Reflections on a garden visit - Westonbirt Arboretum

As summer draws to a close, I thought it was timely to whet appetites for a garden visit to Westonbirt. Here is a piece I wrote last September, which won a prize from the Society of Garden Designers.

View in the Old Arboretum, Westonbirt

Nothing beats the English season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Autumn, similar to its mirror-month, heralds transition and change, cranking the calendar through to winter. It's a sumptuous shutter, slowly drawing down the summer season, weighted by boughs of red and yellow and laden with luscious ripeness, from the crimsons of cotoneasters and pyracanthas, to the purples of damsons and sloes. Quietly, it soddens the heels of our jeans and muddies the soles of our shoes. Its damp mustiness fills our lungs -- a soft contrast against the dry scent of summer or the sterility of winter. And while the golden fields are combed and reaped, ready for the Michaelmas months, we prepare our stores with special treats: jams and jellies or pickles and nuts. Indeed the word for autumn and ‘harvest’ are the same, both deriving from the Old English word ‘haerfest’, suggestive of the rich picking.

View of Silk Wood, Westonbirt

But it is the romance of the weather that is particularly exciting. It veers moodily between inclement black patches of heavy rain and windy gusts, to grey overcast frowns and then a smiling moment reminiscent of golden, halcyon days and a hazy summer. Each swing allows reflection and introspection: the perfect time to enjoy one’s own company in the great outdoors.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, it is one of the best times of year to get out into the countryside and admire some of England’s most beautiful landscapes. And where better to see firsthand autumn at its best, than the arboretum at Westonbirt. Although born and brought up in the west Midlands, a mere 40 miles from Westonbirt, I – shamefully to say – had failed to set foot in the arboretum before late September this year.

Calocedrus decurrens, Old Arboretum - Westonbirt

Set in the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside, this 600-acre tract of land is a quiet haven in a tranquil setting. It is off the beaten track, a delve into the countryside, away from the M4 and M5 arteries. On arrival, a modest fee is paid to park the car and then the choice is yours as to where to wander. To the north east of the grounds is the stately Old Arboretum (no dogs allowed) with its wide drives: ‘Main Drive’, ‘Mitchell Drive’, ‘Jackson Avenue’ and ‘Holford Ride, each broad enough for the private landowner’s carriage to cavort casually around the picturesque estate. And to the southwest, down the asphalt track and across its cattle grids, is the more recent addition, Silver Wood. Both have their attractions. And – at this time of year – both have plenty of those trees for which Westonbirt is most celebrated, the Japanese maple. Even better, the nice people at the Forestry Commission have suggested seasonal route ways through the arboretum to allow you best to enjoy your visit.

Silver Wood and the Old Arboretum are quite distinct. The Old Arboretum is more starkly reminiscent of the original Regency-Victorian design: when the tree collection was still part of a landowner’s estate, attached to its august abode. Those days have long gone. In fact, it was back in the 1920s that the Earl of Morley – on acquiring this inheritance from his fruitless uncle – chose to sell the house and its delightful terraced gardens to a certain Revd P E Warrington and whence it became a private school for genteel young ladies. Up to that point, the property had been developed as a whole, under the watchful eyes of several generations of Holfords.

View in Acer grove, Old Arboretum - Westonbirt

The Holfords present a delightful tale of money and class. Sir Richard Holford, a Londoner, had originally come into the property, via marriage, in the mid seventeenth century. It remained in the hands of the family - without much change or development - until the beginning of the nineteenth century. Meanwhile, the elder sons, in rather Jarndyce-esque fashion – prospered in Chancery. But their wealth was significantly augmented during the nineteenth century thanks to canny investment in the New River Company (a venture tasked with supplying London with fresh water) and fortuitous inheritances from childless uncles. It was this cash injection into the family’s wallet, which allowed Richard’s great grandson, George Peter Holford and his great-great grandson, Robert Stayner Holford to redevelop the estate and plant the seeds, so to speak, which have born the fruit that we are still able to enjoy today.

Rhus trichocarpa, Old Arboretum - Westonbirt

And some of the elements of the design, originally envisaged by these two men, are still in evidence. George Peter Holford did a great deal to change the layout of the estate (replacing the old manor with a Regency house – now the girls’ school - and laying out a landscaped belted park).  

But arguably it was his son who was most instrumental in securing Westonbirt as one of the most significant arboreta in the country. Extending the park onto neighbouring arable fields, enlarging approaches, and moving villages, Robert Stayner Holford dramatically changed the layout of the estate. And, importantly, for us today, he chose to plant by palette rather than by botanical family: achieving the perfect picturesque design was his aim rather than systematic indexing. Hence, the paths around the Old Arboretum are laid out in picturesque style, much favoured by the contemporary landscape designer, William Sawrey Gilpin (who is said to have influenced the planting scheme). Indeed, the effect today remains in many ways as it did in 1886: ‘the outline of the vista is not monotonous; here the shrubbery projects, there it recedes; at one point some favourite tree is made to stand out boldly, as if to emphasise the project’ as described by contemporary garden journalist William Goldring in the magazine The Garden.

To a large degree, this sums up the beauty of the Old Arboretum. Holford Ride and the Main Avenue are wide thoroughfares that belie perpetual movement as the eye is drawn along these pathways. There is constant change and continual contrast of form, from rounded Acers, such as the many Acer palmatum or Acer platanoides to fastigiate conifers - magnificent Calocedrus decurrens reigning over the plot, as well as of colour from bright lime greens to deep emeralds. And significantly, there is use of dense and open planting to present a sense of light and darkness. This visual feast hides many forgotten corners, protected by ancient yews. These Taxus baccata, the females laden with fruit, quietly provide a peaceful backdrop to some of the more dramatic planting.

