Introducing Bothy Gardens. A couple’s vision to re-create a modern version of a walled garden and a Grade II* listed Bothy on the outskirts of Swindon is taking shape. Jules Gilleland and Mark Wheeler, AKA ‘The Plant Hunter’, are investing their savings and lives into a horitcultaral enterprise. They’re turning a forgotten Georgian walled garden and its historic bothy, into a vibrant haven of creativity, nature, and heritage.
Bothy gardens are located on the edge of the Burderop estate outside Chiseldon, near Swindon.
Greenhouses
Flood plant beds and …
… nurseries for rare plants, including orchids, a garden library, and an atelier/classroom. After years of meticulous planning and waiting, this ambitious vision is now taking shape. It’s been a long journey for the couple who bought the site in 2021.
Dream location
‘This site is our dream location for our lives together,’ Jules said. ‘Mark is the mastermind behind the plants. He’s an award-winning horticulturist with a reputation that precedes him. As for me, I’m an established designer with a huge passion for art and design. That includes painting and creating spaces for learning. The Bothy Gardens will combine our lives and passions alongside a wholesale plant business.’
The bothy is a building that forms part of Bothy Gardens. The term comes from the Georgian and Victorian eras. Back then, such buildings, usually attached to a walled garden, were the humble homes of so-called ‘Bothy Boys’. They worked, often in poor conditions, to maintain and look after the greenhouses, gardens and grounds of stately homes. They were servants and didn’t have the status of the head gardener. He’d direct their daily tasks and would have had his own property within any estate.
In this case, the bothy fell out of use for many years. When Jules and Mark purchased the property, it had lain abandoned for over 20 years. The bothy will become their dream home. And the surrounding gardens will undergo restoration to their former glory.
The Victorian greenhouse sat marked for demolition. It was on the brink of collapse, tangled in vines and brambles, with a pair of unruly fig trees bursting through the shattered glass. But, where others saw ruin, Jules and Mark saw potential. As we speak, the greenhouse is being restored. It’s destined to become both Jules’s creative studio and a sanctuary for propagating rare orchids. But that’s merely the beginning.
To get to this point where we can now start to plan the future of Bothy Gardens has required so much hard work,’ Jules said.
Introducing Bothy Gardens – Jules and Mark
Emotional investment in introducing bothy gardens
We’ve put our hearts and souls into this project,’ Jules said. ‘And we’re committed to preserving the heritage of this place while infusing it with new life. We want to share Bothy Gardens with others who share our love for gardening, art and the simple joys of nature.’
Mark already has an established plant nursery in North London but has always dreamed of owning a walled garden. He’s well known in the gardening world for his encyclopaedic knowledge and love of plants. In particular, rare breeds/species, such as:
Schefflera Rhododendrifolia (Umbrella tree),
Ruscus Hypoglossum (spineless butcher’s broom) and …
Salvia Oxyphora (Fuzzy Bolivian Sage)
Vision
My vision for Bothy Gardens extends beyond restoring a historic space. It’s also about creating something unique. A living legacy of rare and extraordinary plants,’ Mark explained.
‘I’ve spent years collecting and cultivating plants that are often overlooked or forgotten. Here, within the walls of this garden, I see an opportunity to build something that will outlive us. A sanctuary where rare species can thrive and have future generations appreciate them.
It’s about more than a business. It’s about preserving and sharing the beauty and diversity of the plant world with like-minded enthusiasts. I want Bothy Gardens to be a place where people come to learn and find inspiration. And to leave with a deeper appreciation for the natural world.’
Jules is an accomplished designer who’s been running her company, Turtlewings, from Brussels, Belgium, for many years. With a background in design she has a passion for creating spaces that inspire wonder and well-being. In 2014, she founded Think with Things after winning the Open Education Challenge. That earned her a spot as one of the top seven EdTech companies in Europe. Now, Jules is thrilled to bring both Think with Things and her design studio, Turtlewings, to Wiltshire.
Jules Gilleland in the Bothy Gardens on the Burderop Estate, Chiseldon
Wonderful Wiltshire
The couple, who met over six years ago in Brussels, are eager to contribute to Wiltshire’s creative and cultural scene.
‘I adore the English countryside,’ Jules shared with a smile. ‘It takes me back to the farmlands of Iowa where I grew up. But unlike Iowa, you have these little villages and every turn reveals a scene straight out of a postcard. After 24 years in the bustling city of Brussels, I’m more than ready to reconnect with my roots and live in the countryside. I want to cultivate a space that blends English charm with the traditions of Iowan country living. Like my mother and grandmothers did.’
