Greenway, Nr Brixham-24 June 2015

[David Nicholson]

Although a bit cloudier than of late it was sufficiently warm and sunny to make our short journey to Greenway in shirt-sleeves order.

Greenway, now a National Trust property, was the Summer and holiday home for many years of the authoress Agatha Christie (15/09/1890 to 12/01/1976) and her family,  although the word "mansion" substituted for "home" would be more appropriate perhaps. Greenway is situated high on the banks of the River Dart, upstream from Dartmouth, and opposite the village (though villages are rarely as expensive as this one ) of Dittisham on the other bank where the Dimbleby family, Phil Collins and the late lamented Rick Mayall have had homes.

There are three ways to get to Greenway: by steam train from Paignton to Greenway Halt followed by a fairly strenuous 40 minute walk; by river from either Dartmouth or Totnes depending on the tide, or by car but as the lanes are very narrow and to minimise the stress on the village of Galmpton parking spaces at Greenway need to be pre-booked. We opted to go by car and had a placed booked for 1430 which left ample time for Coffee at Dartington Hall and lunch (lengthy and white wine copiously consumed it not being a driving day for me) at a favourite fish restaurant in Brixham!

The house, cream-painted, is really in an enviable position with gorgeous  views down to the river and surrounded by woodland with a walled garden (not a patch on Felbrigg Hall though) with peach house, vinery and commercial nursery, flower borders and a rockery. The rockery is quite vast but mainly planted with ferns which are nice but I'm not really a fan. It did have though swathes of a frothy white Saxifraga which I thought might be S. epiphylla. If anyone could confirm (or deny!) this from my not-so-very-good pictures that would be nice.

Having said that I enjoyed the garden very much although good conversation (and probably a slight alcoholic haze) limited me to very few pics. I also enjoyed the house too which was very much as it probably was in the 1950's. I constantly wonder, when looking round these places, how it was that I was born in a very small back-to-back house in Huddersfield when I would have been much more suitable in a place of some opulence!).

Now to some pics.

The first couple of something I don't recollect having seen before which was growing both in an epi....... (Good Lord, can't think of the word but growing out of debris in a cleft of a tree trunk-Maggi will know!!) fashion as well in clefts in walls.


The third a plant I hadn't seen before, ID welcomed.

One of the widely planted ferns of many types

Saxifrages below.

[David Nicholson]

Saxes from Greenway.

[Maggi Young]

The first couple of something I don't recollect having seen before which was growing both in an epi....... (Good Lord, can't think of the word but growing out of debris in a cleft of a tree trunk-Maggi will know!!) fashion as well in clefts in walls.

epiphytic .... being an epiphyte .....  can't  for the life of nme think what the plant is though....

[ashley]

Umbilicus rupestris (Crassulaceae) navelwort (or pennywort here in Ireland).
Usually grows in walls or stony banks and prefers shade.  As children we used the round leaves as play money.

The third a plant I hadn't seen before, ID welcomed.

David I think this is Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed) or similar.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for the memory jog Maggi. Thanks also Ashley for the ID's they look spot on.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi David,
Did you take any pics of the house or the grounds?
Being a Christie-tragic I'd be interested to know if it's worth visiting sometime
cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

Sorry Fermi, I don't have more pictures but this might give you a fix:-

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway/

If you are interested in Agatha it's well worth a visit. The house is lovely and just as I would imagine a 'top-drawer' family lived in the 1950's/60's and it's still the Christie home rather than a museum. In the Library there is Agatha's collection of first editions of all of her work including stuff she wrote under pseudonyms, as well as family pictures etc. Seemingly Agatha had a "thing" about lights in the centres of rooms which she thought cast shadows so she had them taken out and wall lights fitted of just used table lamps. Although the garden is nice I think a lot more could be done with it and I would like to see it in Spring.

I'll pop a leaflet in the post to you.

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks, David
We joined NT on our last visit to be able to visit Sissinghurst and then ended up basing the rest of the trip on getting to as many NT gardens as we could! We even got to Wightwick Manor with our most congenial hosts, Diane and Michael in Wolverhampton. So we'll rejoin when we next get to the UK,
cheers
fermi

[Tristan_He]

I'm very fond of Greenway, it has a lovely lush feel. Went there years ago before it was owned by NT, and the head gardener very kindly gave us a couple of Cyclamen repandum from their large colony. They increased well and make a nice display in my mothers South Devon garden every spring. Here in Wales it's a bit cold for them and although they survive in the shelter of shrubs, they have not increased.

Coleton Fishacre is another very nice S Devon maritime garden in a similar vein, and also well worth a visit.