The delights of Stratford Park's arboretum

I drove Helena to work early this morning as she had a lot on her plate. I had it in mind to do a shopping trip combined with a visit to Stratford Park where the trees were providing a colourful display. Sadly the thick early mist, which had been a fog, took a long time to lift. Finally the light brightened a bit after lunchtime so I drove back to town with both camera and shopping bags.

I parked in a supermarket close to the park and walked up the slope towards the excellent Museum in the Park, one of our towns great assets. I took my time looking for suitable aspects which would show both the wonderful autumnal colours as well as the forms of the varied and rather distinctive trees. Stratford Park is home to a fantastic arboretum, whose origins go back to the mid 1800C when Stratford House, now the Museum in the Park, was owned by the Watts family – Joseph Watts, a Stroud brewer from 1819 until 1855 and his grandson Joseph Watts Hallewell from 1855 until 1891. They began the planting of specimen trees on the sloping ground leading down to the park’s original Fish Pond. Apparently they were friends of the Holford family, who created the original Westonbirt Arboretum which is only thirteen miles away near Tetbury, It is thought that some of the specimens they planted here were imported as part of bigger orders shared with Westonbirt Arboretum. They included redwoods, lime, beech, gingko and a particularly spectacular and beautiful Red Oak which I feature here in the main picture down beside the path in the middle distance.

When I arrived another photographer was shooting a client just beside the massive lime tree (they can be seen in the first of the ’Extras’) using reflectors and several varieties of flash. I tried to keep out of their way. When they had obviously finished and were chatting I moved to take the picture showing the tall red oak tree’s wonderful red leaves. 

Earlier I had also spotted someone sitting on the bench beside the path and now realised that a woman was sketching.  Once |’d finished in this area and was walking towards the Museum building the artist engaged me in conversation about what I was photographing. She had seen me and was amused that there were these two different photographers out and about in the park. We chatted for a long time, and I asked what she was drawing and she then mentioned that she had included both of us photographers in her record of this scene. I asked if I could see the result and when she showed me I wondered if I could photograph her with her sketch book. I mentioned that I would be posting a Blip and explained what that was. I thought it was interesting to feature a photograph of her form of record of the day. Martha is an illustrator specialising in children’s books and like me felt drawn to get out to experience the day while there were such beautiful conditions. I’ll share my images with her and we’ll keep in touch.

Yet again it was good to make more human contacts through doing our work and the process of producing a Blip. 

It is rather difficult to see this one of Martha's sketch, but it shows me squatting down to take pictures while the other photographer, who is at work underneath the lime tree's canopy, on the right hand page of the sketchbook).