In the spirit of community, Jules and Mark recently opened Bothy Gardens to volunteers for four days a month. That came after many locals expressed an interest in discovering more and learning from the couple after following the Bothy Gardens blog and Instagram feed. Jules posts often about their work and journey so far.
By the spring of next year, she hopes to be running her first art & garden classes on the site for small groups. To find out more about the volunteering opportunities and to register an interest in upcoming classes, visit https://www.bothygardens.com/
Alfred Williams Hammerman Poet – 1877 to 1930. It appears that I’ve never mentioned the South-Marston-born polymath on this blog before now. But a visit to South Marston yesterday to see the houses with which Alfred’s short and rather tragiclife intertwined, has prompted me to correct that.
I have though dedicated space to him on pages 29-32 of Secret Swindon. Many thanks to Graham Carter for the information that went on those pages. And thanks go too, to Graham, and Ian Hampson, for yesterday’s walk around South Marston.
Alfred Williams Hammerman Poet – the grave in South Marston’s churchyard of Alfred Williams and his wife, Mary Peck.
The infant Alfred entered the world in the house you see below, Cambria Cottage.
Alfred William’s South Marston birthplace Cambria CottagePlaque on Cambria cottage South Marston – birthplace of Alfred Williams
When Alfred was around four or five years old his mother became a single parent. Whether Alfred’s father left of his own accord or was asked to go isn’t clear. Either way, the event forced young Alfred’s mother to move her brood to Rose Cottage, close to his South Marston, Cambria Cottage birthplace.
Unofficial blue plaque Rose Cottage in South Marston, one time home of Alfred WilliamsRose Cottage in South Marston, one time home of Alfred Williams
Education and self-education
South Marston village school attended by Alfred Williams – little changed from his day I think.
The rudimentary education Alfred received was soon usurped by the need to get farm work to support the struggling family. Working on the land though provided a precarious living and Alfred faced a harsh choice. His heart belonged to the fields and the outdoors but he couldn’t justify ignoring the security and better pay of the Works, as soul-destroying for him as it was. Yet the young man forced to give the best years of his life to the stamping shop compensated by educating himself and following his creative urges in his downtime.
He set about learning the classics. He read Shakespeare, experimented with painting and learned Greek, Latin and French to further his education. Legend has it that, in his breaks at work, he’d chalk Greek and Latin letters on his furnace to learn them.
Cutting short a long story we come to1914. Now, dogged by ill health, Alfred left the railway works scrawling Vici (I conquered) in chalk above his furnace as he went. If nothing else, leaving the Works gave him the chance to complete Life in a Railway Factory. This the warts and all exposé of life inside that he’d begun in 1911. Williams’ biographer Leonard Clark described the book as the bravest and most comprehensive condemnation of factory life to appear in Europe in thirty years. Alfred himself was pleased with his work. He said it was ‘the only good book on factory life that we have in England written by a working man.’ Without doubt his book made an important commentary on the history of Swindon. And a landmark documentary of British industrial life. Yet it sold only a dozen copies in Swindon in the six years after its publication.
Alfred and Mary married at St Saviours Church in Eddington on the 21st of October 1903. They honeymooned in Torquay. Alfred, at the time of his marriage, left Rose Cottage and moved into Dryden Cottage opposite Cambria Cottage, his birth place. They lived in Dryden Cottage for the next fifteen years.
Dryden cottage in South Marston. The first marital home of Mary and Alfred
Alfred’s military service
After a brief spell in South Africa, he arrived in India in November 1917. And soon became fascinated with its history and culture. He was by now working on a book called Indian Life and Scenery. Like many, he became ill with fever. As things worked out, he found himself in Ranikhet. That, as you’ll see, has a connection with a small Wiltshire village many thousands of miles away. He was captivated with India and noted that if he were younger, he would have invited Mary to join him. He also saw the Taj Mahal.
It was during his stay in India that Mary informed him they had have to move house. Dryden Cottage had been purchased by a local farmer who’d decided to live in it.
Again cutting a story short, Mary and Alfred decided to build their own house. This they did, pretty much with their own bare hands. And they called it Ranikhet.
