00:00Ian Ross, hello sir.
00:03Hello.
00:04How are you?
00:05I'm very well, thank you.
00:07We find you on this autumnal-looking day in your lovely garden.
00:11We do.
00:13The clue's in the sign, you've got your open day this Saturday?
00:17It is indeed, this Saturday.
00:19Yeah, have you opened for the NGS before?
00:21Yes, yes, for the last two or three years, but on this occasion we're raising money for
00:27Shropshire Supports Refugees.
00:29Aha, got you.
00:31So if someone's not been to your garden, how would you describe your garden to someone?
00:36Ah, well, it's rather unique, isn't it?
00:39Yeah.
00:40It's got this waterfall that you can see, some 70 trees are tagged, it's like a mini
00:46arboretum.
00:47It is, yeah.
00:48Mini arboretum, with a large number of aces, and the aces this weekend should be colourful.
00:55So that's it, they're really coming out this time of year, aren't they, looking their best?
00:58They should be very colourful.
01:00So you like relaxing in the garden, they say you're never closer to God than in the garden,
01:05but you should know, because you used to work at the Abbey in Shrewsbury?
01:09Yes I did, yes.
01:10You were a vicar there?
01:11I was a vicar there from 1984 to 2002.
01:18Yeah, oh wow, interesting life then, seeing lots of things.
01:22It was, it was a very interesting life, yes.
01:24How long have you lived here at this property?
01:27At this property, we bought this in 2001, just before I retired from the Abbey.
01:33Yeah, and a nice elevated position, you've got, have you ever worked out how many trees
01:38you've got in the garden in total?
01:40Well I say I've tagged 72 are tagged, and that's about half of them.
01:45Wow, okay.
01:46And none of the bushes are tagged.
01:50It's, so you, the pond was here when you moved in, but you've kind of added to that, haven't
01:55you, with trees and shrubs?
01:56No, no, the trees and bushes were here, I haven't really added very much at all.
02:01You're the custodian?
02:02That's right, I treat it like I treated the Abbey, just a short term care take.
02:07That's a good, yeah, a good reference point, yeah, for sure.
02:11So you're open on Saturday, will there be any tea and cake for anyone?
02:16Any tea and cake available Saturday?
02:18Oh yes, come and get tea and cakes.
02:21Jams are on sale, cakes are on sale, refreshments available.
02:25Yes, from 11 o'clock till 5 o'clock I think.
02:30The beauty of your garden, I mean it is a good plot, but it kind of feels even bigger,
02:34but I think because you've got so many different specimens of trees, it is like you're immersed
02:40in this kind of fantasy woodland a bit, isn't it?
02:44A fantasy woodland?
02:45Yeah.
02:46Nobody's described it as a fantasy woodland.
02:48We'll have to change the name from the paddock, but for this weekend...
02:52There's no horses, it's a paddock, I'm the only horse in the place.
02:56Horsing around.
02:57Yes, oh well, yes.
02:58Right, well thank you Ian, and thank you for sharing your garden with the Shropshire staff.
03:02Oh, you're welcome, you're welcome.
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