GREAT DIXTER
Friends’ newsletter
Spring 2014
Bridget Adam, George Agnew, Mrs Sigrid Aiken, Rosemary Alexander, Mrs Ann
Lee Allen, Carl-Frederik Arvidsson, Carol Atkinson, Brian Banks, John and Sue
Beeston, Sussie Bell. Linda and Michael Belton, Nick Benefield, Michele Bolt,
Marian Boswall, Barbara Bovington, Connie Bresnahan, Linda Brockas, Elizabeth
Brook, Sue Jane Brown, Dr Mary Budleigh, Peter and Ethel Butler, Peter ButlerManuel, Elizabeth J Calver, Sheila Cather, Carol Chater, Janet Cheshire-Martin, Jill
Christison, Vivienne Churchouse, Lucy Clarke, Tom Connolly, Dr Tony Conway,
Tony Cooper, Mr and Mrs Costain, Kate Cox, Hazel and David Cruickshank, Dr
and Mrs Fred Cuming, Diana and Colin Curl, Pauline Davies, John Deacon, Sue
Duff, Sue Dulley, Brenda Dunn, Jacqueline Dyche, Anne Ellis, Mrs Esmonde-White,
Lesley Etherton, Douglas Evans, Michael and Madeleine Eve, Jane Fitch, Ann Fitsell,
Lucinda Fouch, Gaye Fox, Nicola Freshwater, Ian Fyfe, Karina Garrick, Siobhan
Godfrey-Cass, Susan Gray, Sally Gregson, Dorothy Griew, Audrey Gunyon,
Amanda Hammond, Annette and John Hampshire, Linda and Stuart Harland, Lyn
Harris, John Hatherly, Stephen Hazell-Smith, Nicola Hilliard, Josephine Hillier,
Mr and Mrs Holliday, Dr Julia Holloway, Sylvia Holmes, Christopher and Robin
Hutt, Annie James, Honor James, Angus Johnson, Jane Johnson, Carol Jones, Sheila
Jones, William Jones, Michael Joseph, Lara Jukes, Peter and Lesley Kennedy, Alice
Kenyon, Julia Kerr, F Jane Kilpatrick, Linda King, Philippa Kinsey, Brian and Helen
Knell, Catherine Lane, Sheena Lavery, Fiona Leathers, Margaret Leech, Margaret
Leighton, Edgar Lewis, Jane Livesey, Julian Luckett, Shirley Maile, Anthony Mallet,
Sophie and Neil Mancais, Trevor Marlow, Jim and Sarah Marshall, Nancy Marten,
Sue Martin, Anne Masefield, Peter Masters, Hon Geraldine Maxwell, Carolyn
McCutchan, Michael Miller, Roger and Sharon Moncur, Liz Moore, Fiona and
Simon Mortimore, Jennifer Mountford, Christine Muddiman, Bridget and David
Mure, Michael and Claire Naris, Howard Newitt, Stella Nicholls, Anne Norman,
The Rev’d H J Norton, Ann Novotny, Brian Oldman, Simon Oliphant, Frank
and Anne Parker, Robina Parker, Clare Parkinson, John and Pat Perkins, Julia
Petrie, Gail and Richard Pinder, Trish and Max Powling, Jane Priddis, Karin and
Christopher Proudfoot, Amanda Rainger, Jane Brewer, Andrew and Sarah Ratcliffe,
Roseann Rea, Patricia Rex, Patrick Rice-Oxley, Barbara Rich, Eleanor Robins,
Aida Rodriguez, Martin Sarbicki, Tony and Vicky Schilling, Elizabeth Seymour,
Paul Simpson, Andrew Simpson and Claire Blezard, Christine and John Sladden,
Hilary A Smith, Jill Smith, Sue M Smith, David Spence, Margaret Springbett, Kate
Steven, Linda Stevens, Lynda Stevens, Diana Stoner, Rob Stuart, Sally Stutchbury,
Jonathan Sunley, Jane Swift, Dr and Mrs Tattersfield, Ann Taylor, Diana Thompson,
Mary Thorp, Jean Tilby, Graham Tippen, Colin and Laura Towns, P I Townsend,
Linda Treliving, Sarah Turner, Dr Yvonne Underhill, Carolyn Waite, Angela Walker,
Gemma Walker, Joan Walker, Peter and Pat Walker, Keith and Margaret Wallis,
Carol Ward, Amanda Webb, Christina Whincup, Susan Whitehead, Patricia Wilkie,
Helen Williams, Jan Williams, Pat Williams, Claire Williamson, Dr Jim Williamson,
Andrew Willson, Elizabeth Winant, Diane Wiseman, Richard Wolfe, John and Linde
Wotton, Elizabeth and Peter Wylie, Patricia Yates - thank you to everyone who
helps Great Dixter on a regular basis, you are the people that make so much possible
People
Sarah Seymour left Great Dixter on 29th
April after 6 years. Fergus once told Sarah
that she was what in Turkey would be called,
his right kidney. They first met when she and
Amanda, Fergus’ wife, worked at London Zoo.
