History of the Erlas Victorian Walled Garden
We have evidence from Tithe Maps going back to 1838, that the site of the garden was used as a Kitchen Garden.
Since that time, the gardens have been cultivated by generations of gardeners, of which we only have a fairly patchy history.
We have heard Dorothy Hardings memories, of her time at the Bryn Estyn Kitchen Garden whilst she was a child of 7 years old, the youngest daughter of the Head Gardener who managed the gardens from the early 1900’s to around 1927.
We have had help from a local lady, Maureen Thomas, who is studying Garden History at Bristol University, and who has written a conservation report on the gardens.
We have historical ordinance survey maps showing the existence of walls, greenhouses and garden buildings at the site from as early as 1871, and visits from garden historians have provided advice on how the gardens may have looked during their most productive times in the early twentieth century.
During the 1st World War, many Victorian Gardens would have fallen into disrepair, and it is probable that this was the case with the Bryn Estyn Garden.
When the house was opened as an Approved School for boys in 1942, the gardens were again utilised for their original purpose, and the boys developed many horticultural skills, growing fruit and vegetables. When the approved school closed, in 1975, the gardens fell again into disrepair, until the early 1990’s, when parts of the gardens were briefly cleared.
History of the Project
Unfortunately, the 1990's revival was brief, and it wasn’t until the early 2000’s that a group of people got together and applied to The European Social Fund, (ESF) with the aim of improving the employability and skills of people whose disabilities and/or circumstances prevent them from accessing mainstream employment and training.
As a result of this funding, a partnership was formed between:
- Wrexham Work Opportunities (part of Social Services, W.C.B.C.,) who identify, recruit and support the beneficiaries whilst they are being trained. A job-finder also finds other work opportunities for those beneficiaries who have completed their qualifications/ want to move on
- Welsh College of Horticulture, who deliver the Horticultural and I.T. training. The college will continue to deliver training as long as there is a turnover of 8 beneficiaries a year
- Mencap Cymru who employ the co-ordinator and provide management input
- Wrexham Disability Forum, who also provide support and help fundraise for the project
This partnership, ‘The Erlas Garden Project’, provides specialised training and support for a group of up to 40 adults with learning and mental health disabilities.
The project aims to:
- promote and protect the health of people with disabilities by providing meaningful daytime activity, education and work experience in horticulture
- promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment through the maintenance of the garden for the education and enjoyment of the public
As a result of 3 years start up funding from the European Social Fund, 45 beneficiaries have achieved qualifications in Horticulture and in ICT, there have been 9 placements into part-time work and also 6 females now work on site.
A project such as ours is always looking at sustainable initiatives, and the Steering Group Committee has strived to encourage wider community interest. We have invited the Groundwork Trust to work with us in an adjacent garden, and they run a healthy lifestyles initiative by inviting school children and community groups to grow vegetables and cook them at school in healthy menus.
The Steering Committee proposed that the project apply for charitable status, which is now in place and the project is now in the process of obtaining an 18 year lease on the land.
The Erlas Garden Project has successfully applied for the restoration of the gardens from Article 33 of the Rural Development Fund of Wales. As a result of this funding, and from funding from The Morgan Foundation, a major restoration programme was completed in September 2006 that:
- provided a new education building, (built using ecologically sound principles, with solar panels and a wood burning stove)
- construced a Welsh Oak Timber Framed Greenhouse
- reconstruted a range of garden buildings, known as ‘Bothys’ (which have been restored into small units which will be utilised by the beneficiaries to establish craft and other workshops using the garden’s produce)
- restored the perimeter walls of the garden
To sum up:
Over the last six and a half years the Erlas Victorian Walled Garden Project has transformed a derelict, overgrown and forgotten area of land into a beautiful, and richly productive walled garden.
This ‘metamorphosis’ is a result of the enthusiasm and hard work of all our students, or volunteers, who attend the project through rain, hail, snow and of course, sun!
The funds raised over this period have enabled the students to slowly clear the 1.3 hectares of land. They have also created a wildlife area, including a bog garden, a ‘Celtic roundhut’, pathways through a wooded area, and have constructed bird and bat boxes to enhance the flora and fauna. All current students have created a sculpture with tile mosaics; and have designed a logo for The Erlas Garden Project Charity. Some students have helped build a long internal brick wall; others work on selected areas of the gardens, revealing original Victorian features. Many eagerly show visitors around the project and all have enrolled on ‘The Gateway Award’.
The new facilities will enable us to target a wider range of people and our present students will be brought into the mainstream of society, thus fostering their inclusion into the wider society. They will be able to change opinions and form friendships and relationships, within the superb legacy of the walled garden.
Wrexham County Borough Council have a brief history of the whole site available online by clicking here 