• John's bookshelves
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    Telling Winterbourne’s Story

    It’s now 16 years since Winterbourne House first opened to the public as a heritage site in May 2010. In the early days, you could only visit the ground floor, and the rest of the building was used as a conference centre. As the site grew in popularity and interest in Winterbourne’s rich history grew,…

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  • The frontispiece of William Withering's Botanical Arrangement
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    William Withering: Plants, Medicine and Lasting Influence

    William Withering (1741–1799) is best known for his work on foxglove, a plant that transformed the treatment of heart disease. Living at Edgbaston Hall (now the Golf Club), next to the plot where Winterbourne was later built, he worked at a time when the study of plants and medicine were closely connected. Through his research,…

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  • A painting of pink and red water lilies

    The Gardener’s Guides of the late 1800s

    Books often contain unexpected treasures. In February this year, we received a kind donation of two sets of gardening books, which were exactly the kind of publication that the Head Gardener at Winterbourne might have been consulting back in 1904. Opening these volumes offers a burst of colour in the form of beautiful colour plates.…

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  • Top view of hot cross buns with someone reaching out to grab one
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    Hot cross bun bread and butter pudding

    If you’ve got a pack of hot cross buns sat in the back of the cupboard beginning to go stale, then this deliciously hearty recipe is just what you need. A simple twist on the traditional bread and butter pudding, using leftover hot cross buns, provides a seasonal burst of flavour. Ingredients: Method

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  • Winterbourne garden family beds
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    Redesigning the family beds

    In recent months, you may have spotted that the ‘family beds’, located just to the right as you walk from the terrace towards the Walled Garden, have been cleared, ready for a brand-new planting scheme to take shape. Horticultural Supervisor, Adrienne Wade, has worked to develop a new planting scheme, which will soon bring new…

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