Physic Garden - Congleton, Cheshire, UK.
N 53° 09.739 W 002° 12.570
30U E 552851 N 5890619
The Physic Garden information board is located in the grounds of The Bath House on Colehill Bank in Congleton.
Waymark Code: WM126FH
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/11/2020
Views: 6
The information board is mounted on a slate slab and is located near the gate at an entrance to the Physic Garden in the grounds of The Bath House in Congleton.
The information given on the board is as follows;
"The Physic Garden
You are standing in the grounds of Bradshaw House, which also contain a spring fed bath house. When deciding on their renovation, we felt that a Physic Garden would complement the holistic nature of cold water bathing and reflect on the people who lived nearby, including Dr Fern who is the last recorded daily user of the plunge pool in the 1930s. We also discovered that a practising herbalist, Emily Elizabeth Waller, worked next door c1900 and possibly used our site for spring water.
Physic Gardens go back to medieval days of monasteries when monks would grow their own herbs for the production of medicines. Many of these early medicinal plants are known as 'officinalis' plants, and you can find several of them here in the garden. Many great houses also started to grow herbs for health and consumption. Probably the most famous garden is that at Chelsea established in 1673 and known then as the Apothecaries' Garden. It is England's second oldest such garden following the University of Oxford Botanic Garden of 1621.
Congleton Physic Garden is maintained by a team of volunteer garden enthusiasts and would welcome new helpers to join us. Our range of plants is constantly growing and we can give guided tours to school children and grown ups when requested. Further information about the individual plants and about our Bath House project can be found on our website. Any comments or ideas can also be left in our post box at the gate.
Visit: congletonbpt.wordpress.com"
Congleton Bath House and Physic garden is a restoration and conservation community project run by the volunteers of Congleton Building Preservation Trust.
The grounds of the Bath House were once owned by John Bradshaw perhaps Congleton’s most (in)famous inhabitant - as he was president of the court that condemned Charles 1st to death.
The Physic Garden has been created in the grounds of the Bath House with areas that grow different 'useful' plants and information that tells the story of medicinal plants.
The Bath House is located at the top of a slope, with grounds that extend about 100m down the hill towards Bradshaw House the home of John Bradshaw, and the Town Hall.
When the Bath House was restored, it was decided to create a Physic Garden of medicinal plants, that would be in keeping with the health enhancing purposes behind the building of the Bath House.
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