July 27, 2009: Poison Gardens

What? Are the veggies retaliating against the Vegans? :unsure:


Oooooh, I want those gates, soooo badly.

The gardens are at Alnwick Castle, which you might recognize from movies like Harry Potter, Elizabeth, Becket and Blackadder.



So now you're wondering, WTF, right?
[SIZE="1"]A safe bet because if you weren't you wouldn't still be here.[/SIZE] :haha:

The duchess herself is an unlikely patron. Until 1995, she was just Jane Percy, mother of four. Then in 1995 her husband unexpectedly became the twelfth Duke of Northumberland following his brother's untimely death, and the next thing they knew they had a castle to deal with. As she inspected her newly inherited digs and expansive gardens, much of which had been meticulously designed by the famous landscape designer Capability Brown, she came across an overgrown, neglected section. Formal gardens had been planted in that spot by the first duke in 1750, and it passed through several incarnations until World War II, when it was converted from a place of Italian ornamental splendor into a victory garden of vegetables. By 1950, it had closed. She decided to restore it, not to its former glory, but into a new, modern garden.

Housewife/mother, with an interest in poisons, suddenly becomes a Duchess after her brother-in-law's untimely death. Sounds like a movie.



Yeah, that's a pot plant, but fuggedaboutit. :headshake

The poison garden opened in 2005 as just a portion of the ambitious 14-acre new gardens. Wanting in part to herald back to old apothecary's gardens, the duchess shied away from planting healing medicinals and instead sought out hard-to-get deadly poisons. Also included in the gardens are narcotic plants like opium poppies, cannabis, magic mushrooms, and tobacco. Because the danger posed by poisonous plants is very real (some can kill or sicken just through touch), some plants are caged, and the garden is secured each evening behind gates under a 24-hour security watch.

Hey, everybody's got to have a hobby... and rich people that can have some really interesting ones. :haha:

Garden link

Castle link

If I was ridiculously rich, it would be my goal to make the IotD with my antics or hobbies.

All we need is the incriminating pictures, we can make up the rest. :lol2:

I live about 15 miles from Alnwick Castle.

Its a bit of a local joke,that about 3-4 months after the gardens opened,the cannabis plants were stolen.A few dope growers in Alnwick named their weed,"Duchess's Finest" :D

Those gardens can legally grow cannabis,they were granted a licence from the Home Office,for 'educational purposes'.

I could tell you about some of the other alleged scams they allegedly pull too.Its amazing what you can get away with as the 8th richest family in the U.K

That would be a great place to visit. I love a good eccentric.

It reminded me of this truly charming gentleman:

[YOUTUBE]-wVADKznOhY[/YOUTUBE]

I enjoy watching rich people pursue happiness. I do it every day. Very interesting.
This was funny as hell to me. Really weird name, IMO.

meticulously designed by the famous landscape designer Capability Brown,

:haha:

what's the frown for? You've never heard of Capability Brown?

Capability is Encyclopedia's sister

Spexxvet;584434 wrote:

Capability is Encyclopedia's sister

:lol:

I read those as a kid!

Me too!
(but I had forgotten)

I think his cousin's name was Cooter.

xoxoxoBruce;584285 wrote:

What? Are the veggies retaliating against the Vegans? :unsure:


Oooooh, I want those gates, soooo badly.

The gardens are at Alnwick Castle, which you might recognize from movies like Harry Potter, Elizabeth, Becket and Blackadder.



So now you're wondering, WTF, right?
[SIZE="1"]A safe bet because if you weren't you wouldn't still be here.[/SIZE] :haha:



Housewife/mother, with an interest in poisons, suddenly becomes a Duchess after her brother-in-law's untimely death. Sounds like a movie.



Yeah, that's a pot plant, but fuggedaboutit. :headshake



Hey, everybody's got to have a hobby... and rich people that can have some really interesting ones. :haha:

Garden link

Castle link

Liking those links! *bookmark*