Thanks to a collaboration between The Crichton Foundation and The Crichton Trust, BBC Scotland’s Beechgrove Garden Roadshow was recently filmed at The Crichton in Dumfries and will be aired on BBC Scotland on Thursday 23rd August at 7pm.
The Beechgrove Garden is a BBC Scotland TV gardening programme which aims to celebrate Scottish horticulture. Following a competitive selection process, The Crichton in Dumfries was selected as the host site for July with filming taking place in the rock and rose gardens at The Crichton followed by a Question Time session in Easterbrook Hall.
The Crichton is an 85-acre parkland estate on the outskirts of Dumfries with beautiful rock and rose gardens. The site is open to the public all year round offering free access and parking to explore the historic grounds and gardens. It is also home to Easterbrook Hall, The Crichton Memorial Church, Neuro’s Bar, Restaurant and Spa, The Holiday Inn, over 70 businesses, a college and university campus and a nearby golf course.
Beechgrove Garden panel members; Jim McColl, George Anderson and Chris Beardshaw, enjoyed a tour of The Crichton gardens where they met with The Crichton gardeners and head of property at The Crichton Trust, Gordon Clark. Andrew Walls, Convenor of The Crichton Foundation also met with the team and shared his knowledge of The Crichton during an interview with Jim McColl.
Demand for tickets for the Beechgrove Garden Question Time session at Easterbrook Hall on the 26th July was exceptionally high, with over 250 members of the public from across Dumfries and Galloway successfully securing tickets to attend. During the event, members of the audience were invited to ask for expert advice from Jim, George and Chris.
Gwilym Gibbons, Chief Executive of The Crichton Trust said: “The Crichton gardens attract many visitors to the site but I’m sure we will start to see many more visitors to The Crichton and other local gardens after the programme has been broadcast. I must pay tribute to The Crichton Trust gardeners who work throughout the year to maintain the grounds and gardens, to Dumfries and Galloway Council for their floral displays on the stage of Easterbrook Hall and to The Crichton Foundation for their support and dedication to this initiative.”
The programme will be shown on BBC Scotland on Thursday 23rd August at 7pm and repeated on the evening of Saturday 25th August. The rest of the UK will be able to view the show when it is shown on BBC 2 Network on Sunday 26th August.
