1979: GLORIOUS amateur GARDENS | The Front Garden | Weird and Wonderful | BBC Archive

"All I know is you put the hairy end of the plant in the garden".
The Front Garden introduces us to three amateurs who keep two wonderful gardens: Mrs Barnes who tended a graveyard garden in Castleton, Derbyshire, and Mr & Mrs Harrison, torch-bearers to Capability Brown, at the majestic Brocklesby Park in North Lincolnshire.
Clip taken from The Front Garden, originally broadcast on BBC Two, Tuesday 25 December, 1979.
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[@532bluepeter1]

I do hope that someone is keeping her grave well.

[@user-eh3ou7oq4w]

This was the Gt. Britain that I grew up in.

[@andrewgoodbody2121]

Then you voted for Thatcher and she convinced you there was no such thing as society. You've not even reached the bottom of her damage yet

[@Stratoszero]

If you squint and concentrate you can almost see it, but I fear the best parts have gone for good.

[@boundsgreenboy8354]

Simply a treasure to behold, may God bless them all. 🙏

[@syedalamgir5838]

She was a very kind woman.

[@asa1973100]

She was a very very sweet lady who had been a midwife in her working life . She was a pleasure to know .

[@Stratoszero]

@@asa1973100 I wonder if the current house owners have seen this clip?

[@Undermarysmantleforever]

Absolutely adorable🙏🌟

[@ryanohara476]

What charming elegantly these ladies were. The gardens, landscape, cottages, churches buildings erc are are beautifull! Maintaining that beauty remains in this very beautiful part of beautiful Derbyshire!

[@arepaarepa4764]

You put the hairy end of the plant in the garden and hope for the best

[@Mkbshg8]

A euphamism if ever I heard one.

[@KieranRobinson-zz6ug]

Haha. It's what I've done for some time

[@dismith73]

I remember my mother gardening in a black velvet skirt and heels

[@MichaelBosley]

Her little cottage looks very much the same today. Even down to the large basket on the wall. The whole place is a bit of a picture postcard touristy place now.

[@clair233]

Is it in Barnes?

[@bieni78]

Castleton, Derbyshire ​@@clair233

[@asa1973100]

The outside of her cottage looks the same but unfortunately her beautiful garden is completely overgrown. You would never recognise it if you were to see it now.

[@asa1973100]

No it’s the village of Castleton Derbyshire

[@Stratoszero]

@@asa1973100 Gardens only last as long as the garden sadly. Its not nature.

[@tomkandy]

It's interesting that what they describe as an "informal garden" is far more regimented than 99% of gardens 45 years later.

[@Kalatrobe]

❤ This footage makes me so happy ❤🎉

[@brandywell44]

The word Paradise comes from the Persian word pairidaezas which means 'Walled Garden'. The notion of Paradise as a garden predates Islam, Judaism, Christianity and even the Garden of Eden. It stems from the Sumerian period 4000BC in Mesopotamia. Shade and water are two important elements of paradise.

[@Stratoszero]

Thanks

[@ChrisPollitt]

Both lovely!

[@user-jr1ec6zn8t]

nice to feel the vibe of England from lovely old lady with both sense of humor and skill of gardening.

[@petergivenbless900]

Beautiful photography; shooting under bright sunny conditions can be a nightmare for cinematographers but this looks soft and balanced in its exposure without any apparent fill lighting, some shots benefit from being slightly overcast but the results are really impressive. I would love to know who the cameraman was.

[@jamestheposh]

Philip Bonham-Carter

[@petergivenbless900]

@@jamestheposh thanks! Wouldn't be a relative of Helena perchance?

[@donnasmyth45]

Such a delightful woman at the end.

[@KieranRobinson-zz6ug]

Beautiful

[@hilaryepstein6013]

Lovely ladies who came from a generation who just rolled up their sleeves and got on with it. I just hope these gardens are in the same beautiful state as when they left them.

[@ERobbins1234]

Yeah, everyone within a generation has the same personality.

[@Stratoszero]

Nope, found them on Streetview, the churchyard has gone back to nature today, and the gatehouse is bare shaved lawn (it was unkempt, and possibly empty/semi derelict again for a while around 2008 again, according to the maps). Gardens only last as long as gardeners.

[@pippalicious9505]

Such a lovely voice, people just dont sound like that these days

[@Mkbshg8]

She says it was one of Capability Brown's folies but having a look it seems it was actually built in 1815 by Jeffry Wyatville. The name of it is Newsham Lodge. What I've typed above is from 5 minutes research so I would be grateful if anyone could add further info or even correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks.

[@penelopesparrow]

yes you've researched right - Brown was a landscaper so he was responsible for some areas of the garden. I can't find any info on the lodge itself apart from that it's GII listed and that as of 2017 it is sadly empty with some boarded windows. All her beautiful flowers are gone. 😢

[@Mkbshg8]

@@penelopesparrow Ah that's a shame about the flowers etc and yes there was surprisingly little info on it last I checked.

[@532bluepeter1]

This was in the days when gardens were for plants

[@waynemay7327]

...unlike now when most front gardens are for cars.

[@Stratoszero]

@@waynemay7327 or caravans, or gravel, paving, extensions and shonky outbuildings

[@thrilhous]

"People's always seem as though they're looking for something, and really it's at the end of the nose."