Side gate on Ranikhet in South Marston
Note this date plaque on the side of Ranikhet. It bears no relation to the house – it was built in the early 1920s. It’ll be, I imagine, some random bit of rubble that Alfred & Mary used when building the house.
Ranikhet random date plaqueRanikhet in South Marston – as much of a view of it as is possible
Alfred’s legacy
Alfred already has two titles, but we can attribute a third one to him: social historian. He left behind his poetry and his prose yes, but he did something else too. He appointed himself a collector of Wiltshire folk song lyrics to prevent their disappearance. This undertaking was mammoth. He visited ninety-seven towns and villages on his bike. He covered something like 7,000 miles (take that The Proclaimers!) to collect over 1,000 songs. He’d have to have done this in the winter months, in the hours of darkness as during summer time and daylight hours, agricultural workers, from whom he collected the lyrics, would be hard at work.
Following the recent theft of Banksy’s ‘Howling Wolf’ from Peckham, one of the venues in Swindon Open Studios (SOS) has called on a garrison of Stormtroopers and Daleks. Their mission to provide extra protection for the work of 20 artists and craftspeople at the Carriage Works on September 21st.
A family fun day kicks off the opening of the exhibition at 11am. Children are invited to come dressed as their favourite Sci-fi character, in the spirit of a Comicon event*. Apart from paintings, pottery, digital art, photography and jewellery, there’ll be two children’s book authors exhibiting.
Swindon New College will be demonstrating media make-up too, so there’s something for everyone with an interest in the arts.
QR Code SOS Website of artists work
Taking part
Swindon Open Studios has 130 participants in 56 different venues in and around Swindon this year. The event at Armstrong’s Carriage Works presents a once-only opportunity for artists to exhibit together in this superb space. Immediately afterwards, the historic listed building will undergo a major renovation.
The family fun day with café was the brainchild of Mark and Anna Enright who run Podpadstudios. They jumped at the chance of working with Swindon Borough Council and Create Studiosto use the huge Carriage Works space. That’s because they’ve never before been able to exhibit their entire collection of life-size film props under one roof.
*Joining the:
Podpadstudios Terminator-inspired Robot T-1-FNY
Steampunk Dalek
Dr Who’s K9
Star Wars R2D2 droids
Animatronic dragons and …
A life-sized Batmobile …
.. will be Stormtroopers from MKG who will be fund raising for Prospect Hospice, Swindon. All of which goes to show that not all Stormtroopers and Daleks are baddies after all! Entry is completely FREE to the family fun Day and Swindon Open Studios exhibition which runs for the last two weekends of September.
MKG With Izzy Steampunk Droid (1)Batmobile at Lydiard HouseQR code for SOS 24 map
Wyvern Theatre SYP 2024. Yes folks – it’s that time again – the Wyvern Theatre’s summer youth project 2024. I’ve seen several summer youth projects over the years and they’ve always been splendid. And in this year’s production, (the THIRTIETH SYP), The Little Mermaid and the high production values of these productions are as much in evidence in this joyous production as ever.
Directed by that Pantomime Dame extraordinaire, David Ashely, the entire cast and ensemble shimmered their way around the stage and the entire auditorium – no aisle knowingly goes to waste in the SYP!
It was all wonderful and nothing fishy about it at all. The jokes won’t get any better than that so I’ll stop there.
Wyvern’s Summer Youth Project – The little mermaid
Awesome
I have a Canadian friend, who I tease a tease a little, over her use of the adjective ‘awesome’. But when it comes to the SYP – we’ve seen several together now, including this one – there couldn’t be a better one. Writing as someone who still hasn’t memorized their mobile phone number, I’m in total awe that the young people involved learn all their words and their moves in such a short time. The whole thing is confected from the raw ingredients to the finished soufflé in about ten days. And that culinary reference makes a nifty segue into giving a special mention to two cast members.
Of course EVERYONE is terrific. But a spotlight for making us laugh goes to Toby Barton as the French chef Louis displaying some excellent, exaggerated Gallic shrugging. He was great value. I have to stay though, during that scene I was somewhat expecting it to conclude with the crab, Sebastian, on a plate. But then that would have been less Hans Christian Anderson/Disney and more Quentin Tarantino …
Then, besides the main characters of course, we both enjoyed Bethany Tunley as Scuttle the seagull. Also good value, she flapped her way around the stage with aplomb. And I loved her outfit with the flying goggles on her head. V clever and amusing.
