Welcome to Egypt!

 

You can see the world around here without going very far because just out of the town of Biddulph, there is a Country Park and absolutely amazing Biddulph Grange Gardens with plants that are just out of this world, literally having been collected and planted to give an impression of whole countries with structions that enhance it.

Here we are at the entrance to Egypt with two big cats.

Biddulph Grange

Much of this weekend hasn't been very conductive towards exploring with it raining very hard with strong winds across much of the Midlands and yet normally it's a magical time to be out so with that I'll rewind the clock a little with a reminder from a lovely place just a few miles from here.

Biddulph Grange Gardens was developed by James Bateman, the President of the North Staffordshire Field Society in the nineteenth century near but not actually in the Biddulph Grange Country Park in the former mining town here in North Staffordshire which thanks to geography also has access to some fine countryside around Congleton Edge.

Each garden is a self contained area with plants flowers and structures that are representative of an area such as Egypt and Italy and the picture above is of the Chinese garden with typical structures including the Great Wall.

The actual garden designs were by James and his wife Maria.

Having been there several times, I have to say it, currently owned and extensively restored from the days it was a children's and then orthopedic hospital site by the National Trust is simply superb