WHITE roses to celebrate Barnard Castle;s connection to Richard III are now in full bloom at a town garden – much to the delight of a retired teacher whose concerns about the state of the area prompted action.
Margaret Watson highlighted how unkempt Amen Corner – an area in front of the parish church at the junction of The Bank and Newgate – had become in an article published by the Mercury lamenting the loss of the white roses at the end of last year.
The garden at Amen Corner was originally created in the 1930s and white roses, which had been bought by the Mercury, were planted at the turn of the millennium to mark the town’s connection with Richard III.
The roses were later removed as part of a wider scheme to revamp the area undertaken by the Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership and replaced with mainly mixed shrubs. Since the demise of the landscape partnership, the shrubs were simply left to grow.
After Ms Watson highlighted the poor state of the area, ex-town councillor Roger Peat and a team of volunteers set to work to remove the shrubs and restore the white roses, which were paid for by the Northern Dales Richard III Group.
Exactly who is officially responsible for Amen Corner remains a mystery – Mr Peat described it as “a bit of a no-man’s land”.
But after taking soundings, no objections were raised to Mr Peat and his volunteers getting to work.
Ms Watson said she was delighted by the outcome.
“One of our town gardens has once again been beautifully planted to reflect our town’s heritage,” she said.
“Grateful thanks to all members of the team involved.
“I did not think it would be done so quickly.
“With the lockdown, I thought it might have been held up a bit but it's come on very well.”
Amen Corner is one of five town gardens across Barnard Castle. The others are in Bridgegate, Queen Street, Park Terrace and Bede Road.
It was created following the demolition of the semi-detached shop in the early 1930s. It remained in the care of Barnard Castle Urban District Council until 1979 when it transferred to Teesdale District Council and then to Durham County Council in 2009.