Tickling gorillas through the bars and mucking
out the monkeys. Her first degree was in art
and later she took an MSc in conservation;
spent several years volunteering in Nigeria
on primate and conservation projects where
she adopted Samson a gentle giant of a German Shepherd with a bit of bush dog
in his DNA. At Dixter she had a special interest in its biodiversity - due to her
we have had surveys of moths, flora, bats and spiders and successful projects on
butterflies, bumble bees and swifts. Super-efficient in everything she undertook
and a knock-out beauty - Dixter will miss her on both counts.
At the Northiam Horticultural Society spring show on 29th March 2014 the
Dixter students did well, scooping a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize.
Maria Castro
Ben Pick
Yuko Hata
Spring Plant Fair 2014 - do you remember last winter? When it seemed
to rain every day - the car parks were boggy, the fields were sodden.
But it dried out in time for the first spring fair to go ahead on the
first weekend in April. Keith and Ros Wiley came from their
wondrous Wildside in Devon, Billy Carruthers from outside
Edinburgh with peonies galore. The food was quirky, tasty and
so stylish by Outdoor Kitchen, namely our very own Rosie
and James H (soup and risotto cooked in a kotlich).
The Lloyds’ War by Anna Toombs, volunteer archivist
Nathaniel Lloyd’s letter files show many aspects of wartime life.
Photograph above shows Nathaniel Lloyd and his three sons, dated 1917
In 1914 the Lloyd family consisted of five: Nathaniel was 47, Daisy 34, their eldest
child Selwyn was 6 years old, Oliver was three and toddler Patrick had been born
in March 1913. Because the medieval part of the house had been taken over by
the Red Cross as an auxiliary hospital, they were confined to the new Lutyensdesigned area.
•
As early as August 1914 the RAC wrote, on behalf of the War Office, “place
your car with driver for the use of the Central Force (Home Defence) for
permanent duty.” Nathaniel replied that the Austin was laid up and that he
needed the three-wheeler Swift Cycle Car for his recruitment duties.
•
In February 1915 Nathaniel believed a change of military strategy was needed
and so he wrote to Winston Churchill, suggesting a move from shelling by
cannon to dropping thousands of bombs from aircraft, with detailed notes as
to how this should be done. He also wrote, “If I can be of any service, pray
consider me. I am 48 years of age and used to working out schemes. I founded
and built up a large manufacturing business from which I recently retired.” The
brief reply from the Secretary rejected both his suggestions.
•
In his work as Recruiting Officer for the Royal Sussex Regiment Nathaniel
developed strong views on the necessity to introduce conscription, for
example, on 21st May 1915 he wrote to The Times a letter headed “The
Fetish of Voluntary Service”, followed in October 1915 by another stronglyargued case to move to a conscripted service, which “would be viewed most
enthusiastically by the relatives of those already serving”.
•
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Andrew Bonar Law, wrote to Nathaniel
in February 1917, “I should esteem it a favour if you would let me know the
amount which you may find it possible to subscribe.” Nathaniel increased his
holding of the War Loan to £47,700. (In this way the Exchequer raised £600
million).
