This
was our third talk of the autumn season delivered head gardener, Ken
Swift of Lingholm Estate, Keswick when he revealed the history of the
estate and kitchen garden from as early as 1860 to it's reinvention
today.
Ken's
father, Mike was head gardener at Lingholm in the 1980s /90s. Indeed
Ken was born on the estate; so it was a special privilege for him to
return to Lingholm in 2014 to take up his post.
The
original strain of the Lingholm Poppy was brought back to Lingholm in
2014 by Mike Swift, who had kept them growing at his new home on the
Isle of Mull after he left Lingholm and kindly re-introduced onto the
estate.
Lingholm
had achieved recognition in the horticultural world in the 1980’s
with the naming of the Lingholm Poppy (Meconopsis Lingholm), a livid
blue poppy recognised by Dad, Mike Swift as a new strain. This strain
was fertile whereas all other known blue poppies had previously been
sterile.
http://www.meconopsis.org/indivsp/linghist.html
RHS
: Meconopsis (Fertile Blue Group) 'Lingholm'
Cultivation
Thrives in areas with cool, damp summers. The soil needs to be
neutral to slightly acidic, moist but well-drained and enriched with
leaf mould or humus. The site should be partially shaded with shelter
from cold, dry winds
Propagation
Propagate by seed or by division after flowering but can be
short-lived
Ken's
important initial brief was to reinterpret the walled garden for use
by the public today. The design exercise was easily executed by Ken
whose background was in garden design. However he and his team have
had some horticultural challenges to deal with.
As
far back as 1860, OS maps have shown the presence of an octagonal
garden at Lingholm and this is considered to be the site of the
original productive garden.
Beatrix Potter spent
ten summer holidays at Lingholm over a twenty two year period,
between 1885 and 1907.
“ The
origins of the Peter Rabbit story go back some years before the book
was published. On the 4th of September 1893 Beatrix sent an eight
page picture letter to Noel Moore, her former governess’s son,
about four little rabbits named Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter
who lived in a sandbank under a big fir tree.
By
piecing together the letters and the timeline, it is certain that
Lingholm played some part in the origins of the most popular rabbit
story of all time.”
 |
Above:
Sketch of the Lingholm Kitchen Garden by Beatrix Potter
©
The National Trust, with kind permission from Frederick Warne &
Co
|
During
the First World War, with Lord Rochdale away commanding his regiment,
Lingholm was given over by the family to the Voluntary Aid Detachment
(VAD’s) for use as a Military convalescent home for officers, where
remarkably no deaths recorded.
It
is likely that during this time, the octagonal garden was demolished
and extended to the size of a larger oval kitchen garden; which
served both as a season food source and for occupational therapy
purposes. Interestingly Ken has found the remains of a yew hedge
which was likely planted at this time – Ken had counted 100 rings
on one of the yew stumps!
(Tip
– yew can regenerate from the base upwards if given appropriate
feed e.g. seaweed)
The
new walled garden is south facing with a new greenhouse made from
powder coated aluminium (so much easier to cope with the wet Cumbrian
climate than wood) making a focal point. Ken has repositioned two
70-80 year old vines on the estate, Vitis
vinifera 'Muscat of Alexandria - within
the greenhouse.
Doors
from the house have been repositioned in the garden as the main
gates.
Ken
is still keen to include a pond, to reflect the one which Beatrix
Potter illustrated in The
Tale of Peter Rabbit.
The
three meter high walls are made from reclaimed bricks c. 1800s from
Liverpool. This allows for an enclosed microclimate for fruit and
veg to prosper. Two decorative grilles have been inserted in the
walls either side of the greenhouse; hopefully allowing cold air to
escape during the winter, reducing frost pockets.
Later
once the structures were in place 600 tonnes of graded, ericaceous
top soil was added to the beds mixed with cattle manure. Instead of
risking issues with blight, Ilex
crenata
compacta
(Japanese Holly) has been used for hedging rather than box.
(Tip
- In summer the bees have loved the white flowers of the Ilex
crenata
but
Ken warns us to be careful when clipping this hedge, as it is
fragile.)
https://thelingholmestate.co.uk/the-estate/history-of-lingholm
Written by PMR
Various
reference sources used including Lingholm's website