Catalpa bignonioides 'Aurea' [Indian bean tree], Westonbirt

But what was most delightful during my visit in late September was the bashful hint of colour. Although the vibrant clashes of reds and yellows hadn’t -- for the most part --quite arrived, the air was tense with expectancy. A notion of gold hung around the fat Catalpa bignoniodes and its ‘Aurea’ cultivar. Similarly, colour tickled the tips of the Acers, naughtily nudging them. You could see them beginning to blush, deep reds caressing the edges, before a full flush of embarrassment was cast.  

This sense of imminence was most strong in the Acer Glade, just north of Mitchell Drive. Here, an Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ was flushed scarlet – its leaves and seed pods a brilliant crimson; while opposite, an Acer palmatum subsp. amoenum was bravely maintaining a dignified lime green glow, with only the gentlest trace of pink settling around its fringe. Marrying the two, nestled between them in the wet grass, were swathes of wild mushrooms.

Cercidphyllum japonicum, Old Arboretum - Westonbirt

Away from the Acer Glade, was a trio of ‘multi-sensory’ trees – Rhus trichocarpa, Acer griseum and a Cercidiphyllum japonicum. Each was brandishing colour brightly. The Japanese sumac flushed cherry-red, its stems turning first, followed by oval leaves. Nearby, the charming Acer griseum, retained summer colour, but its peeling reddish bark clashed against the turning leaves of the sumac, while the brazen Katsura tree showed off row upon row of flaming heart-shaped foliage, the colour burning out from its centre, with no sense of modesty. 

To give gravitas to the trio, and other trees in the glade, were magnificent conifers which towered above. In particular, ancient Abies grandes and Larix seemed to sway far away, like old men. The Larix’s boughs of needles hung like wispy beards, presenting a very serious impression contrasting against the youthful frivolity below. In fact, the conifers at Westonbirt are some of the oldest in the country. The Sequoiadendron gigantum at the entrance of the arboretum were planted in the mid 1850s: since wellingtonias were only introduced into England in 1853, it is likely that these are among the first to be sown. Robert, and then his son, George Lindsay Holford – who inherited the estate in 1892 – were avid plant collectors and gardeners. Both of them invested in seed expeditions around the globe (George for example had a stake in Ernest Wilson’s 1910 exhibition to China). It was these two men’s ongoing contributions that ensured the collection was able to grow in stature. But it was also thanks to these two men that such care was taken in the layout of the grounds: ensuring interest and colour all year round.

Euonymus oxphyllus, Old Arboretum - Westonbirt

Euonymus oxphyllus, Old Arboretum - Westonbirt

For me, on the day I visited, one of the most striking displays in the Old Arboretum was a grove of Euonymous oxyphyllus by the Loop Walk. From a distance, the thirteen trees looked like one, each trunk groaning forwards, away from an epicentre. But on closer inspection these were individual plants, all baying southwards. Although not a very remarkable shrub most of the year, in mid September, these Euonymous oxyphyllus were screaming blood. They presented a most shocking display of brilliant colour: dripping red leaves from pendulous branches. And amongst its foliage were round, scarlet seed cases. Occasionally these had neatly cracked open to reveal three or four shiny tangerine-coloured jewels, which seemingly were hung together by a precarious thread. The effect was exhilarating, both from afar but also under the branches where you could see close-up the varied colours and textures.

Japanese maple glade, Silk Wood - Westonbirt

Another lovely, but less violent, display in the arboretum is the National Japanese Maple Collection in Silver Wood. The colour hadn’t yet turned when I visited. But the sun was sparkling through the arching larches, amongst which the Acer are planted. This presented a serene and comfortable view as the path dipped and curved round, drawing the eye around the maples. The larch give effective vertical interest – soaring high above the planting – letting dappled light fall through. Arguably, the comments, made by Albert Bruce Jackson (responsible for cataloguing Westonbirt’s trees in 1927) still ring true: “the charm of Westonbirt lies not so much in the number of species represented and in the beauty and symmetry of the individual specimen, as in the skilful manner in which evergreens, like yew and box, have been used as a background so that each plant or group of plants stands in a perfect setting.”[1]

Cyclamen, Westonbirt

So, all in all, I am a big fan of Westonbirt and its classical country walks. But it strikes me as lucky that we are able to enjoy the estate today. In 1926, green-fingered George died childless and his nephew, the fourth Earl of Morley, inherited the estate. It was he who sold the house, splitting it from the arboretum. When he died in 1951, it was also without issue. Consequently, Westonbirt was handed over to the Treasury (in lieu of death duties). Within a few years it was clear that Westonbirt would be delivered to the Forestry Commission - then associated more with timber reserves than managing heritage gardens. Fortunately, the Forestry Commission has proved an effective steward, conscientiously maintaining the arboretum and managing its plants (including further cataloguing the trees and shrubs). Let’s just hope that the Forestry Commission has the funds to continue its work. Sadly, cuts in public spending mean that nothing in the current economic climate is wholly secure. And recent press reports suggest that the destinies of many publicly funded bodies, including the Forestry Commission, are unclear. So who knows what the future might hold. But as Arthur Hellyer aptly put it in his Country Life column in March 1953: ‘if the heritage of Westonbirt is neglected one may be sure that both we and our children will be the poorer’.

27 September 2010

[1] Albert Bruce Jackson, Catalogue of the Trees and Shrubs at Westonbirt (Oxford) 1927, p vi