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The 19th May 2001 saw a fundraising event organised by the Oxton Society to raise money for the SAM scanner appeal and also towards Christmas lighting for the centre of the village. Over three hundred tickets had been sold prior to the event with tickets also available on the day....the only question now was ..would the weather hold out ??

As dawn broke on the Saturday morning, although the sky was cloudy, the rain held off, and a successful day seemed guaranteed.

Nine gardens were open for the event which mainly concentrated on the houses at the top of Rose Mount and along Mount Pleasant into Poplar road. There was also a garden open in Newburns Lane (Which unfortunately I did not have time to visit) 

So, camera in hand, we set off on the climb up Rose Mount to the first house. After paying our entrance fee, we entered the first garden which also had an exhibition of local paintings to boast. Each house on the route was marked out as can be seen from the picture above and we were also presented with a helpful route map to guide us.

I have included on this page a number of views of some of the gardens ,however at the same time, I have also tried to respect the privacy of the owners of the gardens.

Images from the first two gardens at the start of the tour.

Many of the gardens on the route were reached through narrow passageways, between walls, and under rose arches...its surprising what appeared on the other side. In one garden there was even a quarry !!

Below are pictures from three more of the gardens on our route. Unfortunately, due to pressures from my son ,(who insisted that we had to go and watch the new Rugrats movie..)  I was unable to complete the full route, however from what I can make make out, the event seemed to have been a great success.

What's the view at the bottom of your garden ?

If you are interested in Conservation or would like more information on the Oxton Society you can contact them via their website.

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