[@robinofilfracombe712]

Excellent and lovely to see so many traditional plants and shrubs. I might have to work at the other end of the coach house garden though to get some peace and quiet 😅

[@penelopesparrow]

Such a lovely little snippet of ordinary people, getting on with life and making the best of things. My grandmother's generation - roll your sleeves up, this is your lot, might as well enjoy it. Sadly the lodge seems to have returned to it's semi-derelict state, the only photos I can find of it are from 2017 and it has boarded windows. No flowers to be seen any more. I hope they lived there much longer after this and enjoyed every minute, perhaps the last people to care for it.

[@winnieman-fx1hu]

People will tell you that this kind if england never existed

[@pcalf101]

Iceberg rocks.. what a lovely phrase

[@eduardo0796]

That caught my attention too.

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Given wisdom EVERYONE can live in a beautiful garden...😅

[@KieranRobinson-zz6ug]

I bet the ghosts of that place took care of those people

[@rensha8635]

Love it love it love it ! Make the BBC great again - we want ordinary people talking about their ordinary lives. Not all this celebratory worship, or any of the woke stuff and diversity push. Just normal everyday people will do please.🙏

[@BillyDee45]

...has the world really changed for the better? What a different time...

[@Mkbshg8]

Parts have.

[@waynemay7327]

No.

[@unrulycrow6299]

Bro, these people lived through WW2. Don't idealise the past.

[@andydixon2980]

Seeing the smiley older couple I thought I was watching 'Little Britain' for a second.

[@bieni78]

The Gentleman probably fought in WW2. More of a man than you'll ever be. The only thing you do is post unkind comments on social media.

[@76ToneCrome]

Very Beatrice Potter.

[@Mkbshg8]

Beatrix, surely?

[@76ToneCrome]

@@Mkbshg8 Surely.

[@gooderspitman8052]

A portal on a lost world, complete with birdsong…all gone.

[@luckybag6814]

What country was this? I’ve seen meticulously accurate BBC dramas set in 1970s England and it looked nothing like this place, wherever it is.

[@clair233]

This is England

[@clairenoon4070]

I believe it's Castleton in the county of Derbyshire in England. At about 01:50, just before we switch from the lady to the couple, I think it's the remains of Peveril Castle (very ancient) you can see at top right. I'm amused that TV series are your reference point for what the UK looked like in the 70s! I've lived in England for over 50 years and much of rural England did look like this and still looks like this. Castleton is in the Peak District National Park, and is still a village full of old cottages, pubs, a few shops and a couple of nice churches. Some very iconic photos you see all over social media of a double-fronted cottage on a footpath right next to a river are Castleton. The village has lovely walking, climbing and other outdoor pursuits on its doorstep. I was there most recently just over a year ago. The church in the film, like many rural churches, was open for visitors to have a look round. It has lovely wood box-pews carved with the family names who occupied the pews and dates in the 1600s. It has some other interesting old items and a framed calligraphy list on the wall of the names of all the church's ministers since the 1300s.

[@clair233]

@@clairenoon4070 spot on

[@Stratoszero]

@@clairenoon4070 I hope luckybag is being ironic!

[@Stratoszero]

Are those the ones where 60% of the cast are non-white? I think your being ironic here, or hoping so!

[@richardjones8699]

What a mess this country is now just 40 or so years on.

[@waynemay7327]

I bet the three people in the video are dead now.

[@clairenoon4070]

Never?

[@JJONNYREPP]

1979: Amateur GARDENERS' EXTRAORDINAIRE | The Front Garden | Weird and Wonderful | BBC Archive 12.4.24 in my neighborhood its a case of that looks nice and......you guessed the rest............ "corme look at my glorious gubbins." do we didn't. went t't pub instead.

[@MrJofArnold]

Any CHANCE you can stop capitalising RANDOM WORDS? It's kinda annoying and CHEAPENS THE brand and great content.

[@RJSyeah]

I'm 40 and am a single Christian man, 6"2, bald but ok looking still, well travelled, level headed, sociable. Despite all this, it's been more than 8 years since I was properly with someone and that only lasted a few months. Time before that I was the victim of gaslighting and quite an abusive relationship going back 12 years now. For several years now I've gone on dates and it goes nowhere because I'm generally not meeting women I find physically attractive because the ones I see on these apps aren't into me. I sometimes match with them but then no response. I guess as an attractive woman, they will always have so much more choice and get snapped up quick. What's more, I am still a virgin technically speaking, despite having had multiple opportunities over the years with the few relationships I've had and then one off flings and "one night stands" which I really regret even going that far because it was wrong. But never had full intercourse. I wanted to save myself for marriage and do what's right before God but I guess the wife and the marriage never happened. I hope it's not too late but it's certainly getting to a point where I'm worried whether anything will change. I understand that confidence and being content on your own is key, however I can't seem to shake off the feeling of failure and being unable to find and attract a woman that I want. Being on my own for so long, I can't see how it can be beneficial for anyone to be this way for this long and not have companionship. I don't mind being on my own, as I said I've travelled a ton, I've been to almost 70 countries now and the vast majority of that on my own.

[@user-ub1dz8js7s]

You could always get into gardening as a hobby.

[@dainbramage3558]

maybe you should be saying this to a therapist or something, not sure youtube comments are the best place for it, best of luck tho

[@laurisafine7932]

I really hope you find somebody lovely.

[@Mkbshg8]

Invest in a toupee, Sir.

[@waynemay7327]

Hope things improve for you. There's nothing wrong with being bald and I wish I was 6' 2".