Children at Richard Hill Church of England Primary School in Thurcaston recently brought to life a 17th Century Rectory Garden in a creative, paper-sculpting project involving people and organisations from across the community.
The project began when a document from 1694 was found in the local Record Office, outlining the garden of Robert Alfounder, Rector of Thurcaston from 1668 to 1700.
While it is mostly a financial account, it also revealed what was growing in the garden back then, and some of its features - such as a fig tree and ‘60 cabbages on a slightly raised area surrounded by a small ditch to deter pests like rabbits from eating the crops’.
Overseen by celebrated artist, Mandeep Dhardalla, the collaborative project has brought together local community groups including the school, All Saints’ Church in Thurcaston, the Charnwood Forest Geopark project, Charnwood Arts, and the 1st Thurcaston Brownies.
Working with Mandeep, the school children recreated the produce grown in Thurcaston in 1694 as part of an art installation. During several workshops, they interpreted and recreated the Rector’s Garden using three-dimensional paper sculptures of fruits and vegetables.
The installation layout was imaginatively configured by Mandeep from information found within the 17th Century document and visualised by the artist in a sketch. Part of the paper garden was later installed at All Saints’ Church.
As part of this project, Geopark also worked with staff at Richard Hill School commissioning the grafting of two new apple trees for the school’s new orchard.
These trees have taken over a year to produce and were ceremonially planted during the unveiling of the Rector’s Garden, assisted by Revd Matthew Gough, current Rector in the Benefice of Anstey, Thurcaston and Cropston.
“This was a lovely celebration and shows what can be achieved when different organisations work together on a common goal,” says Revd Matthew, who serves as chaplain and governor at the school.
The school chose a heritage apple, ‘John’, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, and one which school founder Richard Hill – another former Rector of All Saints - would’ve recognised. A suitable companion tree, ‘St Aildred’, was also selected by Headteacher Sally Applebee-Lewis as a fitting choice for a Church of England school.
In addition, Geopark is working towards getting Charnwood Forest UNESCO world heritage status and, as a formal partner of this local project, All Saints’ Church will feature as a visitor attraction.
“We are excited to collaborate and advocate for the Geopark in our local area,” says Revd Matthew. “We want to help showcase the best Charnwood Forest has to offer with local producers, areas of natural beauty like neighbouring Bradgate Park, and the rare geological formations throughout the area.”
All Saints Thurcaston is currently displaying a sample of the installation and plan to reinstall the full artwork in the summer.