Reports Archive

The History of Kew by Laura Ponsonby. Thursday 26 November 2009.

Laura gave a most interesting and informative talk and, to our amazement, managed to condense the 250 years’ history of Kew gardens into 75 minutes!

With Chris Nickerson, Head Gardener Woodland Gardens
10th October 2009

We met at the Red Brick Bridge and walked through the Pheasantry, passing the bed where our previous Shrub Planting event took place, to a bed near the Welcome Centre.

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A Talk by Richard Flenley, Thursday 24th September

Richard began the talk by looking back 15 years when a meeting in this hall led to the Heritage Lottery Fund Project which has finally resulted in the wonderful restoration of The Water Gardens.

Walk led by Ray Brodie, 22 August 2009

Friends at Deer Herd walk

Ray Brodie, Manager of Bushy Park took 50 of the Friends of Bushy and Home Parks on a walk to find and talk about the deer and their lives in the park. There are approximately 370 deer in Bushy Park; 125 Red Deer – stags and hinds and 245 Fallow – bucks and does.

Walk led by Terry Gough, 25 July 2009

Click on any photo to enlarge it

With a group of 88 behind him Terry Gough, Garden and Estates Manager of Hampton Court Palace, led us through several “Private”, “No Public Access” and “No Admittance” doors and gates to the recently completed Chapel Court Tudor Garden, where we were greeted by the Palaces Group Director, Rod Giddins who had kindly granted us free entry to the Courtyard and the gardens.

Panel: Ray Brodie, Terry Gough, Kathy White, Pippa Hyde

Elleray Hall Thursday May 27th 8pm

Pieter Morpurgo started the questioning:

Question: (for each of the panellists)
What is your favourite or secret place in Bushy and Home Parks?

Walk led by by Nicholas Garbutt, 23 May 2009

31 Friends met at The Lion Gate (minus the lions!) on a beautiful May morning. We entered Home Park through the gate from Hampton Court gardens and walked along the dry river bed over many, very large, ant hills. The grassland here is neutral and Woodpeckers are to be seen. It becomes more acidic over towards the golf course due to the presence of approximately 300 fallow deer. We looked out for grass snakes, but none were seen.

The Next Generation with Hannah Pritchard and Sophie Bryant Thursday 23 April 2009

Hannah Pritchard and Sophie Bryant gave us a double act as slick as Eric and Ernie, a breath-taking view into the wide range of activities they organize. Appointed in 2007 as Education and Community Engagement Officers, and funded by HLF, they are based at the Stockyard, and cover all of Bushy Park and the Pheasantry Welcome Centre (when it opens). Both have experience as secondary school teachers, and it shows!

by Ray Brodie, Bushy Park Manager, 6 March 2009

Ray gave a most interesting and informative talk going back over 500 years and bringing us up-to-date with news on progress of the Restoration Project.

by Tyrrell Marris, Saturday 14th February 2009

Report & Photos by Pieter Morpurgo

Over the past few years we have been so lucky with the weather for our regular Mistletoe Walk. This year was no exception, and the promise of another enjoyable February walk in Home Park brought out the crowds. It also happened to be Valentines Day. There were seventy of us as Tyrrell Marris, our regular walk leader, reminded us that while Mistletoe grows on trees, we should also look at the ground as well as the snowdrops and crocii were in abundance. The day always provides a surprise or two, and we were joined by Martin Einchcomb, the Nursery Manager at Hampton Court who later was to show us around the nurseries.