August 2024

12 Buckden Roundabout August 2024 Friends of Buckden Towers FRIENDS OF BUCKDEN TOWERS The Outer Gatehouse Garden Back in 1969, US Citizens Dottie and Jim Waddell lived in the Outer Gatehouse of Buckden Towers. They clearly enjoyed life in one of England ’ s important ancient monuments and have recently, and most generously, donated a substantial sum that has been used to create an ornamental garden in place of the neglected and overgrown area that their garden had become. Here ’ s what Dottie has to say about the garden as it was in her time …. “ We did indeed use that space as a garden. There was some grassy area, but we also had flowers and a small vegetable garden. The Dudley ’ s chicken pen was there too. ” When we proposed using their funds to restore the site to an ornamental and accessible garden Dottie and Jim were delight- ed. The garden now contains shrubs and wild meadow grasses mainly native to UK . A firm path, suitable for wheelchairs, takes visitors to the centre of the garden, where a circular wooden bench provides seating on which to rest awhile in this calm and natural environment. In June of this year the work to create the Outer Gatehouse Garden was effectively complete. All that then remained was for Mother Nature herself to complete the project through the growth and flowering of the many shrubs and grasses now planted and seeded, and for the installation of an irrigation system. The site clearance and development of the new garden was by X - Scapes Ltd., a local landscape company specialising in struc- tural landscaping. The garden is now open for visitors to enjoy. The photographs below can be seen in colour in the on - line version of The Roundabout. Keith Lawrence Friends of Buckden Towers Buckden Open Gardens wish to thank all our local businesses that kindly sponsored our event. Your support was invaluable. Our thanks also to all our garden owners that generously opened their gardens . It was truly a wonderful event enjoyed by all. We look forward to going it all again in 2026. Kindest Regards to you all. Priscilla Gardiner - Open Gardens coordinator.