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Medieval
gardens
Garden
plan
About
us
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Alan Titchmarsh
described the gardens as a "stunning example of a recreated
medieval garden". (
Royal Gardeners Pub., BBC, 2003).
The gardens were
established to represent both the practical and decorative features that
could be found in a high status garden between the 13th
and 15 th centuries.
The plants have been selected from several
plant lists. These include the earliest English gardening book by ‘Jon
Gardener’ and a 15 th century
‘Leech Book’, that contains the sort of medical recipes that Nicholas
Colnet, who was physician to Henry 5th during the Agincourt campaign in
1415. He was given the Prebendal Manor in 1417, probably in return for his
services. (See Prebends
for more information on Nicholas Colnet and other Nassington prebends.)
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Gardener's hut
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The ephemeral beauty of gardens was noted by many medieval
poets:
‘Now shrinketh rose and lilye-flour,
That whilen ber that swete savour.
In somer, that swete tide.’
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A new Garden for 2009
The Square Garden of
Henry the Poet
The new beds will be based on the ‘Square Garden
of Henry the Poet’. Henry was most likely to have been, ‘Henricus
Anglicus’, who is known to have travelled to Naples and many other
places. Henry Daniel praising him as ‘Doctor and noble poet’,
quoted his writing on herbal recipes.
The plant list tells what was to be grown on each
of four sides of the garden. Where there is any uncertainty as to which
plant is meant in the original documents, then the possible alternatives
will also be planted.
The will be a plant identification list to
accompany this garden.
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