The Silver Vixen at Bramber

The Silver Vixen at Bramber
Originally uploaded by Gorse Fox.

Part of visit included a tour of the 3 acres of gardens. Until recently, these had been totally overgrown. It was only in 1997 that the reclamation began. The gardens had been laid out in the 1800s by Algernon Bourke. The guide started to wax lyrical as he explained Algernon's tenure:

"Agernon Bourke didn't own St Mary's but rented it along with his wife Gwendolen.."

Interesting the Victorians. Even renting wives!

It turns out that Algernon was a friend of Oscar Wilde and was the muse for Algernon in "The Importance of Being Earnest".

You can see the incredible progress that has been made in the reclamation, but there is a long way to go.

[File under: Sussex]