65 and still growing strong...

The impact of the pandemic and lockdown, though a few years passed, have had impacts on the local community with lives lost, hearts broken, and futures ruined. Among the lesser impacts includes the cancellation of the Husthwaite and District Gardening Club’s sixtieth birthday celebrations.

When regulations were lifted in 2021, celebrating the sixty first year didn’t feel quite right. This year marks the sixty fifth anniversary (founded in 1959), however, and so the search was on for a suitable venue to mark the event. Criteria included that the venue had to have a garden of note and the provision of afternoon tea.

A pre-pandemic memory of a garden visit led to a call to a wonderful estate just outside Thirsk with beautiful gardens and a history to match: Sion Hill Hall.

The Hall sits on the site of the 13th century manor of Kirby Wiske, the current building being Neo-Georgian built in 1913. The gardens are spread over five acres and include a formal parterre, long herbaceous borders, a woodland walk and a walled kitchen garden as well as smaller “rooms” of lush greenery and scented blossoms.

In August, more than thirty members of the garden club were welcomed by Michael Mallaby, the custodian of Sion Hill Hall, who gave a lively account of the Hall and its occupants over the centuries.







To read more about the garden club festivities, pick up a copy of the paper from your nearest stockist.

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