High Barnet's historic alms houses have set an example to the town, with homes for elderly residents bedecked with bunting and regal floral displays to mark the Coronation of King Charles III.
Jesus Hospital Charity, which provides homes for 63 women in alms houses at sites around the town, pulled out all the stops for its display in Wood Street.
Numerous parties have been organised over the three days of the Coronation weekend including a Big Lunch at Monken Hadley Church, in church house and garden on Sunday (May 7), and a Picnic on the Green in the lawn beside the Barnet parish church of St John the Baptist on Monday (May 8).
Robert Fenton, gardener for Jesus Hospital, takes care of the lawns and gardens at alms houses in Wood Street, Monken Hadley, Potters Lane, and Grasvenor Avenue.
He was determined that the regal displays he created should be to scale and as accurate as possible and is proudest of the King Charles’ royal cypher marked out on the lawns in Wood Street.
By repeated grass cutting with the charity’s 100-year-old hand-pushed cylinder mower he marked out the C and R of the cypher and then used white pansies for the three Roman numerals.
“My partner Kate insisted that we had to get it dead right, so we checked on Google to make sure that the grid I was cutting out to was accurate and to scale.
“It was the same with the crown on the other lawn. This display is very popular with the residents. They like the flowers I have used, white pansies, marigolds, aubretia and dianthus. They are the jewels in the crown.”
Mr Fenton, who has been the alms houses’ gardener for the last 20 years, said that he still found his work enjoyable and rewarding.
“It is so nice for the residents. They all look out on flower borders and lawns. We know how much they appreciate their surroundings, and my job is all the more rewarding because of the support I get from the rest of the staff and the charity’s trustees.”
Ryan Allain, the charity’s chief executive officer, recognised the importance of enhancing the alms houses’ environment with well-kept gardens and displays.
“We hope the bunting and floral decorations will encourage the community to celebrate the Coronation. And we wanted the displays here at Wood Street to be at their very best for our Coronation tea party for our Barnet residents.”
Further along Wood Street, there was no doubting the imminent Coronation given the display of bunting at the entrance to the alms houses of the Eleanor Palmer’s charity.
All sorts of events are being held in the run up to Coronation and over the Bank holiday weekend.
Royal head gear was the order of the day for pupils heading towards Christ Church Primary School in Byng Road ready for the school’s Coronation celebration.
A Coronation treasure hunt is being organised by Homeless Action in Barnet. Competitors have to look for clues on a trail around Chipping Barnet that will take around an hour and a half to complete.
Question sheets are being issued to those who take part – and there is plenty of time to compete as the competition lasts from Saturday 6 May to Sunday 14 May. Tickets to compete cost £10 per treasure hunter or £20 for a family team.
More details see https://www.habcentre.org/Event/coronation-treasure-hunt
