Larmer Tree Festival

This weekend was Larmer Tree Festival it was absolutely fantastic despite the rain and mud! So much to see and do and so much fabulous music to listen to.

They had various art installations like these origami cranes in one of the temples



This is the Garden Stage, made totally from wood - how awesome is that!



There were lots of mad people dressed up :)



The mud!



The gardens were created by General Pitt Rivers, he was a soldier in the Crimea, Malta and Ireland and inherited the Rushmore Estate in 1880. He is regarded as the ‘Father of English Archaeology’ as he set about creating museums in Oxford and Farnham, as well as the Larmer Tree Gardens which he used as a sweetener for the public he wanted to educate. The gardens became a Victorian theme park and were hired out for parties with the resident band, made up of workmen from the estate, playing on the Garden Stage (above) every Sunday. After the General died the grounds fell into disrepair and opened only sporadically. The storms of 1987 and 1990 caused more damage but with help from English Heritage who classified the site as a ‘Garden of National Importance’ the gardens have been lovingly restored. They are well worth a visit as they are absolutely beautiful!