Visit to Warley Place Nature Reserve.

How lucky were we with the weather! A coolish wind, but not Sunday’s drenching. A return visit for us - last year we saw the snowdrops in February, this year we went back on 28th March to see the narcissi and what a show they put on for us.

The Warley Place Nature Reserve is run by the Essex Wildlife Trust and maintained by volunteers. What a magic place it is! It’s a lost garden, in fact the garden of Ellen Willmott - one of the foremost Edwardian horticulturists. During her time, it was a real show garden. She died in the 1930s and the garden went to sleep for the next fifty years before being woken up by the Essex Wildlife Trust. Little of the show garden remains but it is enchanting to discover the remains of her sunken greenhouses, the alpine gorge she’d had constructed and the ruins of the conservatory where she had spent so much of her time.

The exotic shrubs and contemporaries have long since gone but what has thrived are the Spring bulbs, joyously taking over the garden during the abandoned years. How we enjoyed the swathes of daffodils. The visit was a delight as always, topped off by a warming drink and meal at the Thatchers Arms.

Marian Temple 31st March 2015     photos by Sue U.