We have recently spent some joyful and exciting time re-connecting with the people and places featured in our Echoes from Essex project during lockdowns in 2020.
Our first visit was to Warley Place, Brentwood at the end of May – too late to see the fabulous daffodil display but Frances and Dr Patricia Fara enjoyed the peace and beauty of the remnants of Ellen Willmott’s garden and home which is now a nature reserve looked after by Essex Wildlife Trust. We were also lucky enough to meet with the artist and composer Elspeth Manders whose work for the projects you can see and hear on this link.
Hover on the photos to find out more
The Botanical Gardener of Brentwood
A wealthy horticulturalist with a passion for roses, Ellen Willmott (1858-1934) developed her family garden into a world-famous botanical centre and funded international expeditions to discover new plants. Find out more – listen to the podcast below:
Early in June Herbie and Frances joined the “Love your Burial Grounds” Walk with our two friends from Leytonstone Historical Society, David Boote and Maureen Measure who gave us a wonderful tour of all the sites associated with Gulielma Lister – as you can see below….
Leytonstone’s World Expert on Fungi
…and finally, on Friday 23rd of June, we were invited by Marie-Luise Heinecke to visit St John’s Arc in Harlow – a venue we will be visiting in the New Year with our new programme about Eliza Flower (premiere at Conway Hall, Oct 27th) . We heard a beautiful concert by guitarist GUS McQUADE and then members of the audience were keen to help us find Eliza’s home – turned out to be just round the corner, and together with Marie-Luise we went on a quest to find her burial place….not quite so easy!
Harlow’s own genius composer of songs
A pioneering feminist songwriter. A radical political activist. A ‘genius’ according to Mendelssohn. Writer of ‘the music we all waited for’ according to Robert Browning. Eliza Flower (1803–46) was all these things and more.
Find out more – listen to the podcast below:
In loving remembrance of
ELIZA FLOWER
eldest child of
BENJAMIN and ELIZA FLOWER
with whom awaiting her sister she now rests finding in her special gift of sacred music fit utterance for her noble nature. She with it guided many souls to God, to all such her memory has alter rails around it. The Lord was indeed her shepherd, and her beloved presence in the human flock made even the desert pastures sweet
She diedDecr 12th 1846 
aged 43
NB. There is clearly a treble clef on the gravestone but there may also have been actual music but I can’t make it out.
