Hidden in the seaside town of Worthing, behind a busy high street, is an
easily missed gem. Ambrose Place, a beautiful row of white, balconied
Regency terraced houses, is known locally for two things: it is where Harold
Pinter wrote The Homecoming and it is home to a group of people who,
for 25 years, have opened their gardens to the public, as part of the
National Gardens Scheme. What started with a handful of the residents has
developed into a unique day where all of the houses on the street welcome
visitors to admire their horticultural efforts. The plots range from small
courtyards to 80ft by 20ft expanses and vary in style from Moorish and
Mediterranean to cottage and Victorian. Last year, almost 1,000 people
ambled through the gardens, and while many were locals some weren’t, with
Ambrose Place attracting coachloads of tourists on day trips from the
Continent. A number of the Ambrosians (as they call themselves) regard the
open day as an opportunity to show off their prowess, while others see it as
a way to raise as much money as possible for charity, with the street
contributing £5,500 last year. But for the rest of the year the gardens are
private spaces, where children play, quiet moments are snatched and personal
taste runs riot. Here are the stories of Ambrose Place.
Mark and Sue Frost, 49 and 50, residents for 14 years
Sue says: “On our first or second day in the house we were invited to a dinner
meeting about the National Gardens Scheme and my first instinct was to say
no. I had no experience of gardening at all and neither did Mark – we had
previously lived in a flat in London. Having said that, we do have the
smallest garden on the street. The man we bought the house from was a
builder and the garden was full of chimney pots with beautiful geraniums.
When we moved in we realised that he had taken them all and that left the
garden totally bare, so it was a case of starting from scratch.
“Even though the garden is quite small, there’s always plenty to do and I am
always pottering out there, cutting things, planting pots. The feature that
I am most proud of must be my hanging basket. I put in some irrigated
foliage and bunged things in to see if they would take. A couple of years
ago I put in a tiny abutilon, and all of a sudden there was a little flower.
Now it has developed and it keeps going all summer. It has lovely yellow and
red bells and everyone at the opening always comments on it, and it was so
unexpected, such a little bonus, that now I really treasure it.”
Steve and Clare Hughes, 41 and 39, residents for 5 years
Steve says: “Clare had always wanted to live here, so we felt really lucky
when we found this house, despite the fact that the guy who owned it before
us had trashed the garden. We saw the fact that the garden had been
neglected as an opportunity to do what we wanted. It was our first grown-up
house, so it was exciting starting all over again. I had never gardened
before, so I am in charge of the lawn and Clare takes care of the rest. But
the lawn is the most important part – we always wanted the kids to have a
nice space to play in. They love being out there, and we love the fact that
they have that freedom. When I lived in London I knew my direct neighbours,
but that was about it, so it is lovely living in a street where you know
everybody. The scheme is great – it’s a focal point that brings everyone in
the street together.”
Mollie Stewart, 80, resident for 27 years and founder member
“My husband was the real gardener and after he passed away it was a bit scary
taking it on, but I really enjoy it now, although this garden pretty much
does what it likes.
“All sorts of things blow into it, like hollyhocks, and they throw down
trillions of seeds, which I collect and then sell at the garden opening.
That is mainly how the garden has evolved. I have planted certain things, of
course, but an awful lot of it is how it wants to be, which I am delighted
about.
“You can always be doing something in the garden, always, but I haven’t got
all the time in the world because I do so many other things. As far as a
particular memory out there goes, I’m not sure that is repeatable – it would
have to be of a romantic nature!”
Tim and Fiona Reynoldson, 61 and 62, residents for 3 years
Fiona says: “We already knew about the scheme when we bought the house. Tim
wasn’t so sure, but I thought it sounded a super idea as I’m quite a keen
gardener. It was still daunting, however, because the house had been empty
for about a year and the garden was over-run with ivy. In fact, we decided
to dig it all up and start again.
