NEWS & EVENTS: Our Events: Trips, Talks & Workshops
We have an interesting set of events for the year and are pleased to be able to share the event details, dates, ticket prices and booking arrangements with you.
Sandra Lawrence on “Ellen Willmott and the Alpine Garden”
Saturday 15th November 2025 at ARU Chelmsford.
The Willmott family moved to Warley Place in 1875. Ellen, daughter of Frederick Wilmott, succeeded in creating at Warley, one of the most renowned gardens in the country.
In 1882, Ellen began to develop an Alpine Garden, complete with a ravine and cave for her ‘filmy ferns’. In typical Ellen style, no expense was spared on the construction or the subsequent plants. The assembly of this garden was undertaken by James Backhouse of York, an eminent firm of landscapers. While the ravine and cave survive as remnants of this once awe-inspiring garden, we have to rely on photographs to appreciate the extent of the wonderful planting.
The gardens at Warley enabled Ellen Willmott to establish herself as a respected horticulturalist who was one of only two women to receive the RHS medal of Honour in Queen Victoria’s Jubilee year, 1897.
Sandra Lawrence has had a long association with Ellen Wilmott and her gardens at Warley Place. Her forthcoming book documents the evolution of the Ellen’s Alpine garden at her beloved Warley. Sandra is going to share with us some of her most recent research on this beautiful Edwardian landscape.
There will also be the opportunity to grab a bargain at our annual book sale.
Dr David Marsh on “The Great Geranium Robbery”
Saturday 7 February at Ingatestone Community Hall
