The blossoming of Kiftsgate
Cotswold Life|March 2020
Kiftsgate Court Gardens, in the North Cotswolds, are famous for their rampant rose – the largest in England. But there’s so much more to these horticultural masterpieces, created by three generations of women, as Katie Jarvis discovered. She spoke to Anne Chambers, current owner guardian; and to Vanessa Berridge, author of a book marking the gardens’ centenary
Katie Jarvis
The blossoming of Kiftsgate
Spring [2004]: It had been a horrible day when I left London, but it bucked up just as I arrived in Gloucestershire. I drove along the drive, the steep banks dropping away; and the slopes were covered with bluebells. It was a heartstopping introduction to this garden that was going to play such a big part in my life, Vanessa Berridge

The year is 1938; the month is May; and a mild spring is pouring warm sunshine onto a grateful Earth one minute, before sprinkling it with showers the next. At their castle in Kent, Vita Sackville

West and Harold Nicolson are opening glorious Sissinghurst gardens to the paying public (nicknamed ‘the shillingses’ in satirical honour of their entrance fees) for the first time.

Meanwhile, at Kiftsgate Court in the Cotswolds, another gardener is preparing to let visitors into her private world, for the National Garden Scheme.

When Heather Muir and husband Major John Buchanan Muir bought Kiftsgate Court in 1919, Jack (as he was known) considered the imposing Victorian house an architectural nightmare: a strange mix of 19th century casement windows, offset by an 18thcentury façade that had been transported, stone by stone, on a specially built light-railway from old Mickleton Manor in the valley below. (Quite a feat, even for ingenious Victorians.)

Despite this architectural incongruity, there were other attractions. Jack fell for Kiftsgate’s imposingly elevated site on top of Glyde Hill, high above Mickleton village; Heather, for the land around it. She might lack formal training, but she felt sure she could make something of this near-virgin garden plot. And there was another bonus: move here and their next-door neighbour (a mere halfmile away) would be none other than Lawrence Johnston of Hidcote Manor Gardens-fame.

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FLERE HISTORIER FRA COTSWOLD LIFESe alt
Gloucestershire After The War
Cotswold Life

Gloucestershire After The War

Discovering the county’s Arts and Crafts memorials of the First World War

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6 mins  |
November 2020
THE WILD SIDE OF Moreton-in-Marsh
Cotswold Life

THE WILD SIDE OF Moreton-in-Marsh

The days are getting shorter but there’s plenty of reasons to be cheerful, says Sue Bradley, who discovers how a Cotswolds town is becoming more wildlife-friendly and pots up some bulbs for an insect-friendly spring display

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2 mins  |
November 2020
Mr Ashbee would approve
Cotswold Life

Mr Ashbee would approve

In the true spirit of the Arts & Crafts Movement, creativity has kept the Chipping Campden community ticking over during lockdown

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8 mins  |
November 2020
The Cotswolds at war
Cotswold Life

The Cotswolds at war

These might be peaceful hills and vales, but our contribution to the war effort was considerable

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7 mins  |
November 2020
Trust in good, local food
Cotswold Life

Trust in good, local food

‘I’ve been following The Country Food Trust’s activities with admiration since it was founded’

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3 mins  |
November 2020
Why Cath is an open book
Cotswold Life

Why Cath is an open book

Cath Kidston has opened up almost every nook and cranny of her Cotswold idyll in a new book, A Place Called Home. Katie Jarvis spoke to Cath ahead of her appearance at this year’s Stroud Book Festival STROUD BOOK FESTIVAL – THIS YEAR FREE AND ONLINE: NOVEMBER 4-8

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10 mins  |
November 2020
From the Cotswolds to the world
Cotswold Life

From the Cotswolds to the world

Most people know that the Cotswolds have featured in a fair few Hollywood movies and TV series.

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3 mins  |
November 2020
The Wild Hunt
Cotswold Life

The Wild Hunt

In search of the legendary King Herla in the Malvern Hills

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6 mins  |
November 2020
Fighting spirit amid the flowers
Cotswold Life

Fighting spirit amid the flowers

Tracy Spiers visits Warwick, a beautiful town that is open for business and ready to welcome visitors

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9 mins  |
November 2020
Final journey
Cotswold Life

Final journey

Cheltenham author and volunteer on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR), Nicolas Wheatley, recounts the fascinating story of funeral trains

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3 mins  |
November 2020