“In every garden I have ever had, I have tried to reflect my taste and
personality. There is always a minimal structure, such as a path or a lawn,
and I love the near chaos of a cottage garden full of flowers. I am not a
controlling person, so my garden is never a very controlled area and I am
definitely not a hard landscape gardener. I hate gaps, so I am constantly
planting. My favourite plant is the passion flower at the end of the garden,
because it has gone wild and has these big, creamy flowers. I also have an
amazing hollyhock that has reached 11ft. Mollie [Stewart] gave me the seeds.
I like to remember where every plant has come from, which definitely tests
my memory.”
Mark and Christine Potter, 49 and 47, residents for 5 years
Christine says: “When we came here, the garden was already divided into
Victorian-style rooms. There are different bits to it and you can lose each
other out there, because you can’t see from one section to the other,
despite the fact that we have thinned it out quite a lot, although the kids
love it. In fact, the garden has become really important to us and we spend
a lot of time in it as a family.
“A couple of years ago the kids’ grandfather came round while we were on
holiday and built them a log cabin in the corner at the back of the garden.
We were all so surprised when we got home and the kids instantly started
spending all of their time in it.
“The log cabin became their special area and they used to dress up and have
sleepovers in it. Sadly, our daughter Megan doesn’t really fit in it any
more, but she will always have lovely memories of it, which is so important
to us.
“I have to confess my initial reaction to joining the scheme was, ‘Not on your
life!’ I enjoy gardening but I’m not a gardener as such, so it was
absolutely terrifying. It is only when you meet the rest of the community
that you realise there is a positive side to this and that you don’t have to
be a professional. It’s good fun and it feels good to be doing something for
a worthwhile cause.”
Peter and Nina May, both 58, residents for 2 years
Nina says: “I fell in love with this garden straight away. It was beautifully
laid out – it’s rumoured to have been designed by Roddy Llewellyn – but
terribly overgrown. I hacked everything back and was amazed to find lots of
lovely plants. I think the result now is more luck than judgment. How much
work I put in depends on the time of year – in the lead up to the opening I
practically sleep out there. Apart from that one weekend a year, it’s a
space for family and friends. I have hung candles all around the garden so
Peter and I often sit outside for a meal.
“That is my joy, going out in the evening, inviting friends round and sitting
out there until the early hours of the morning with a glass of wine. I have
always moved around a lot and where we lived before didn’t have a garden. I
barely knew any of my previous neighbours, but here I have got to know them
really well, which is something I haven’t found in a house in years.”
Linda Gamble, 62, resident for 18 years
“When the street first joined the National Gardens Scheme there was only
a small group of people who participated, but that quickly grew. I joined
after about four years. I’m not a hugely keen gardener, so I only changed
the garden slightly. I reconstructed it a bit, and I am quite visual, so I
planted lots of colour, but that is it.
“It doesn’t take a lot to prepare my garden, so I really look forward to it
every year. It is great fun. We have a faithful following, and they always
notice the things that have changed and give us suggestions and advice. We
just have to keep our fingers crossed for the weather. Living on this street
is so wonderful, and I have so many fond memories.”
Derek and Anna Irvine, 73 and 69, residents for 10 years
Derek says: “We were too busy working to garden before we moved in, so we had
very little experience. We quickly got carried away by the enthusiasm of the
street, however. The first thing we put in was a water feature. At the top
of the garden there is a trough the water goes into, from where it flows
down in a little rill into a big pond at the bottom.
“Our funniest garden memory is when our grandson, Gabriel, fell in the pond.
He spends most of the summer holidays here and if the weather is good, he is
mostly outside. At the time, I think he was fishing, which is his great
entertainment because the garden is not very good for football. He catches
the fish in the pond and then runs to the trough with the fish in a bucket
and drops them in.
“Every year the garden changes – it is constantly evolving. As we didn’t know
what we were doing, it has been a matter of trial and error. We really look
forward to the opening. You see the same faces every year – it’s like
groupies coming back. There were 972 people last year!”
Mary Rosenberg, 91, resident for 25 years and founder member
“It all started quite by accident in 1984. My garden at that point was not
established by any means. The house used to be a vicarage, so you can
imagine. I don’t object to gardening – it is quite therapeutic – but I
wasn’t excited about the prospect of opening it up to the public. I took it
in my stride and planted shrubs, which don’t entail a lot of work, which is
how a garden should be. The first thing I added was the Judas tree – I felt
it was quite appropriate for an old vicarage! I put in a little pond with
lilies and frogs and fish, but we must have had a thief because there are
none left now.
