Blickling with a twist’

By Victoria Plum

We had no idea what to expect at this month’s Reepham & District Gardening Club meeting – the talk was to be Blickling “with a twist”.

The town hall was full of gardening club members, full of expectation at the Christmas party, then one of the servants bustled in, in her uniform and apron, introduced herself as Kath, sometime scullery maid and kitchen maid, to give us the secrets of life below stairs. A proper Norfolk gal, she took on the persona of one of the real servants from the 1930s.

The hard life up and down stairs, constantly carrying and washing (and washing up), and the mysterious ways of the upper classes, and the curious foreign things, with unpronounceable names, that they were given to eat.

She gave us a vibrant and lively idea of the venue we have all seen but never seen “working and lived in”, as she described working for “Cook” and of course Lord Lothian, who even appeared himself during the evening.

We then helped ourselves to the buffet (or “buffet”, pronouncing every letter of the word as Kath did) and punch, and sat down to see some intimate photos of past times at Blickling and to hear more behind-the-scenes stories about the place.

The pretty lit-up pyramidal Christmas trees at the front of Blickling Hall were actually metal plant supports used during the growing season in the gardens. How sensible – no waste caused by destroying conifers and then having to mulch them after the event.

(I nearly forgot to mention the raffle, full of tension and excitement as ever, but sadly no quiz.)

There is no meeting in January, so time to put your feet up, but remember Tuesday 18 February at 7.30 pm in the town hall, when Sarah Hammond will advise on growing and caring for English peonies.

Many excellent speakers are lined up for next year; please join us if you love gardening.

Image: Blickling Hall by Sarah Wilkins