Attingham Park to feature in new book from Escape to the Country's Jules Hudson

Jules Hudson visited the National Trust property on the outskirts of Shrewsbury on Tuesday to sign copies of his latest book ‘Walled Gardens’.

The book is a fascinating voyage of discovery around some of Britain’s most beautiful and productive walled kitchen gardens – including the one at Attingham.

Visitors had the opportunity to meet the Escape to the Country presenter and hear about his love for the country’s many walled gardens.

From the fairytale enclosure of Knightshayes in Devon to the garden that Churchill built by hand at Chartwell in Kent, from the recently revived garden at Blickling in Norfolk to the atmospheric ruins at Plas Newydd in North Wales, Walled Gardens is a guide for anyone who shares a fascination for these unique and enchanting spaces.

He was also on hand to promote Attingham’s latest fundraising appeal - the Glasshouses Restoration Project.

Jules said: “To walk through the door of a walled kitchen garden is to enter a fascinating world rich in social, architectural and horticultural history spanning over three hundred years, and the restoration of the garden at Attingham Park has established this magical enclosure as one of the finest examples of its kind in the country.”

The team at Attingham Park have been restoring the estate’s Georgian built walled garden, which dates back to 1780, for the past 11 years.

Their latest step is the Glasshouses Restoration Project which focuses on the restoration and refurbishment of the three greenhouse structures that are vital to the growing of fruits and vegetables throughout the year.

The project has competed the work on the first of the glasshouses which is named the Melon House after the exotic produce that grows inside during the summer, and funds are now being raised to help restore the Tomato House and Pinery-Vinery.

Duncan Threadgold, head gardener at Attingham said: “The original Georgian gardeners would have utilised the most up to date horticultural technology to grow their produce, and so will we to ensure the survival of the glasshouses.

“Without the glasshouses we would struggle to grow the variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers in the garden each year. We harvest produce daily from April to October and use it in seasonal recipes in our café, and sell it in our shop - all of which helps to raise money to continue to conserve and maintain the estate.”

During Jules’ visit, visitors were able to purchased a National Trust raffle ticket and a walled garden watering can fundraising pin badge to raise money for the project.

To further raise awareness of the Glasshouses Restoration Project appeal, staff and volunteers based at Attingham Park will be aiming to walk one million steps by walking the mile walk 365 times between them.

To find out more about fundraising, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/fundraise-for-us