RHS Bridgewater 

The orchard fringe comprises a shelter belt of ‘agroforestry’ planting, which includes hawthorn, hazelnut, elder, walnut, sweet chestnut, hickory, barberry, bladdernut, flowering quince and Cornelian cherry. Piles of deadwood provide habitats for wildlife and fungi, while future planting will introduce shrub layers, herbaceous plants and bulbs to promote biodiversity.

The ground is covered with a mixed-species grass meadow peppered with wildflowers and cut annually for a hay crop. This meadow is interwoven with a series of turf paths to encourage exploration. Expansive swathes of bulbs will be added in the years ahead.

grow, make, eat.....

The UK’s Food Museum, located in East Anglia, ‘Britain’s Breadbasket’. The mission is to connect people with where our food comes from and the impact of our choices: past, present and future. 

We all eat. Food is culture and is an avenue for everyday creativity. Our collection is rooted in East Anglia and we use it to tell broad and inclusive stories.

From cheese-making to brewing, historic breads to seasonal eating, they are here to engage audiences with the heritage of food and the communities who grow and make it. The aim to explore themes connected by food – social, historical, technological, industrial, environmental – and to give visitors hands-on experiences which bring processes alive, teach skills and share memories.

The museum began life as a volunteer-run rural life museum in 1967 and became the Food Museum in 2022. Changing the name was a first step rather than a final destination.