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A
VIEW of how the garden might have looked was given by
Roger Pringle, director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon,
in an interview for an article in the Sentinel Sunday
newspaper of
May 2nd, 2004.
Mr Pringle, whose trust manages
Stratford-upon-Avon's historic houses and gardens, is quoted as
believing
the Wilbraham family would have been using their estate to compete with
other members of the Elizabethan and Tudor elite.
"There
was an emerging view of the garden in Elizabethan times that it was a
place of leisure and recreation," said
Mr Pringle. "This is reflected in the designs of upper class
gardens of the period. They really were an exquisite treat for the
senses and were made for sitting and relaxing in, as well as taking
exercise."
A staple ingredient of the
Elizabethan walled garden - including Townsend House's - would be the
arbor, a semi-secret sitting area, often covered with climbing roses,
crab apple and yew trees.
"The upper strata of Elizabethan society wanted their gardens to be
a series of separate areas, outdoor rooms almost. Covered walkways would
often link distinct sections - and every area of the garden had a
specific purpose," said
Mr Pringle.
'Knot' gardens were very much in
vogue in the late 16th century, rectangular shrub beds with intricate
geometric patterns of dwarf shrubs. Colourful stones or gravel was used
to create an area bursting with colour.
A herb and
kitchen garden would be well hidden from the more decorative areas of
the garden. A house of the import of Townsend House, with its banqueting
house and stone columns, may have had a bowling green, fountain, statues
and sculpture - and even a small maze. An orchard - complete with at
least apple and pear trees, plus a riot of wild flowers - would have
graced the garden,
says the article.
Picture:
Pat
Fulford on the wall (Sentinel
Sunday picture)
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