About the Little Mermaid
As I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned here before, there’s nothing new under the sun – or in this case – the sea. For, way before Disney turned this watery tale into a block-busting movie it existed as a fairy tale written by Danish writer, Hans Christian Andersen.
The Little Mermaid then (in Danish, Den lille havfrue), sometimes translated in English ‘As the Little Sea Maid was first published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children. So it’s a story almost as old as the oceans – well ok – that’s an exaggeration. But it had been around a long time before it got the Disney treatment.
The story tells a tale of a young mermaid princess, willing to give up her oceanic life to have a human soul. I daresay you all know the story anyway so I’ll say no more about this lovely story about identity and self-discovery. I will note though that, and relevant considering recent events, it also carried a message about not fearing different. That not all different is bad. ‘Not all humans are bad’ – I’m paraphrasing – cried Ariel. Indeed they’re not. And likewise neither are all Muslims, Jews, Gays, brown-eyed people … etc, etc, etc. And so, as this Guardian article explains, that’s why we need the black Ariel in Disney’s film.
PS: I’ve been attending these things for a few years now and have never, until last night, seen the presence of MPs/Cllrs. Not once. Last night broke the mould – both our MPS and a borough cllr (and partners) were in attendance. And not only for the reception but the entire performance. Good to see.
Swindon Pickleball Festival. Swindon is set to serve up a new kind of excitement this August Bank Holiday weekend. The town is hosting its first-ever Pickleball festival. The two-day event, scheduled for Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th August 2024, promises to be a thrilling weekend for both seasoned players and newcomers to the sport.
Held at the Delta Tennis Centre, the festival will feature a 12-court indoor setup. Thus making it the largest pickleball event ever hosted in Swindon.
The event is open to all ages and skill levels, with a variety of match formats to cater to everyone from competitive players to casual participants looking to enjoy the game in a friendly environment.
Swindon Pickleball Festival
Great excitement
Shaun Jones, organiser of Swindon Pickleball, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming event.
We’re so excited to bring the first-ever Pickleball Festival to Swindon. Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK, and we’re thrilled to showcase it in such a vibrant community. This festival is all about bringing people together-whether you’re a seasoned player or someone who’s never picked up a paddle. There’s something for everyone.
We can’t wait to see people of all ages and abilities join in the fun.’
The festival will run from 9 am to 5 pm each day, with a packed schedule of activities.
How it will work
Saturday will see unlimited festival friendlies on eight courts. And Sunday will expand the action to all 12 courts, offering unlimited festival friendlies throughout the day.
A spokesperson for Delta Tennis Centre added:’ We’re delighted to partner with Swindon Pickleball to host this event.
Delta Tennis Centre has a long history of promoting sports in Swindon. So we’re proud to support the growth of pickleball in the region. This festival is a fantastic opportunity for people to experience the sport in a welcoming and supportive environment. We look forward to seeing a great turnout.’
Registration for the event is currently open on the Pickleball England website here. But! There’s a limited nmber of spaces so we’re encouraging early registration to secure a spot.
The registration deadline is 11 am on Sunday, 18th August 2024. Any entries received after capacity is reached will go on a standby list. We’ll accept withdrawals and refund requests until midnight on Thursday, 15th August 2024, with a 10% administrative fee applicable.
The entry fee is set at £10 for youth players (under 18) for Saturday, and £20 per adult for each day. A limited number of weekend passes are available at £30 per player.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to be part of Swindon’s first Pickleball Festival-whether to compete, learn, or simply enjoy a weekend of fun and sport.
About pickleball
Pickleball is a fast-growing sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. Played on a smaller court with a lower net, it’s a game that is easy to learn but offers plenty of challenges for more experienced players. Using paddles and a perforated plastic ball, players can engage in singles or doubles matches.
Well known for its accessibility, the sport is popular among people of all ages and fitness levels. Its rapid growth across the UK and globally is a testament to its fun and social nature. And the excitement it brings to participants.
Swindon pickleball
June 2023 saw the establishment of Swindon pickleball to introduce and promote the game within the Swindon community. The club soon gained traction and now hosts weekly social sessions at the Delta Tennis Centre.
Designed to be inclusive, the sessions welcome players of all ages and skill levels. Currently, social sessions take place on Mondays. But there are plans to expand to Wednesdays before too long.
Swindon Pickleball is committed to fostering a friendly and supportive environment to fostering a friendly and supportive environment. One where players can enjoy the sport, improve their skills, and connect with others.
