A Duke behind a Lawnmower, and a Bishop Soaked in Purple: VCH Garden Parties
Ivor Slocombe, one of the founders of the Wiltshire VCH Trust, recalls garden parties in the years shortly after foundation of the Trust: “To raise funds we organised an evening reception at Iford Manor. This was a relatively modest affair which grew into what is now probably the biggest event in the Wiltshire VCH year, the annual garden party. I particularly remember Radnor Castle with its magnificent picture gallery. We were surprised (and somewhat amused) when Lord Bath arrived. Apparently, he was using the opportunity to inspect his rival’s pictures which were much better than his at Longleat.”
“Then Bradley House, the home of the Duke of Somerset. We wrote to him not really expecting an answer but he readily agreed to help us and invited us to meet him. Vicky and I went down to Bradley House, but it seemed to be deserted (the Duke lives mostly in his Devon house). We saw a groundsman mowing the extensive lawns on a motor mower. He came across to us and, fortunately, we realised it was the Duke himself. We had a very successful reception with the Duke regaling us with stories about various members of his family.”
“At Oare the house was good but the grounds were even more interesting. To mark the Millennium, the owners had decided to build a summer house at the end of the long avenue leading from the house. Somehow the summer house grew and grew until it finished as a very large avant-garde pavilion all of glass designed by the famous architect I. M. Pei. Before we could go in it, we had to take our shoes off so as not to damage the very expensive flooring.”
At least in recent years, the garden parties have been blessed with glorious weather, giving lovely sunny evenings for enjoying the gardens that have welcomed us. And usually it has been dry. An exception was at Odstock Manor when it rained gently all afternoon. But fortunately, Lady Marland had invited us all to tea in the house and to explore its fascinations as well (suitably raincoated or umbrella-bearing) as those of the garden.
During a garden party at Fonthill it absolutely poured, and exploration of the garden was quite out of the question. But there was plenty of room in the house and Lord Margadale made us all welcome indoors.
And during a party at Wyndham’s Farm at Wedhampton there was a sudden downpour; the then Bishop of Ramsbury was looking around the garden with some friends, and the soaking made the bishop’s purple episcopal shirt appear particularly impressive.
More usually, we have been able to enjoy the many gardens involved in the sunshine of pleasant summer evenings, though one does remember the garden party at Iford Manor when the rain arrived just as the party was due to end, and so served the useful function of discouraging anyone from staying on too late.
The gardens, the weather, and the occasional episcopal soaking aside, these evenings have always been about something more than summer hospitality. The VCH exists to record the history of places like these — the houses, the parishes, the landscapes — so that the stories within them survive. We have been lucky in our hosts. We have been mostly lucky with our weather. And we hope that if you have enjoyed reading this, we may be luckier still and you might consider helping us finish the job. Just a few volumes remain before the history of Wiltshire is complete. A donation of any size brings that closer.