Welcome back to the Bath House & Physic Garden!
The garden continued to flourish during August, including the scented blooms of our wide range of medicinal herbs. An eagle-eyed volunteer spotted a Mint Moth on the Marjoram early in the month. This was quite an achievement, since the moth is less than 2cm from wing-tip to wing-tip, but beautiful when seen up close. Its caterpillars feed on mint leaves, and other related plants, but since we are not short of these we are happy to share with such a small and lovely visitor! Other insect visitors included a number of ladybirds in a wide variety of colours and spot patterns.
This month was also when some of our volunteer team took well-deserved holidays – some for the first time since the pandemic. The consequence for the blogger is that there are fewer photos of the garden, but we were rather pleased with that one of the moth! Also because of holidays, this year we were unable to host Congleton Jazz and Blues on the last weekend of August, so the team’s efforts went instead towards our annual opening for Heritage Open Days in September. The lawns were mowed in readiness for setting up the gazebos for our stalls; the borders were tidied; and the Bath House got a good airing. The garden itself was in preparation, as after the plentiful sunshine and rain there was an excellent crop of rosehips on the hedge near the Bath House.
We had a fine day, though it was rather hot, and this may have been the reason for a slightly lower attendance than usual. However, our friend Barbara Wilkinson of the Herb Society enthralled plenty of visitors with her extensive knowledge of the medicinal properties of our plants. I quote here from comments by a first-time visitor, reviewing the day on the HODs website: I already had some knowledge about traditional medicine and herbs, but the tour guide has reawakened my interest in the subject… Was an added bonus to be able to purchase plant cuttings afterwards..
Meanwhile, our volunteer David told the story of our site and the restoration of the historic buildings. From the same visitor: I must also mention the additional tour on the same property, which was the Bath House… Another fascinating tour by a knowledgeable guide.
This visitor was under the impression that the site is only open on special days. The historic Bath House is kept locked, for obvious reasons; but tours for individuals and groups can be arranged by contacting us through the website. The garden, however, welcomes visitors all year round, free of charge. And in October we heard that, once again, the Bath House & Physic Garden had gained ‘Outstanding’ in the RHS In Bloom awards in the category ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’. This is the 7th year of achieving this standard, and is very gratifying to have the team’s creativity and hard work recognised in this way.
We are also happy to have welcomed a few more volunteers over the last few months. They have already made a huge difference – reorganising the composting area, and coming up with fresh ideas for getting children interested in the garden. Anyone thinking of volunteering should call in on a Monday morning to speak to one of the team: we welcome all offers of help for any aspect of the site.
As the autumn approaches the team is working on the buildings and landscaping, not only routine tasks such as gutter clearance and maintenance of the listed stone seat, but also tackling the larger projects. Work began, earlier in the year, on hard surfaces and paths to improve access and safety, and we have completed the area between the Bath House and the utility building. As a totally volunteer-run organisation, our team appreciate the amenity of our utility building: kitchen, washing and toilet facilities, plus secure storage. On his recent visit, the Chair of North West in Bloom commented on the importance of providing an appropriate environment for volunteer groups. In his experience this was often lacking or overlooked, so he was impressed with our provision. We’ve noted before how indebted we are to local charities, as without their financial support these facilities would not have been possible.
The team has now started work on the other paths and around the steps, which will increase accessibility and safety for visitors especially in inclement weather, but also add a new aesthetic to the hard landscaping. The reclaimed paving stone is blending in beautifully with the buildings, along with the gravel and stone borders. This is a big project, made possible again by our ever-generous local funders, and largely undertaken by the indefatigable Nick. It is likely to keep us busy throughout the late autumn and winter months, undeterred by the chilly weather.
But would our team fancy a dip in a cold water plunge pool? We have recently found more examples of buildings relevant to our own Bath House. Ours is a simple two-storey building incorporating a plunge pool with a warming room above, dating from around 1820. At the end of September David visited a somewhat grander, 18th century plunge pool at the Water Tower at Carshalton House. https://carshaltonwatertower.co.uk In October, an article in The Guardian enthused about the discovery of an 18thcentury cold water plunge pool, under a floor in Bath, that they seemed to think was a unique survival; so our Chair, John Cockell, wrote to inform them otherwise, and they published his letter. Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I admired the one in the 1870 Turkish Bath Suite at Cragside, a National Trust property in Northumberland, not far from where I now live. It is interesting to consider these different representations of an enduring belief in the health benefits of cold water bathing. And one has only to think of the current craze for open water / wild swimming…
Less energetic visitors will be pleased to know that the garden remains open during the winter, and there is always something to admire, whatever the season. We leave you for now, with our best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthy New Year, thanking you for all your support, and looking forward to welcoming you in 2024.
