Oxhill News

www.oxhill.com / www.oxhill.org.uk

South Warwickshire, England.

The Oxhill News

November 2016

This months News

Contents

 

Garden Club

On Thursday 15th September, a week later than scheduled, members were treated to a talk by local historian Andrew Baxter titled Edgehill – Tales of Tea Gardens and Tragedy.  The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw an influx of visitors wanting to see the then famous Roman ruins located opposite the now Castle Hotel & Restaurant at Edgehill. So much so that some half a dozen tearooms existed in this tiny hamlet of just sixteen dwellings to cater (sic) for the refreshment needs of the curious.

“What Roman ruins?” you may well ask, for not a trace (well, just three stones) remains today. The imposing ‘ruins’ in fact were built in the 1740s as a folly to the designs of Radway Estate owner and amateur architect Sanderson Miller who also commissioned the castle with its octagonal tower to be built in mock Gothic style in Hornton stone quarried locally. Indeed we were shown slides of Andrew’s own sunken garden naturally ‘walled’ by this Jurassic ironstone.

Andrew illustrated his talk with pictures of today alongside contemporary postcards and photographs featuring the various tea gardens. He also brought along examples of the now very collectible pottery and ornaments sold to visitors as souvenirs of the occasion.

Having entertained his audience with this vignette of a little known aspect of Edgehill’s history, Andrew whetted our interest by mentioning the Edge Hill Light Railway that once transported quarried ironstone to the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway for onward shipment – but that, hopefully, is another story, or perhaps a visit, for a future Garden Club event.

The above meeting was the first in our 2016/17 winter programme.  Future meetings will be held on the second Thursday of the month rather than the third as has been the case previously.  We look forward to welcoming friends old and new to our next talk A Show Garden for Malvern – how we did it! by Alan Franklin of Pro Gardens Ltd. on 10th  November, 7.15 for a 7.30 start in the Village Hall. 

Douglas Nethercleft

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Last modified: November 18, 2016