Wickham Bishops Horticultural Club

We have spoken to the site warden and the daffodils are flowering later than usual because of the cold winter.  So we have changed the date from that originally advertised.

Miss Willmot was a renowned gardener at the start of the twentieth century. She was one of two women awarded the RHS medal of honour in the Queen Victorias jubilee in 1897, the other was Gertrude Jekyll.

She was left a fortune which she spent on her garden creating one of the most celebrate gardens in the country between 1880 and 1920s. Queen Mary and many others visited the gardens at Warley place.

After her death the gardens deteriorated and following the Second World War the house was pulled down. Now the gardens are a magical ruin. The remains of the conservatory remain, the outline of the greenhouses and cold frames, the rocks from the Alpine stream and ravine.

She was a daffodil enthusiast and enormous swathes of daffodils remain throughout the grounds that are now managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. That’s the prime reason for our visit on Tuesday March 18th this year.

Entry to the gardens are free, but I have arranged a guided tour at the cost of £5 per person to be collected and paid on the day.

We will meet at the garden entrance for the tour to start at 11:00 on March 18th. There is limited parking and so sharing cars would be ideal, there will be details sent closer to the time of an alternative car park park that we will be asked to use.

This trip is limited to a maximum of 30 people, on a first come first served basis. If you wish to attend please e mail gcrawle1@icloud.com. The £5 will be collected in cash on the morning of the visit.

Essex wildlife trust, Warley Place, Warley road, Great Warley, Brentwood, CM13 3HU