John Stebbing, secretary of the Walsham Open Gardens Trust and a member of the
organising committee, unveils another action-packed August bank holiday weekend
‘When you say to someone on the phone that you live in a place called Walsham le Willows I guarantee they will respond with "oh that sounds nice". And indeed it is, in fact it’s a very nice place.' So says Collen Baker, chair of the Walsham Open Gardens Weekend Trust, busy helping to organise this years’ event.
Walsham le Willows sits south of the main A143, between Bury St Edmunds and Diss, and about 10 miles from both, a route that preserves the tranquillity of this charming little village with a river running through part of its main street, a tributary of the Great Ouse 50 miles away.
Walsham is well known for Clarkes of Walsham, the builders merchants, but it is also the location of one of the best and longest running open gardens weekends in the region, now in its 42nd year.
The event was originally conceived as a way of raising much needed funds for the restoration and upkeep of St Mary the Virgin, the magnificent 15th century church that sits at the heart of Walsham. The current fine condition of the Church is a testimony to the success of the event over the years and now the surplus funds are shared with other village organisations and clubs, of which there are many in this thriving community.
Ina Blyth at Maltings House, now 95, has been opening her lovely walled garden for most of those 42 years.
'In the time I have been opening my garden its been enormous fun,' she says, 'especially when the late Peter Seabrook came to interview me for the television in the late 90s. The downside was that, as a result, the village was swamped with people over the gardens weekend, the cakes ran out and the baking went on long into the night.'
This year’s event will have more than 35 gardens with space for visitors to enjoy them. Organisers feel that by maintaining the £8 a head entrance charge, giving entry on both days, they are providing real value for money.
The gardens range from very large to minuscule, and a lovely traffic island, planted to celebrate the 40th year, is a total joy. Each element of the offering makes a unique contribution to this quintessentially English summer event.
The Walsham Wild Woods are a ‘must visit’ destination on the tour of the village. Established over the last 12 years, with some funding from Walsham Open Gardens, they are two hectares of total joy.
Rob and Karen Wheeler at Millers Arch are opening their small but fascinating garden, much of it decorated with the pots Rob creates in his adjoining pottery, which is also open for the weekend. Rob says: 'When the weather is fair there is no finer place to be than enjoying what Walsham has to offer over the August Bank Holiday Weekend.'
Visitors don’t only come for the gardens, however lovely they are; they appreciate the calm and serenity of this lovely village with a host of other attractions on offer.
There will be music, this year from the Arcadian Recorder Consort, the Breckland Brass Band and the Gislingham Silver Band, all at the Memorial Village Hall.
The church bells will peal at the beginning and at the end of the weekend, and there is the opportunity to watch the ringers as they play. There is also an arts exhibition and sale, with floral art, in the church, with musical entertainment from Angels Delight, a harp and flute duo, together with organists and pianists playing throughout the weekend.
Morris dancers may well pop up in various locations throughout the village, and there will be birds of prey and giant tortoises on display. There is a Village Market in the yard of Clarkes of Walsham, where people can enjoy and sample the fruit and crafts of the Suffolk countryside.
Particular mention must be made of the refreshments available at the Memorial Village Hall and the Priory Room, where wonderful light snacks, lunches, teas and cakes are provided by the good folk of Walsham. And there's a BBQ and Pizza experience in garden number 9, together with a licensed bar and a large display of vintage and classic cars on both days.
The weekend relies on the hard work and lots of effort; once again, this year there will be more than 250 local people involved in some way or another – the garden owners, the people who bake, the catering teams around the village, the car parking teams and many, many more.
A lot of work by a lot of people has gone into making the Walsham Open Gardens event the success that it has been over the years and the trust and organisers thank them for all their efforts again this year.
It’s a lovely day out, and in these difficult times we don’t think you'll get better value for money. We hope that the sun shines and that our visitors, some of whom have been before, some who will be new to Walsham, will have a brilliant time in our lovely village.
Walsham Le Willows Open Gardens, August 25 & 26 (bank holiday Sunday and Monday). walsham-le-willows.org/annual-events/open-gardens
