Historic Warwick gardens to host arts and crafts festival

Artists and Organisers pictured in Hill Close Gardens, who are preparing for an Art in the Gardens event, later this month.

Carey Moon, Stella Car & Di Brennan. NNL-170908-030550009 — Artists and Organisers pictured in Hill Close Gardens, who are preparing for an Art in the Gardens event, later this month. Carey Moon, Stella Car & Di Brennan. NNL-170908-030550009

Next week Hill Close Gardens, which is located in Bread and Meat Close, will be hosting Art in the Gardens.

The gardens, which date back to the Victorian era, is made up of 16 individual garden plots. Hill Close Garden’s style and layout is one of the few remaining in the country from the Victorian era.

The two-day event, is being held to provide something unique for Warwick and has been in the making for nearly a year.

Di Brennan, founder of the festival and volunteer on the gardens management team, said: “Our gardens were created in Victorian times and nearly all of them in the UK have vanished but ours was restored and is open to the public.

“We have come a long way from when we first thought about the idea last October. We hold annual events and when it came to summer time I thought can we do something very lovely this year? I realised that more people are stocking and showing art in gardens and garden centres. So thought we could do something similar.

“This is event is for Warwick, all the people around Warwick and for Hill Close Gardens and it will be a fundraiser for us too. There will be arts and crafts for everybody including painting, pottery, weaving, poetry, woodcarving and literature. A huge range of arts and crafts will be represented making it more demonstrative and inclusive.

“All the artists and performers are local and they have all given their time for free.

“As well as watching performances and artists people can buy items and there will be lovely artisan stalls selling special savouries and craft beer.”

Stella Carr, a volunteer who has been creating Plot 10 in the gardens for 18 years, who will be doing a printing workshop on both days, said: “It is very exciting that Hill Close Gardens is putting on this event to promote the whole culture of art in gardens in Warwick.”

It is hoped that if this year is a success that the festival will become an annual event.

Di Said: “It is going to be a lot of fun and fingers crossed the weather will be nice but if now we will have gazebos and the summerhouses will be used. I hope this could be an annual event and we will have to see if people enjoy it and I hope so because there is something for everyone.”

Art in the Gardens takes place on August 19 and August 20 11am-5pm. Entry costs £4 for adults and £1 for children aged five to 17.