Created in 1856, Biddulph Grange’s Stumpery is the country’s earliest, inspired others, including the one at Highgrove Gardens. The Biddulph Grange garden was created by James Bateman between 1841 – 1860 for his vast collection of plants, from around the world. Built using root-work, the gnarled and rugged roots provided an ideal framework for Bateman to grow an assorted variety of plants.
The National Trust partially restored the Stumpery when it took the Grade-I listed garden into its care in 1988, with further sections restored in phases. The major renovation project has now been completed, and the stumpery returned to its original larger size.
Thirty-seven oak stumps, each weighing between 100kg and 750kg, and measuring up to 8ft in diameter, have been added to the feature. These had been felled by storms and were sourced from a private estate in Wales. The natural ‘pockets’ within and between the stumps have been planted with shade-loving plants such as hellebores, ferns, dwarf irises, snowdrops, anemones, cyclamen, pulmonaria and willow gentian.
The work, was led by Head Gardener Paul Walton. “The Stumpery is not an easy place to get to, with narrow tunnels and steps at every entry point. We weren’t able to get any machinery into the area so the team used scaffold platforms, small winches and hand tools to move the stumps into place. Every stump is different and it is like a complex puzzle getting the stumps to fit together, but the rewards are amazing!” he explained.
Walton and his team joined up the main Stumpery with a large area of stumps in a nearby area of the garden, to reinstate the feature to its original size.
“The garden’s creator, James Bateman, believed in visitors admiring the whole of a tree from root to tip. He chose oak stumps for their interesting structure and longevity. Not all trees, once the smaller roots have rotted away, leave the stump shape we look for. Sweet chestnut is another tree which will produce a similar stump, but oak does seem to be the best tree to use and it’s long lasting as well,” added Walton.
Work continues to restore the wider garden as closely as possible to James Bateman’s original vision, using historic descriptions, plans and archaeological evidence.
The project was part-funded by Blue Diamond Garden Centres. The garden centre chain committed £1 million to the National Trust for garden and plant conservation projects.
Jill Kerr, Group Relationship Manager for Blue Diamond Garden Centres, said: “Blue Diamond Garden Centres are proud to be able to play such an important role in the Trust’s gardens and parklands conservation projects. Biddulph Grange Garden’s Stumpery is one of many projects Blue Diamond are helping the Trust to fund. This unique garden is one I have visited many times with my own family and so I am personally delighted to have worked on such a project with the National Trust. The funding has been put to good use, not only in preserving the heritage of the Stumpery but also enabling the team to now increase its size which I am sure will attract more visitors to Biddulph Grange for many years to come.”