Heritage Gardens
Stanwick Lakes Heritage Gardens
The Heritage Gardens are located next to the Heritage Barn at Stanwick Lakes and have been developed and are maintained by a small, dedicated team of volunteers. The gardens complement the barn, showcasing plants which would have been grown in this area from Neolithic times until medieval times. Our volunteers have also carefully researched the different uses of the plants: whether for food & flavouring, medicine, dyeing, spiritual purposes, or just for their scent and decoration.
They are made up of four individual but inter-linked areas:
- The Heritage Garden
- The Heritage Wellbeing Orchard
- The Guild Garden
- The Iron Age Nursery Garden
The Heritage Garden
This was the first section to be developed. It was started in January 2019, when the volunteer team cleared the ground of weeds and other debris. By the end of that year, the garden had taken shape and the raised beds were filled with appropriate plants: fruit bushes, annual vegetables, old-fashioned roses, medicinal & culinary herbs, dyeing plants, and a more decorative bed.
Our volunteers continue to work on this garden to keep it looking at its best throughout the year. It attracts lots of interest from visitors, who are welcome to wander round to take a closer look – although we keep the gates shut so that the rabbits don’t get in to nibble the plants!
The Heritage Wellbeing Orchard
This aim of this area is to provide a quiet haven where visitors can contemplate nature and listen to the sounds of the wildlife. It was planted in March 2020 with heritage fruit trees – apples, pears, quince and medlar – and wildflowers.
The Guild Garden
The Guild Garden is a partnership between the Stanwick Lakes Heritage Team and the Northamptonshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers. The plants in this garden are used for natural dyeing as part of an exciting project to recreate Iron Age (750BC – 43AD) Textiles using traditional and ancient techniques.
The main plants in this space are Woad, Madder and Weld, but there are also a few others which produce colour too, such as Tansy, Dyers Camomile and Dyers Greenwood.
Clothing in prehistoric times were certainly not dull – colours such as reds and yellows were fairly easy to produce, with blues and greens taking some skill and knowledge around plants to achieve. The skills of the weavers within these communities are shown through a number of textile crafts – loom weaving, tablet weaving, cordage, sprang to name just a few.
Visit the Guild every Wednesday and the 4th Sunday of the month in their weavers barn, where the rainbow of colours achieved during the Iron Age are on display, as well as the project work that has already taken place.
The Heritage Kitchen Garden
This garden is gradually being repurposed to become a Heritage Kitchen Garden and will be extended slightly to allow more room.
The garden will show edible plants used by our ancestors, most of which are still used today.
We will grow heritage fruit, vegetables and culinary herbs which can be used in the kitchen for you to try when visit the café in the Visitor Centre.
Our initial focus is on herbs and a few annual vegetables, but this will be expanded as the garden grows to include fruit bushes and a wider range of vegetables.
None of this would have been possible without funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the loyal support of our volunteers.
If you are interested in volunteering in the garden, keep an eye on our social media for open days, where you can meet the team and find out what’s involved. You can also view current volunteer opportunities on our volunteer system.