Country Images Magazine North Edition September 2017 | Page 14

Above:
Eddie Hallam at work at
Greenways Farm, Riber.
Left :
Specimen azaleas and
alpines in bloom at Lea
Rhododendron Gardens.
Along a narrow side road from the village of Lea, and partly hidden by
mature trees, Lea Rhododendron Gardens are a riot of colour from early
March until the end of June or even into July. Here is a collection of
rhododendrons, azaleas, kalmias and a collection of alpines, all striving
and succeeding, to look their best. Reds, yellows, whites and everything
in between mingle in a riot of colour and scents. What was a quarry used
in Roman times where quern stones from the special form of fi ne grained
gritstone were made, creates, with the help of nature providing the shade,
an ideal environment to grow shrubs and trees from the Himalayas and
beyond. Realising that the well shaded south-west facing site at an altitude
of around 700 feet was perfect for growing rhododendrons and azaleas,
John Marsden-Smedley (1867-1959) found the ideal place for his vision.
Inspired by visits to Bodnant and Exbury gardens, at the age of sixty-eight in
1935 he began work on his life’s ambition.
A wealthy industrialist, John Marsden-Smedley already owned Lea Green,
the manor house adjacent to the rhododendron gardens and had a team
of gardeners and builders at his disposal. With them he set about clearing
rocks from the site, using them to create paths and beds suitable for his
steadily growing collection of plants. By the time of his death at the age of
ninety-two in 1959, he already had 350 species and hybrid rhododendrons
and azaleas growing on the 2-acre site. His company, John Smedley
Ltd of Lea Mills Ltd, thrives to this day, producing fi ne knitwear for an
international market.
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In 1960 the gardens became the property of Peter and Nancy Tye who
continued the work of their predecessor and opened the gardens to the
public. Part of the house which overlooks the massed colours and also serves
as a café was built in 1967. Since 1980 their ex-RAF pilot son Jonathan and
his wife Jenny took over the running of the gardens and extended the home
cooked food side of the business. Since then their son Peter has become an
integral part of a business now covering four acres.
Lea Green House which Marsden-Smedley developed from a farm in
1895 is now run by Derbyshire County Council Education Authority as
a residential and day centre. Developed from existing farm buildings, the
Coach House over the road from Lea Green House makes ice-cream using
milk from Jersey cows and next door to it the Jug and Glass pub off ers a
wide range of beers and meals.
Across the wooded side valley beyond Lea, Dethick is now just two farms
and a small church, but it was once the home of a man who tried to free
Mary Queen of Scots, but died for his cause.