And
it's a resounding thumbs up for the 2005 Secret Gardens of Oxton
Event.
Having moved away from Oxton since last years event, I'm afraid that the coverage of this years activities have been conducted from afar. The following represents my take on this years show, if anyone else wishes too they can send me pictures and thoughts on the event and I'll add them to the site. Please email webhost@oxtonvillage.com
I was woken by my son at around 8:40 in the morning and as I peered out of my window it was lashing down with rain.... things did not look good for the fifth annual Secret Gardens of Oxton event later that day.
On the positive side I was looking out of the bedroom window of a house
in Nantwich... "it could always be better in Oxton" I thought.
Later that morning, after watching the previous nights recording of Doctor
Who, I phoned up my contact in Oxton for an update on the weather conditions.
Things were not looking good, as there had just been a downpour of rain.
A quick look on the internet confirmed that it didn't look very promising
for the rest of the day, with scattered showers predicted for much of
the afternoon.
It was two hours later, that my family and I set off up the A51 and M53,
with Status Quo blaring out on the CD player (my sons
choice ..honest) and our umbrellas safely packed in the boot of
the car.
We
arrived in Oxton at around 13:00 and were pleasantly surprised at how
easy it was to park the car. This year the tickets had given suggestions
for where to park, and the Arno overflow carpark appeared to be working
well. The sky was covered in clouds of the white fluffy variety, and in
some areas patches of blue sky were showing through... things were looking
up. We were soon making our way to the Drawing Room at the top of Christchurch
Road to pick up our tickets.
One of the secrets of the success of this event, is that each year extra activities have been added onto its programme. This year was no exception. As with the previous years event, the bottom half of Rose Mount had been closed to traffic for the day and some of the traders had set up seats and tables outside. The Bamboo was serving a buffet selection of food, including Kebabs, and Adams the Butchers appeared to be doing a pretty good trade in freshly made pies when I went past. The Punch and Judy show had returned, and the sound of a Barrel Organ could be heard from outside the HSBC Bank.
The Green Community Shop at the top of Christchurch Road was open for the day, and behind this was located a children's play area. Inside the shop there were a number of events including a display of work by local artists and the chance for a consultation with the local therapists.
There were twenty four gardens on show at this years event three more than the previous year. With our leaflets in hand and sporting our Gardens 2005 badges we set off in search of the first garden in Victoria Mount. I have to admit that we didn't manage to get round all the gardens this year due to time constraints. We basically looked to concentrate on some of the gardens that we had not seen before and also went to a few of our favorites from previous years. As usual the gardens had been excellently turned out, and many of them contained a number of surprises hidden away in shaded corners.
The
artists of Oxton were displaying their works on Mount Pleasant and this
proved to be a very popular place for a quick break between gardens. At
a number of the gardens there was additional entertainment provided by
local musicians including the returning duo Two's
Company who also played during the 2004 event. All this added to the
overall ambiance of the event as we walked round. This was a particularly
nice touch this year as the sounds could also be heard in a number of
the other gardens on our route. Visitors to the event could also enjoy
organ recitals and performances from the Wirral Schools Intermediate Brass
band at Christchurch during the day.
Whilst walking around I took a number of pictures in and around the gardens and streets of Oxton some of which are included on this page. I will also be setting up a small gallery containing some of the other images that I took during the afternoon in the near future.
Oh by the way ..in the end we didn't need our umbrellas during the afternoon and returned home to Nantwich windswept, and exhausted, after another enjoyable walk around the streets of Oxton.
As
usual the pubs in the centre of Oxton looked to be doing a pretty good
trade with the beer gardens providing a welcome stop off point for visitors.
I was particularly impressed by the updates that have been made to the
Oxton Bar and Terrace (Formerly
the Oxton Arms and Talbot), which appears to have made a pretty
good job of re branding itself as a wine bar type establishment.
Stop Press : The Oxton Society has announced that there were over 4200 paying guests at this years event (plus non-paying children) and receipts available for the chosen charities amount to over £20,000. An astonishing total. Our huge thanks to all garden owners and the very many volunteers who made the day go so well. The full story will appear in the newsletter.
News
from the Oxton Society : The Fifth Gardens Triumph on May 8 saw
a record-breaking £21,528 raised for local charities this was split
with £5,382 going to each of the following worthy causes.
- Viking Centre and Youth Club : For five team-building weekends in Llanrwst
- Wirral Centre for the Blind and Partially Sighted : To buy a specialised computer, ultra canes, and radios for blind people
- Tam O'Shanter Urban Farm : For a new livestock trailer and 6 new activity picnic tables
- Oxton Society Village Projects :with projects are under discussion at present
This was the largest event to date with 24 gardens open to visitors, 4,500 adults plus many children in attendance and 26 village businesses open on the day
Many thanks to the Garden Owners and more than 200 volunteers who helped
make the day a great success
The Society is particularly grateful for the record support from Village
businesses who sponsored activities and made donations
Press the Conservation sign to visit the Oxton
Society Website
This event is organised on an annual basis by the Society with proceeds
going to nominated Charities. The benefactors of the 2005 event were.
- Tam O'Shanter Urban Farm in Bidston
- Viking Centre and Youth Club in Rock Ferry
- Wirral Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted.
- Oxton Society (for projects around the village including the Christmas
lights)
As visitors walk around the streets of Oxton they can
also enjoy the front gardens of the other houses en route, these are often
just as colourful and interesting as the official ones.
Archive Details from previous Events
Visit the Secret gardens 2004 gallery with at least three pictures taken in each of the twenty one gardens on show.
Secret Gardens email - A page containing thoughts and pictures from a visitor to the 2004 secret gardens event
Blue skies over Oxton on a Sunday afternoon in 2005, much to the delight of the organisers and visitors from far and wide.
site designed by Hapo.
