giving you a full tour of my garden.

For more Wonderful posts, do visit the ABC Wednesday blog.

Comments

  1. Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen24 June 2009 at 09:59

    Now that's what I like to do sometime going for a ride on a steam train.

    I've heard of a Lord Walsingham before, something to do with Henry 8 I think.

    No cake with your tea/coffee? Bummer! But it's all for a good case. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. CanadianGardenJoy24 June 2009 at 11:52

    Hello there VP girl !
    I really regret we did not get over to the UK wilst living in Holland .. I think the fact that everyone drives on the wrong side of the road would have given me a heart attack ? LOL
    Seriously .. there would have been so many great places to see .. let alone the list of gardens : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carrie24 June 2009 at 14:15

    I think i need to do a wee tour around England and try to find some of these little havens. Plus, I have never been on a steam train in my life though there is one in the next town from us that does day trips in the summer, maybe this year?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rose24 June 2009 at 17:41

    I've never heard of Walsingham before; I'm impressed if it is the second most visited shrine next to Canterbury, a place I would love to visit! I'm wondering why only 3 petitions for intercessions are allowed, though:)

    Enjoyed the photos and commentary on your last post about front gardens. Here in my area I am seeing more and more homes that have ripped up their front lawn and turned it into an entire garden. The norm, though, is still lawn with a few shrubs.

    I'm still working on getting some "about town" shots. It's been so hot here, though, that I am trying not to go out much during the day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mara24 June 2009 at 20:24

    It's always the case isn't it, you know more about other countries/regions than you do about your own!
    Good W

    ReplyDelete
  6. Victoria Summerley24 June 2009 at 20:34

    I'd love to visit Walsingham. I've always hankered after one of their icons. It's also known as 'England's Nazareth'. In answer to Rose's query about the limit on intercessions, I think it's to do with the sheer numbers of pilgrims. If you want someone to pray for you, as well as everybody else, you've got to give them a chance to work their way through all the requests.
    I must say, VP, your posts have really inspired me to spend a holiday in Norfolk. You ought to be getting commission from the tourist board!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Q25 June 2009 at 15:54

    One of the joys of ABC Wednesday for me is all the learning! Not only am I looking at close to home but when I visit others I learn about their areas! So interesting!
    Thanks ,
    Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dragonstar25 June 2009 at 16:10

    Very interesting. I knew of Walsingham, but not in any detail. Fascinating that it can be traced back to 1061. It looks a lovely place. And the steam train trip must have rounded it all off so very nicely!
    On, behalf of the ABC Team, thanks for your continued and valued participation.

    ReplyDelete
  9. VP26 June 2009 at 08:22

    Yolanda - marriage to NAH means steam train rides are a relatively frequent occurence. Might you be thinking of Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth I's advisor and chief spymaster? I looked him up and there doesn't appear to be a connection with the Walsingham family and their namesake family. Don't worry about cake - I manage to sneak off and have some with friends from time to time - e.g. I had some wonderful chocolate orange cake at Lacock Flower Festival last Sunday :P

    Joy - you get used to our left handedness after a while. I think you'd like it over here, shame you didn't get the chance whilst you were in Holland, but I suspect you were spoilt for choice on places to go over there too!

    Carrie - sounds like you've just thought of a good day out for you and Andy as well as your next holiday :)

    Rose - it's a very quaint place and quite peculiar. I suspect there's very few places like it over here. I see Victoria's answered your question already. I'm looking forward to seeing your street planting photos when you have them - this weekend perhaps?

    Mara - I like the constant surprise!

    Victoria - it's called England's Nazareth because Lady Richelden's vision told her to build the shrine like the one at Nazereth. It was built in the wrong place and legend has it that she saw a second vision of the Virgin Mary and lo! In the morning, the shrine had not only moved itself, it was much better built than the skills of the local craftsman could muster! We enjoyed Norfolk, but it is rather flat. NAH and I climbed up Cherhill (where one of Wiltshire's White Horses is, plus loads of other interesting things) on Wednesday, as we felt we needed to get up high and get a good view!

    Sherry - welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed your visit :)

    Dragonstar - let's see what can be conjured up for X shall we ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anna26 June 2009 at 21:51

    An excellent choice for W VP. The garden looks a most tranquil spot.

    ReplyDelete
  11. VP28 June 2009 at 16:36

    Anna - It was most peaceful and full of scent :)

    ReplyDelete

New comments are not allowed.

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter,
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi
Read more