•
In May 1918 a “Confidential” letter from the Home Office informed Nathaniel
that “in view of the service that you have rendered on work connected with
the War, it is proposed to submit your name to the King for appointment as an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire.” The Order of the British Empire
was first created in 1917.
This image is of the domestic staff in 1916 - Louise Chacksfield, Florence Chacksfield, Ernestine
Desprez, Annie Hoadley, Mary Wright, Gladys Smith with Patrick on her lap, Dorothy Giles
•
Food rationing was introduced in late 1917. Nathaniel wrote quite often
to “The Official in Charge, Food Control Offices, Rye”, most frequently
requesting more sugar for preserving fruit, but also informing him that a pig is
to be killed, or asking approval for the pickling of 1600 eggs for the household
of 13 - approval was given “as your household is so large”.
Fergus’ mind map for garden timing
Dixter Diary
New editions of The Well-Tempered Garden and
Meadows are due out this year. Anna Pavord has
written a foreword in the new W-TG and Rosie
MacCurrach designed the cover.
What a Tit! its young fledged successfully on 20th
May. The swallows started swooping in and out of the
long shed on 14th April. The swift recordings are being
switched on to try and attract overflying mums-to-be
to the newly installed swift boxes in the eaves above
the Terrace.
BBC FOUR television series British Gardens in Time
was reviewed by Emma Townshend in The Independent
on 6th April 2014: ‘Great Dixter for my money is
the best garden on our island. Christopher Lloyd, its
maker, and his admirable successor Fergus Garrett
offer a changing spectacle of flowery loveliness in an
underpinning structure of perfectly balanced weight.
And for once, I’m brooking no argument.’
Ed Alderman, Christopher Lloyd Scholar 2014-2015,
designed a veg bed with a difference alongside the
education room as one of his projects. Deer’s Tongue
lettuce that looks just as a deer’s tongue should:
narrow, brown and pointy. Also rat-tail radish where
you can harvest lots of tasty seed pods rather than
just one root. Whilst working at Barnsley House
last year, Ed crossed the Crimson Flowered broad
bean which has a very short pod with Gloucester
Champion with its very long one. He selected the
best plant from this cross and sowed six of the seeds
- the results are one red, two pinkish and three white,
length of pods not yet known.
How Great Dixter inspired Luciano Giubbilei with
his Best in Show Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show
2014 was written up in the Financial Times on 16th May.
James Horner worked with Luciano on his border at
Dixter and then on planting up at Chelsea.
Granny Seaside’s
Rock Buns
Kate Cox started at Great
Dixter in September 2008.
She works one day as a
volunteer, one day paid.
These buns were eaten
every Easter at her
Granny Seaside’s house
in Pett. Generations
of the family have been
initiated into cooking
by making these humble
rock buns with their granny.
The house is now home to
Kate and husband, super vet
Richard and their four children.
1lb self-raising flour; 8oz butter at
room temperature; 6oz soft brown sugar;
6oz any dried fruit; 1 egg; pinch of salt and
cinnamon if you want. Rub fat into flour; add sugar and
fruit; add beaten egg. Bring together into small balls. Bake for 10-15 mins
at 180 °C. Mixture can be dry, so push together but don’t add extra egg.
Calendar
Front cover photo: Fritillaria pyrenaica by Carol Casselden
3rd-31st August Artist in Residence, Rosie MacCurrach, exhibition in the Great Barn
9th August Great Dixter Garden exhibition evening viewing
4th, 11th, 18th, 25th August Drawing Workshops with Rosie
8th September Ladder-making Workshop with Simon Johnson
Plant Fair Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October, 11am-4pm
12th November Friends’ event, 2pm
2015 Study Days are now open for booking, visit www.greatdixter.co.uk/whats-on.
Compiled by Linda Jones, tel: 01797 254048, [email protected]. Designed by Joe Rodriguez.
Great Dixter, Northiam, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 6PH. Tel: 01797252878. Web: www.greatdixter.co.uk.
© Great Dixter Charitable Trust - Ltd. Co. No. 7181964 - Registered Charity Number 1134948.