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However you might arrive in Battle, and whatever the season, you can be sure of a
colourful welcome.
Most of the public
gardens in Battle are created and maintained by The Beautiful Battle Volunteers.
Thousands of bulbs are planted
each Autumn to reveal wonderful roadside displays on the approaches to Battle every Spring.
These give way to colourful floral displays
throughout the summer and Autumn.
We would like to take you on a guided tour............
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| http://www.battletowncouncil.org.uk/ |
The two northern entrances to Battle
bring you to The Roundabout where
the seasonal planting is undertaken by Battle Town Council.
Flanking this...and maintained by Beautiful Battle......
A garden...best
in springtime...surrounding a sturdy oak tree managed by David and Barbara.
The Queens Silver
Jubilee Garden..... created in 1977 by Battle Civic Association .....heathers, conifers and rhododendrons.... at the Old Court
House
Barrier baskets
sponsored by local community groups and businesses
The essential services to Battle have made their gardens accessible for community
gardening.
The
Police Station is gardened by a community police officer
The Ambulance Station Garden was
a flower bed for scarecrows in 2008 & 2009...and for 2010 will be a commemorative garden for the Centenary
of guiding The Fire Station Garden is managed by Beautiful Battle Volunteers.
The old sandstone wall marks the site of The Almonry Award -winning Gardens and The Town hall. The walled gardens, in three
sections, are the flagship enterprise of The Beautiful Battle & Battle Town Council partnership. The
garden is free to visitors.
The Judas Tree Cercis siliquastrum in the front garden is a sight to behold
in May, and packets of seed may be purchased from Battle Museum of Local History...situated within the front garden.
The courtyard in the rear garden is a refuge to enjoy with container displays in
the summer.
The Gardens are a joy at any time of the year to all the volunteers who work here, and to all those who visit
.
A short distance from The Almonry is Nationwide Building Society , formerly The Gildhall.....where
the car park to the rear is a real hidden garden.
A business with a ‘community’ approach has enabled volunteers Geoff and
Sheila to create a delightful garden in what was an overgrown neglected wilderness. All plants for ‘The Hand-me-down-Garden’ have been donated...........................
The bulbs are funded by Beautiful Battle
A small garden at the entrance to Mountjoy, in Mount Street is designed and created by Sandra & Richard
as a tribute to their well remembered and respected family. The garden seat was donated by The Battle Gardens and Leisure Group. (pictured
here is a South East in Bloom Judge 2009)
Mount Street is well endowed with summer floral displays...all
looked after by the businesses, as are those in Old Ladies Court
Mount Street Car Park is the gateway to Battle High Street. ‘Wasted
Winnie’ stood on guard in 2009 , in Senlac
Veterinary Centre Garden. Through a ‘twitten’ there is a narrow
garden which has evolved into the flower bed it is now, and managed by Battle Choral Society
An alternative route to The High Street takes the pedestrian past
the Rother Homes Garden maintained
by Marilyn for Beautiful Battle, via a wonderful basket display managed by St
Martin’s Residents Gardening Club...to Abbey Court....where the planters are looked after by the ladies
of Saxonwood W.I.
The newly created ‘fruit
garden’ reflects times of Battle past..... Newbery Preserves....The Jam
Factory. Pictures show work in progress.
Approaching Battle via Hastings Road, south of the town,
the first garden to present itself about 1mile short of the town centre, is The Dry Garden at
the entrance to Glengorse.
Designed and planted by John, a local resident, a serpent of logs
on a gravel base was the starting point. John, a plant specialist was given the brief of using plants which
would grow to no more than 18” (to satisfy Highways) and which would withstand drought conditions. The garden has matured,
and the plants have merged, during the last four years...to a very pleasing effect.
The Roundel Garden on Station Approach, originally conceived
by The Civic Association, underwent a complete makeover in 2007, and is managed by Gary and Anne, volunteers of Beautiful Battle
as a twice yearly bedding scheme. Planters both in Station Approach, and on the Station platform are also looked after by
Maggie and other volunteers, with the support of Peter the ticket clerk.
In summer The Floral Route of basket displays takes the visitor into the centre of Battle....and past the entrance to
Powdermill Lane which in spring boasts a magnificent display of daffodils.
The next floral landmark is the Garden opposite
The Chequers Public House. This was the first garden created by Beautiful Battle, on a
barren site behind the old bus stop. The garden, constructed in two phases around some granite rocks, supports
dry-loving plants requiring minimum attention. It is managed by Sylvia and John, and is at its best in Summer, but conveys
an architectural interest year-round. Close by, and at the entrance to Marley Lane is a very colourful
bedding scheme managed by Gary and Adrian of Battle Town Council.
Arriving at The Abbey Green, the focal point of Battle, the visitor is welcomed in summer by a riot
of colour in the large planters which surround the old bullring in the central area....the site in years gone for cattle markets,
and the traditional bonfire still in evidence each November.
The Annual Mediaeval Fayre, now in its 20th year and organised
by Battle Chamber of Commerce
is a highlight at the end of May. The floral
schemes are conceived by Beautiful Battle, and the containers are planted and managed by the ground force team of Battle Town
Council....helped by the Beautiful Battle volunteers.
The watering regime adopted to keep all of these floral
displays vibrant through the summer is a partnership arrangement between Battle Town Council and Beautiful Battle 'using
harvested rainwater' .... Gary, Adrian and Andrew carry out this twice weekly, early morning task whilst
Beautiful Battle makes a significant cost input.
The Abbey Green is a fitting finale to
this Beautiful Battle Garden Trail June 2010
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