Waterperry Gardens
Gardens in Oxfordshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waterperry Gardens are gardens with a museum in the village of Waterperry, near Wheatley in Oxfordshire, England.[1][2]
History
Beatrix Havergal (1901–1980) established in 1932 the Waterperry School of Horticulture, a school of horticulture for ladies, that continued until her retirement in 1971.[3] The Waterperry estate provided Royal Sovereign strawberries to Buckingham Palace and the Chelsea Flower Show.[4]
In 1972, the School of Economic Science purchased the Waterperry Estate, including Waterperry Gardens, which it continues to run to generate revenue for the school.[5][6][7]
Gardens
There are eight acres of landscaped ornamental gardens with an alpine garden, formal knot garden, herbaceous borders, riverside walk, rose garden, and water-lily canal.[8][9][10][11] There are also five acres of orchards,[12] and two collections of saxifrages which are accredited with Plant Heritage under the National Plant Collection scheme.[13][14] The gardens are considered notable for the broad variety of snowdrops that grow in the spring.[15]
The Museum of Rural Life is housed in an 18th-century granary building, with displays of implements and tools.[16] Other facilities include a gallery, garden shop, gift shop, museum, plant centre, and tea shop.
In popular culture
Notable alumnae
- Mary Spiller, teacher at the school, presenter of Gardeners' Question Time
- Pamela Schwerdt, joint head gardener at Sissinghurst Castle Garden
- Valerie Finnis,[19] specialist in alpine plants
