NGS: Moat Hall garden near Annscroft Shrewsbury. A garden full of quirky delights.

Shropshire Star

We take a look around Moat Hall Gardens near Shrewsbury, as it gets ready to open for the National Garden Scheme this weekend. We find the remains of a historic moat, a garden full of quirky delights, a lake, peacock and much much more.

Transcript

00:00So we're here at Moat Hall and we're here with owners. Introduce yourselves guys.

00:04I'm Helen Davis. I'm Martin Davis. And a lovely garden you've got here. You'll be

00:10opening for the National Garden Scheme this weekend on the 3rd, that's right isn't it?

00:14Sunday the 3rd yes, 1-5. And there'll be cakes involved which I've been reliably

00:18informed you've been hard at work baking yourself. I have baking cakes, they're all in the freezer.

00:22Not content with the hard work it is getting a garden night, you know you're on to the baking.

00:28Just talk us through your garden then. We've had a little look round and we'll bring some images up.

00:33It's definitely got its own character hasn't it? Talk us through what people can expect.

00:38Yeah well we've got herbaceous borders and a cut flower area, big vegetable garden with a large greenhouse,

00:47lawns and lots and lots and lots of stonework.

00:50And interesting little collections of various things which are quite unusual.

00:56Right up my street that yeah, interesting little bottles, saddle stones, little bits of iron work.

01:03I mean there's a there's one thing and I said this is like some kind of trellis and you said it's a

01:08a tank track from Condorway back in the day.

01:12Yeah from Condorway Airfield I think.

01:14Yeah yeah, it reinforced the ground in wet weather so the airplanes in the war wouldn't sink in.

01:22And there was a moat around this wasn't it? It's not just moat by name, it was moat by nature and

01:27you can still see the remnants of that in the changing levels.

01:30Yes you can easily see the course of it.

01:32And walk around yeah.

01:33And walk around yeah.

01:34And I understand you were told by someone in the know the moat was dug 11...

01:41English Heritage thought the moat might have been dug about 1170.

01:45Yeah.

01:45Nobody can be very sure I don't think.

01:46Yeah yeah.

01:48And so it's been in your family's hands for a good few years hasn't it?

01:52Yes it has.

01:54And you've got a lovely barn there. We'll flash that up if anyone's getting married.

01:59Coming up.

02:00Yeah a wedding barn.

02:01So that's a lovely feature as well isn't it?

02:03Yeah.

02:03And will you be using that on the day?

02:05Yes it's very good for teas.

02:07Yeah perfect.

02:08You've got a kitchen and things are quite easy to deal with.

02:12And you've got an interesting sunflower.

02:14Now sunflowers are pretty but somehow the one you've got stuck it to the next level.

02:19I've not seen one like that it's quite an interesting head isn't it?

02:21It's just one with those little tiny shiny gold stars in the middle.

02:25Yeah yeah definitely very different.

02:27Have you got a particular favourite spot you like to sit in the garden?

02:30And kind of if you ever do get time to relax when you're not baking a garden.

02:34Just go outside the kitchen window because there's a bench there because it's nearest.

02:37Yeah yeah.

02:39And do you use it much kind of like socially and that with the family and...

02:42Yeah we like to have friends around.

02:44Yeah yeah.

02:45We sometimes go up to the by the pool there.

02:48Yeah.

02:49Sit on the bench there.

02:50Cool.

02:51Well it's a lovely garden and if people are looking for something nice to do this weekend

02:56I'd definitely recommend coming down.

02:58As I say it's definitely got its own character.

03:01So yeah let's hope the weather's on your side this weekend.

03:05I hope so yeah.

03:06We could do with the rain but not on Sunday.

03:08Yeah not on Sunday.

03:09Yeah wait till Sunday's garden.

03:12Well thank you guys for letting us look around your wonderful garden.

03:20I love you.

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