“I used to have a gardener who helped me, although the one job I have always
done myself is mowing the lawn, mostly because I wanted to make sure the
gardener spent his time on more technical things. My daughter comes once a
week to help now, as does her husband, who’s quite a useful chap about the
garden because he’s quite tall. I used to have the most amazing parties in
the garden, but now I would have to say that my favourite place in the
garden is my chair.”
Sue Swanborough, 67, resident for 45 years
Sue says: “I have lived in the street the longest, but I have only been
opening the garden for the past 17 years. To be honest, I wasn’t that
interested in gardening. I had three children, dogs, cats, rabbits and
guinea pigs, so they had the garden. But then the children grew up and I
half-heartedly opened it. Four years ago I had cancer and it was only once I
recovered that I really made an effort. The National Gardens Scheme gives so
much to cancer-related charities and I saw it as a way of giving something
back.
“The whole garden is designed around the open day. My granddaughters have also
become involved. Tamsyn has been doing her miniature-themed gardens ever
since she was four. Last year she did Beatrix Potter. Katie also does a
stall and last year her theme was ‘Everything is coming up smelling of
roses’. They come over nearly every day after school and work on them – the
Swanborough household is a little cottage industry in the winter months.
Last year Tamsyn raised £365 in her little collection jar while Katie made
another £130. In total our garden took £900. There is always somebody in
everybody’s family who has cancer, so I am more than happy to put in the
effort and make as much money as possible. It is a lot of work and I could
never do it on my own, but it is so rewarding.”
Pat and Sue Owen, both retired, residents for 14 years
Sue says: “Our garden had originally been part of the scheme, but because the
previous owner was obviously not a gardener it had not taken part for a
couple of years before we moved in. We arrived in April and Marie Pringle,
who organises the day, came round almost straight away and said, ‘Are you
opening your garden?’ We said that we would, and even though it was full of
brambles, people still wandered in and took photos.
“I always take cuttings from house to house. Plants that my parents had or
plants the children have given me always move with us – I give them all
names and it’s too sad to leave them behind. The orange blossom has come
with us everywhere. It’s from my mother’s house and I have been taking it
with me for the past 50 years. The garden has completely changed, of course.
And now those same visitors come back and show us those pictures and
exclaim, ‘This was your garden ten years ago!’ It is really unbelievable.”
Caroline Robson, 50, resident for 2 years
“One of the reasons I fell in love with this house was the garden. The lady
who lived here before us was an avid gardener and had designed it herself. I
have really been reaping the benefits of her hard work. I can just sit in my
deckchair and admire it, without having to do anything too taxing. The only
thing that I have added is a shrub called a lavatera. My mum has always had
it in her garden. It is a big, out-of-control flowering thing. I am a bit
scared it might take over, but I have to have it – gardens don’t feel like
mine unless I have one.
“I live with my husband [Mark, 49] and my two daughters [Sophie, 22, and Rose,
19] – I also have a son [Joe, 25] who lives abroad – and we occasionally
have dinner outside, but they don’t feel quite the way I do about the
garden. I have to step out every morning and take a look around. I couldn’t
live without a garden.”
Alan and Marie Pringle, 72 and 61, residents for 9 years and the scheme’s
co-ordinators
Alan says: “Within a week of moving in, we immediately came under pressure
from Mary Rosenberg, who was running the scheme back then, to join in. But
we had to say no. Some people have opened up their gardens as a work in
progress, but we weren’t happy to do that, so we invested heavily and it was
two years before we opened. We have a Mediterranean theme at the top and a
long pond leading down to a mini-woodland area. In the run up to the open
day everyone is outside. Some people have been known to get up at five in
the morning on the day. We are all very proud of being part of the NGS.”
Ambrose Place will be open to the public on Sunday, June 22, 11am-1pm and
2pm-5pm. Entry is £4 per person. For more details of this and other NGS
openings, visit www.ngs.org.uk
