AFTER welcoming members to the club’s meeting on July 11, our president, Jeffrey Martin, unveiled a banner to be used at the club’s stall at Dursley Carnival, and vice-president John Smith explained the plans for the club’s presence during that afternoon in the Recreation Ground.

David Hiley reported that 16 people had signed up for a walk around Cirencester on Tuesday.

Cherry Ann Knott then gave an illustrated talk entitled ‘Within Garden Walls’.

She proceeded to explain why walled gardens were first developed and how they had changed over the last three centuries.

She referred to a 1659 map of the grounds of Sudbury Manor House in Derbyshire, which clearly showed a typical walled garden divided into four sections, with a pool in the centre, and a 1748 plan of an estate in Gloucestershire that showed a very formal layout in a similar format.

She explained the types of vegetables that would have been grown in these early walled gardens, how fashions had changed over the years to include fruit trees, and how greenhouses were often built against the internal walls.

Members were intrigued to see copies of the shopping lists for such gardens, which included vegetable seeds, fruit bushes and other items, showing how expensive these were compared with the wages paid to gardeners, labourers and others who helped maintain the gardens.

Cherry Ann observed that very few walled gardens were maintained today, although many walls and greenhouses could still be seen, and she recommended visiting the Museum in the Park project at Stratford Park in Stroud.

Gerry Pierce proposed the vote of thanks for such a comprehensive and authoritative talk on this fascinating subject.

The club’s next meeting will be held at 10.30am next Tuesday at Dursley Community Centre when members and their ladies will learn about Yercombe Lodge, followed by lunch.