The Garden at the Dales Countryside Museum
The Dales Countryside Museum is helping to gather memories of gardening and the plants grown in cottage gardens and allotments in the northern dales of Swaledale, Arkengarthdale and Wensleydale, as part of the 'Dales Plants and Gardens 1900-1960' project. For further information or to contribute to this project please contact Sally Reckert at the museum on 01969 666210.
Image details - In the garden at the Dales Countryside Museum (Sally Reckert, 2009)
Before they are lost forever these plant-related stories are also being shared with younger people through publicly accessible gardens at the Dales Countryside and Richmondshire Museums, and a day centre for elderly people in Catterick Garrison, the St John’s Centre whose contact details are 01748 832271.
The stories are all being recorded and archived by the 'Dales Plants and Gardens 1900-1960' project. For storage and retrieval details contact the Dales Countryside Museum on 01969 666210 and the North Yorkshire County Records Office on 01609 777585. Some of the stories told to us can be seen on the Parks and Gardens UK website. The descriptions of the plants, the way people grew them and the tools that they used give us a unique insight into the everyday life of people living in the dales.
Image details - Women's Institute produce show at Bainbridge in Wensleydale 1954 (copyright A. Holubeki)
The skills needed to grow, store and prepare fruit and vegetables are still celebrated in competitions at fairs and shows such as those at Reeth and Muker.
Image details - Judging vegetables at the Richmond (Swaledale) Flower Show 1945 (copyright British Council)
