Beyond the manicured flowerbeds and productive kitchen gardens lies a fascinating network of spaces essential to maintaining Calke Abbey’s horticultural beauty. The Gardeners’ Bothy, a humble yet vital structure, provided a place for the team to rest and plan their work. A ‘secret tunnel’, though perhaps not entirely hidden, offered a practical route for transporting materials unseen by the family. Furthermore, the stove houses played a crucial role in nurturing delicate and exotic plants, ensuring a vibrant display throughout the seasons. These often-overlooked areas reveal the dedication and ingenuity behind Calke’s stunning landscapes.
The Gardeners’ Bothy at Calke Abbey
Step inside the Gardeners’ Bothy at Calke Abbey, a space that echoes with the daily rhythms of horticultural work. This humble room, filled with tools and reminders of tasks past, served as the heart of the garden operations. Imagine the gardeners gathering here, perhaps discussing entries for the Ticknall Village Hall show, their prize certificates proudly displayed. The walls, lined with these accolades and various tools, speak of practical knowledge and dedication. Note the seed drawers, a testament to careful planning for future blooms and harvests. This bothy offers a glimpse into the hardworking lives that shaped Calke’s celebrated landscapes.
The ‘Secret’ Gardeners’ Tunnel at Calke Abbey
Venture into the intriguing tunnel at Calke Abbey, a practical yet somewhat mysterious passage. This subterranean route offered a discreet way for gardeners to move around the estate. Imagine them transporting plants, tools, or harvested produce unseen by the family or visitors above. The tunnel speaks to the functional design of the gardens, prioritising efficiency and maintaining a sense of seamless operation. It’s a hidden artery that supported the beauty and productivity of Calke’s grounds.
The Stone Trough and Hand Pump at Calke Abbey
Beside the Gardener’s Bothy sits a sturdy stone trough and a weathered wooden handpump. This practical setup served the kitchen and physic gardens, providing a place to wash freshly harvested vegetables, perhaps even medicinal herbs. The trough, worn smooth by time and use, collected water drawn from below by the pump. This simple yet essential feature highlights the self-sufficiency of Calke Abbey’s past, where even the washing of produce was a hands-on process.
The Flower Garden Backsheds at Calke Abbey
The Flower Garden Backsheds at Calke Abbey served as essential support structures for the vibrant flower garden. The two sheds provided practical spaces for the gardeners. One acted as a “sitting in” shed, offering a sheltered area with a fireplace for breaks and respite. Visible in the photo is the fireplace. The other housed a small boiler, crucial for heating the glasshouse within the flower garden, ensuring the survival of delicate plants.
The Cockle Stove in Calke Abbey Gardens
A cockle stove is a type of heating system that warms air within a chamber surrounding a firebox and then circulates this heated air, often through ducts, to warm rooms. Unlike stoves that directly radiate heat, cockle stoves are early forms of central heating. They are typically masonry-built and designed for efficiency in distributing warmth throughout a building.
The cockle stove at Calke Abbey, installed in 1828 by Harrison of Derby, is a rare survival of this technology. Harrison of Derby was a known firm of the time, and their involvement suggests a quality installation. This particular stove would have been crucial for maintaining a stable, warm environment in the glasshouse, allowing for the cultivation of delicate and exotic plants even during colder months. Being a rare example, it offers a valuable insight into 19th-century heating technology and the specific needs of maintaining a large estate’s gardens.
East Stove House in Calke Abbey Gardens
The East Stove House at Calke Abbey Gardens, was a vital component of the estate’s horticultural operations. This structure housed a stove, likely a cockle stove given the date of the other one, which provided heat for an adjacent glasshouse. The consistent warmth generated within the stove house would have been essential for cultivating tender and exotic plants, extending the growing season and allowing the Victorian gardeners to showcase a wider variety of flora.
The photo shows a brick-built structure with remnants of the heating system. You can see arched openings that would have been part of the stove itself or the flues for distributing heat. The presence of a large metal container might be related to fuel storage or water heating. While appearing somewhat dilapidated now, the East Stove House stands as a testament to the ingenuity and effort invested in maintaining the gardens at their peak. It highlights the importance of controlled environments in Victorian horticulture and the dedication of the gardeners who managed them.