As we approach forty years of The Friends of The Savill Garden, it is very tempting to reminisce about past visits to the Garden and the wider Windsor Great Park.
One can put on a pair of rose-tinted spectacles and look back at days when it was always warm, never rained and one could walk miles and miles without one’s muscles reminding you the following day that one is not as young as we once were!
The Savill Garden Visitor Centre
A visitor or newcomer to the area may wonder at the splendid sight of The Savill Garden Visitor Centre and take for granted both the building and the facilities that it contains.
Those of us who have been around a little longer will have the abiding memory of entering The Savill Garden via the old entrance (now the Lawns), as in the summer it used to be swarming with wasps.
Suffice it to say wasps are not a favourite insect of mine, and though the wasp traps on the Garden Terrace of the Visitor Centre are not perhaps the most attractive feature of the building, I gaze upon with fondness.
The interior roof of The Savill Garden Visitor Centre
The exterior of The Savill Garden Visitor Centre
Of course, gazing up in The Savill Garden Visitor Centre is worthwhile to get a view of the inside construction of the roof which most people are entranced by when they first see it.
The roof isn’t the only thing that entrances people visiting for the first time. The facilities it contains are impressive and perhaps we shouldn’t be amused by visitors to the toilets, after washing their hands and looking around exhaustively, exclaiming surprise that there aren’t any hand dryers.
The Savill Garden
Of course, it’s the garden that attracts all of us to The Savill Garden. The standards that the Garden both achieves, and maintains, are quite extraordinary.
It is simply the beauty of the Gardens and the plants and trees within it that enthrals us all. One of the most popular features of the Friends, increasingly popular, Coffee Mornings are the guided walks around the Garden provided by our hardworking guides.
During these walks one can spot a number of gifts to the Garden from the Friends; the latest of these can be found in the Dry Garden, a Pithoi or water pot.
Our guides also continue to provide a most valuable service in supporting visits to The Savill Garden by many external organisations from around the UK and even abroad, who want to come and see the delights of the Garden – something which is virtually on our doorstep.
A few years after The Savill Garden Visitor Centre was opened, we had another treat in store, the new Rose Garden.
Not only were we treated to an array of rose varieties selected for their colour and scent, but to a ramped promontory rising at the centre of the Garden to 5metres high. I’m sure that many of you, have had the ‘Titanic’ moment of gazing out from the ‘prow’, although fortunately with no fear of icebergs ahead only the swaying grasses and a waft of scent from the roses.
Over the years there will have been many changes to the activities and interests of the Friends. Our walks, and indeed talks, continue to include areas outside of the immediate boundary of The Savill Garden, and include Chapel Wood and the immense delights of the Valley Gardens.
Memories
One very special memory was the first day we were able to go back into the Garden after lockdown, when so many of us visited, so delighted to be back in a special place after such a long time.
Electronic communication has also played its part, as during lockdown, we were able to have regular communication with the Friends and this has developed into more frequent notices of events and newsletters.
It is uncertain when the Friends regular talks, visits and tours first developed, however, it is certainly the case that they are as popular today as they ever were. In recent times it is unknown for any of these events, not to be fully booked.
Friends on a trip to Waterperry Gardens in 2021
What makes The Savill Garden special is that it is always evolving, with changes bringing new vistas and new plants to enjoy, yet it stays fundamentally the same.
If you have many special memories, or photograph of The Savill Garden, please do share them with here.
Written by Diana Bendall, Chair of the Friends of The Savill Garden & David Eno, Secretary
