Great joy and happiness, when Shedman and I got home we discovered that
Earlier to day they came and took the scaffolding down
Regular readers of my blog will know that my next door neighbour, Sandra and I have been having work on our Grade11 listed buildings since October 2008.
The picture above is Sandra’s building, which is my “garden wall” (my sunny south facing, lots of planting potential, garden wall)
Ignore the scruffiness of this area – that is what happens when for the past 6 months your garden has looked like this …
Well actually there has been scaffolding in one part of the the garden or another since the end of September
Now the builders are still going to be around for a little while yet.
And before Shedman and I can do anything to this area, we have to make provision for french drains and soak aways
But I cannot tell you how happy I am not to have scaffolding in the garden.
Enjoy the champagne!!
Yeeeeeeeay – you all must be delighted !
Anna’s last blog post..A Gentle Occupation
Quick, quick, get some shrubs in there. What a blank canvas you have to work with so get some quick growing plants to cover up the joins. I wish I had had some control over the placing of the roof lights. I would have, at least, tried to make them equi-distant. Still, the planting should disguise a lot of that. Do you want me to send Jimmy to help with the digging? Speak later, Sandra XX
These Grade II listings etc always puzzle me. If you look at that wall, you can see there have been three different walls, and at some point there has been a doorway (on the left). The people who control the Grade II thingies wouldn’t ask you (or your neighbour) to go back to that. But they wouldn’t let you do anything new to it. It seems a rather arbitrary way of freezing things in time. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not against things being preserved. It’s just ironic that so many of our ‘heritage’ properties were built or extended or embellished because their past owners didn’t think twice about knocking them about, or even knocking down an older house to build a new one.
It’s lucky that scaffolding came down – if it stayed any longer they might have listed that too.
Victoria’s last blog post..Trees in the breeze
What a relief it must be! So what will the garden become against this wall?
compostinmyshoe’s last blog post..The Garden Through Mia’s Eyes
Wow, that looks very nice. Congratulations
I think this wall is a great background for a garden! I like stone and I am a bit jealous because I don’t have a stone wall! I hope there will be some plants there next spring!
Tatyana’s last blog post..Yesterday. My Picture Of The Day
I love Victoria’s last sentence!
And how great it must feel to have all that scaffolding gone and you can really start thinking what to do with all that space
I can’t wait to see it for real later this year – we just have vague plans for September at the moment, nothing concrete (or slate and stone for that matter).
VP’s last blog post..Postcard From Norfolk: Great Massingham
I would love this as a backdrop to my garden. A great arrangement of stone. There is most definitely gardening potential to be had here. x
Louise’s last blog post..
Waw all that space to grew up. I bet you are spoilt for choice what to grew there although I guess you will have designed it over and over in your head during your long wait for the scaffolding to go.
Joanne’s last blog post..BASKETS AND URN
O karen,who or what is a french drain, and are they difficult? What a wonderful wall.
What great news. And what a great planting opportunity!
HappyMouffetard’s last blog post..The plants wot I bought
Thank you all for taking the time to visit and leave comments, I am currently going around with notebook and pen making outrageous plans for this part of the garden
Linda – a french drain is when you dig out a few feet deep and about a foot wide next to the wall and fill it with gravel – no damp proof courses in these old houses and this helps keep the air flowing around the stonework …. Then I get to make my big flowerbed in front
VP it would be fab to see you
Victoria – don’t get me started!!!!! and you are so right about the scaffolding
Ivy had started growing up it as it was there for so long!
Sandra – your house wall looks beautiful to me
Right folks – I am off again with notebook and pen
K
A wonderful wall, it is. The filled-in doorway and the two large sections that look like they were assembled at different times give it a sense of history that you can almost touch. I’m sure you’ll come up with a planting scheme that will interact with its great textures. I wish even one of my walls was a tenth as interesting…
lostlandscape(James)’s last blog post..growing together
A beautiful wall for a garden…can’t wait to see what you have in your notebook of jotted ideas! gail
Gail’s last blog post..Find Your Beautiful
What a wonderful wall, with a story to tell
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James, Gail, Uphilldowndale,
Thanks for your comments.
I love the fact that when you like at the wall there is the history of the building, the additions, the blocked up door etc.
As for my notebook of ideas – well one of the things that I enjoy is the planning and design – so I dont think we will be planting it anytime soon – lots of time to plan and dream
K