20 Days of Orkney Trees #16

We have been looking back through the mists of time for the last 15 posts (as is our wont), but now let us whisk you into the future, Doc Brown style! No flux capacitors required, simply allow your eyes to drift down the page and alight upon the diagram below. It is a plan for the grounds of Kirkwall's new Balfour Hospital.


Existing trees are shown in black and white and are surrounded by proposed plantings of various trees, shrubs and hedgerows plus herbaceous wetlands and ornamental water lilies. The green area at the top right is to be planted with apple trees and soft fruit bushes whilst the ponds are to be surrounded by a 'woodland glade' containing rowan, whitebeam and birch trees planted with woodland wildflower.


We can only see it in our mind's eye right now, but it's looking pretty great to us. The name of the site is to be Arcadia Park:

Orkney Archive Reference D1/1616

Panting for Planting

Plan of old garden at Orphir House, Gyre.

Well hello there archive-I-stumbled-upon-today! Could you delight us any more? I think not.

a) It is a beautiful spring day and you are a plan of trees and list of plants for the garden at Orphir House (which was rebuilt in 1886.)

 List of plants growing in the layer rockery at East Cottage on 5 May 1895.

b)You are the record of the old garden, a garden past, which makes us feel mournful and wistful... which we love.

Plan of trees in the old garden.

c) As great fans of luuuurve, and romance the rubbings taken of initials carved into trees made us squeal with delight.

Rubbings of initials carved into the bark of trees.

Well done Orkney Archive Reference D15/21/21. A sterling job.