Tuesday, 3 July, 2012
SHROPSHIRE DELIGHTS’
The Story of a Magical Garden & Incredible House
SHROPSHIRE DELIGHTS’
The Story of a Magical Garden & Incredible House
This will be an unmissable opportunity to visit two private venues. We will ta
ke you first to The Dower House, Morville Hall, which for the last 23 years has been the home of Dr. Katherine Swift, author of the much acclaimed book, ‘The Morville Hours’. The author created a dreamlike garden out of a field beside her Shropshire house. The book is a description of the genesis of that garden with digressions into history, herbalism, religion and the uses and growing habits of the plants she seeks to cultivate. This is a must for anyone with an interest in gardens, books, history, geography, geology, biography, beekeeping and any number of other subjects which Katherine Swift cleverly weaves into her book. We will have a private visit here with coffee on arrival and a personally conducted tour by this much acclaimed author and, above all, lover of gardens.
ke you first to The Dower House, Morville Hall, which for the last 23 years has been the home of Dr. Katherine Swift, author of the much acclaimed book, ‘The Morville Hours’. The author created a dreamlike garden out of a field beside her Shropshire house. The book is a description of the genesis of that garden with digressions into history, herbalism, religion and the uses and growing habits of the plants she seeks to cultivate. This is a must for anyone with an interest in gardens, books, history, geography, geology, biography, beekeeping and any number of other subjects which Katherine Swift cleverly weaves into her book. We will have a private visit here with coffee on arrival and a personally conducted tour by this much acclaimed author and, above all, lover of gardens.
The day will culminate in a magnificent visit to the Grade I Stanley Hall, Bridgnorth, which has been the family home of the Thompson family for 75 years. Our hosts will be Michael and Claire Thompson. Michael was the Director of Christie’s for the West Midlands for many years and Claire is a Cordon-Bleu cook. Claire will prepare a delicious 2 course lunch for us and afterwards Michael will take us on a tour of his beautiful home, filled with priceless antiques, which only a connoisseur would acquire. In addition, we can visit his newly restored ice-house, which will be an unusual sight to see. Stanley Hall is never open to the public.