This is a stub about the two wonderful water towers that are visible on the hills north and south of Luton.
Things to do and visit
Parks, museums, curiosities and other things to do in the Luton area
Luton Town Football Club
Someries Castle – Hyde, Bedfordshire
This is a stub about this ruined fortified manor house just outside of Luton, in fact within spitting distance of the airport.
It is one of the first brick buildings built in England.
The Hyde – open garden (only twice a year or so, so don’t miss it)
Here some pictures we took during our 2011 visits.
You can find out a little more about the history of the estate here:
Luton Hoo walled garden
Despite the name, Luton Hoo is just outside the boundaries of the town of Luton, straddling bits of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. The story of the estate is a long and winding one, and we’re still in the process of untangling it all. Apparently, the main House was sold to a hotel group by the Phillips family, who kept the agricultural buildings and land, and the Walled Garden.
Now there is a fence dividing the grounds of the house from the Walled Garden and the farmland, and a group of enthusiastic people have made a start on re-invigorating the beautiful gardens located in the ‘non-hotel’ grounds.
We first visited in late Summer 2011, for an art exhibition by our friend Abi Spendlove. She was an artist in residence, and her works were displayed as part of a large exhibition. It was a wonderful experience, and the charm of the old greenhouses, boiler house, and of course – the wall – added to the mood.
We last visited in September 2012, and more of the buildings have been refurbished/re-built. The beautiful greenhouses though are still waiting for a fairy godmother to save them, as a lot of money is needed to save them.
Cooking with vegetables from the Walled Garden
Part of the gardens are used to produce fruit and veg, and there are also bee hives. We bought wonderful potatoes, honey, and some sedum plants for my garden at home. Generally, produce can be purchased on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but please check with them directly, to be sure.
See above for my latest creation with peppers and onions from the garden, the rest of the vegetables being from Mr Mini.
http://www.lhwg.org.uk/
Luton Hoo Walled Garden
Luton Hoo, Luton, Beds, LU1 4LF
01582 879089
office@lhwg.org.uk
http://www.facebook.com/LutonHooWalledGarden
Jazz Jam at the Carnival Arts Centre
Another fabulous jazz jam session at the Carnival Arts Centre in Luton (just behind St Mary’s Church). The special guest today was a keyboard / Fender Rhodes player called Greg Foat, who charmed everyone with great renditions of “Penny Lane” and “Day Tripper”.
He’s just come back from Sweden, where he recorded some rather lush music which involved a sexy 70’s style backing choir. I tried to buy the cd from him but it had sold out. I’ll be trying to get it online from Jazzman Records here: http://www.jazzmanrecords.co.uk
I had the pleasure to be let up on to the stage and sang a couple of Christmas tunes. Then there was a guy from Harlington who played a Japanese flute called a shakuhachi, followed by a lovely Spanish lady called Salome, who played classical flute.
Check out dates and upcoming artists on the Luton Jazz Jam Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/lutonjazzjam
And most of all: keep swinging!