Behind the garden wall
Denise >
Many passers-by must wonder what goes on within these walls. This is the view that many will get, as they drive past on their way from Barra or Eriskay, heading north.
Many of those who do come into the garden to buy produce or our craftwork say something to the effect that they would love to live somewhere so wonderfully sheltered from the weather, and also so completely private! We agree with them, wholeheartedly : we, too, would love to live somewhere sheltered from the elements and completely private. The irony passes un-noticed, and delicious in its perfection.
Historically, the high walls of a traditional kitchen garden satisfied a number of purposes –
- to shelter high-value intensive horticulture from the elements
- to create sun-traps (and night-time warmth) along south-facing walls, favouring sun-loving fruit from warmer climes ; and shade and cool where they face north, for those that prefer it
- to deter thieves
- to provide a private space for the perambulation of the ladies and refined guests at the ‘big house’
- to show off the wealth and standing of the owner
Where we are, right by the Atlantic shore of the Outer Hebrides, I’m not sure any of the above apply ; but somehow they still conjure up a belief in a special place, within the walls.
So for those that don’t find the time to stop, here’s what our daughter Catherine has been doing within the privacy and shelter of high garden walls.
In Navara, Spain. 
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Those grapes look quite lovely and I’m a big fan of old walls. They do make one feel safe and cozy.
I do so love an old stone wall and it’s fascinating to see the different styles that there are around the country. Part of our ancient, eight foot high garden wall fell down just before last Christmas, after bulging ominously for many, many months. It was fascinating to see the rubble inside and know that it had been put there five hundred years ago…
Weather aside, it’s still a feeling of being protected and enclosed from the outside world – and it looks gorgeous!
A lovely place, even if the wall doesn’t quite live up to its reputation. 😉
The guy who, in the 17th or 18th Cent, (probably two guys, one in each) who paid for the wall to be built must have been VERY disappointed.
Oh, dear! A lesson in there somewhere?
What an amazing wall that is at your place! Is it done without mortar? That’s an art in its own right!
J > And that’s the side that’s lowest! It’s built with lime mortar, made by firing shell-sand from the beach (there’s loads of shell fragments in the mortar). Originally, the wall was also rendered in lime – there’s 18thC poems describing the garden wall – and the adjacent big house to which it was associated – as a dazzling spectacle in the landscape. There’s a small bay on the other side of the road, and I reckon that the bay equals the wall, ie the bay was created by excvating stone and sand for the wall.
It is a beautiful place to love for sure. As a bit of a loner that I am, this completely speaks to me. And, I do love a good ironic sense of humor. 🙂
Angie – Pitchfork & Spade
https://pitchforkandpistil.com/blog/2017/8/21/the-first-picking-the-pleasure-of-sharing
Perfect! Now you will have long lines of folk desperate to see bdhind those walls. Perambulation sounds wonderful!
J > I’ve been trying to master the art of true irony: it’s quite a discipline, involving one text, two meanings, three parties, and a talent for keeping a straight face.
That’s a good place to be. Enjoy! 🙂 🙂