Hill Close gardens

We visited Hill Close Gardens last week. This was my first visit even though we have lived in the area for many years now. The history is fascinating.

The gardens are rare survivors of Victorian detached gardens (once found in many urban areas) used by townsfolk who lived above their businesses in the town centre and had nowhere to grow flowers, fruit or vegetables in their small back yards. In the mid-1840s the owner of Hill Close divided his land into 32 plots and rented them out to the townspeople to be used as detached gardens. The plots were laid out with hedges, entrances, paths and summer houses or sheds. There were fruit trees and ornamental planting. 

The summer houses were mostly wooden but some were later built in brick. By 1860 the plots had been sold freehold to individual families and this has contributed to their survival, as has lack of road access. Only 16 plots remain today, as land was sold off for housing in Edwardian times. 

Some owners cultivated their own plots but others rented them out.

The gardens continued be cultivated until after WWII when Warwick District Council began to buy up the plots for housing. When diggers were seen entering the area in early 1990s, a local resident alerted the neighbourhood and that was the start of the rescue of Hill Close Gardens, with one of the deciding factors being the designation of four of the summer houses as Grade 2 listed buildings. The site was listed later that year.

Each plot has a plaque that tells you its history. Plot 16: 'An early occupier of this plot was Thomas Gibbs of the Rose and Crown, Market Place. In 1867 it was sold to Samuel Cooper who had lodged at 44 Friars Street but subsequently lived at 23 The Butts. He was a printer and had retired by 1891. After a number of short tenancies it was bought in 1916 by Henry Bartlett, a baker and flour dealer of 25 Market Place. In 1953 the garden was sold to Jim Smith, a local greengrocer who also owned plot 19. Bought by WDC in 1992.

We came across two volunteers who were tending one of the plots

Most plots have at least one apple tree





and there are fallen apples all over the place

I did love the summer houses

looking in

This one had oyster shells as decoration all over the walls inside. 

another interior

Flowering chrysanthemums in this plot

topiary all around this one

We wandered around for a while

Then went in the green housee to look at the display of all the varieties of apples that grow here.

The Byzantine Museum in Athens

The Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens.

As the name suggests, the permanent exhibits in this museum are of Christian and Byzantine art. The temporary exhibitions are quite different though, and are on the whole very interesting.

One enters through the arch in the first photograph which leads to a large and very pleasant courtyard. We have visited a lot of times, but what we had not done before is go behind the building facing us in this photograph. We were very pleasantly surprised last time we visited, as there are extensive gardens at the back as well as a restaurant that we intend to visit in the winter, on a sunny day for lunch.

This is the restaurant and cafe. We were set on going to Philippou on the day we visited, but this looked pleasant and cool. The place was relatively empty, but it was 1:00, far too early for Greek people. Given the number of waiters we saw, I expect it would get busy later.

The restaurant leads on to the extensive gardens

Careful planting throughout

I wonder if those steps serve as an amphitheatre

lots of grasses around

The back of the building

We walked around for a bit

but decided that we would explore fully in the winter

as this was a very hot day

and at midday the sun was beating on us.

We retraced our steps, walked through the restaurant

back to the main courtyard - you can see the Lycabettus Hill in the distance

one of the buildings on the side of the courtyard

and the other side which is where the entrance for the temporary exhibitions is, in the bowels of the building, down two flights in the lift

Some cool spots here

careful planting as in the rest of the garden

lots of lavender

it's a little oasis in the middle of a bustling city

through the arch again and we left this tranquil place behind us.