February 27, 2025 • 32 mins
Journey to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Mottisfont garden in Hampshire, to discover a story of heritage and horticulture through two of the world’s most prestigious rose collections.
We meet Princess Esther Selassie Antohin, founder of Heritage Watch Ethiopia, to explore the Tsegereda Rose Garden Project, an initiative that restores a link to Ethiopia’s imperial legacy and also tackles climate conservation challenges. The International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) has twinned the Tsegereda rose garden with one of the most important rose gardens in the world, the National Trust’s Mottisfont.
Uncover surprising connections between Ethiopia and the UK – from Emperor Haile Selassie’s wartime exile in Bath, to Sylvia Pankhurst, an English activist who championed Ethiopia’s independence. Follow the fight to keep this heritage alive through extraordinary roses.
Discover a story of gardens that have transcended borders to become symbols of heritage, resilience, and international collaboration.
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Production
Producer and host: Jesse Edbrooke
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Discover more
We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. Everyone can get involved, everyone can make a difference. Nature, beauty, history. For everyone, for ever.
You can donate to us at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/donate
Read more about International National Trust Organisation Twinning (INTO) project www.into.org/withstanding-change-twinning/
Visit Heritage Watch Ethiopia website www.hwethiopia.org
Find out more about Mottisfont’s Rose Garden, Hampshire, England www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/hampshire/mottisfont/the-rose-garden-at-mottisfont
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
JESSE EDBROOKE (00:38):
Welcome to the National Trust Podcast. This is
an episode about World HeritageHeroes, which highlights some of
the inspiring individuals andorganisations fighting to
preserve nature, beauty andhistory for future generations.
I'm Jesse Edbrooke, a producerat National Trust, and today our
story takes us to Addis Ababa,the capital of Ethiopia, to
(01:01):
discover the twinning by theinternational National Trust
organisation that connects a newRose Garden in the city. With
one of the world's mostimportant collections of roses
in Mottisfont and Hintonampenain Hampshire.
Ethiopia is often named thecradle of civilization because
(01:21):
the oldest known human fossilswere found here. Its culture has
influenced countries all overthe world. For example, coffee
originated here, and 2.25billion cups of it are drunk
around the world in one day.
Addis Ababa, the capital city,is 2,440 meters above sea level.
(01:43):
The country's high altitude,abundant sunshine, and moderate
temperatures create perfectconditions for growing
high-quality roses. The countryis now the fourth largest rose
exporter in the world. The rosesare intrinsically linked with
royalty and heritage.
To find out more about thisconnection, we have flown 3,000
(02:05):
miles to meet Princess EstherSelassie Antohin,
great-granddaughter of theEmperor Haile Selassie, who
ruled from 1930 to 1974.
Princess Esther fled the countryas a teenager after the
Ethiopian revolution and livedin exile for almost 40 years.
(02:26):
She finally returned and formedHeritage Watch Ethiopia to
protect some of the quicklydisappearing history and also
empower younger generations inhorticulture and design. We meet
her in a peaceful space amidstthe hustle and bustle of the
center of Addis Ababa.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I'm Esther Selassie-Antohen. (02:42):
undefined
I was born and raised in AddisAbaba.
Left Ethiopia really veryabruptly and under very
traumatic conditions after the1974 revolution.
JESSE EDBROOKE (02:58):
Many of Princess Esther's family were imprisoned
during the revolution, but shemanaged to escape, along with
some of her younger brothers andsisters, through Kenya, Sweden
and West Germany before beingpermitted to enter the USA.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Really had left Ethiopia and (03:11):
undefined
never thought I'd be part of it.And here I have to credit... My
late husband, Anatoly Antohin,who just basically said, no,
you've got to face your demons.You've got to look at what
Ethiopia is. You were forced outat a very young age. You carry
Ethiopia with you, whether yourealize this or not.
JESSE EDBROOKE (03:31):
Princess Esther and her husband, Anatoly, moved
back to Ethiopia and began toreconnect with her roots. They
lived in Esther's grandmother'sproperty, which had fallen INTO
disrepair, and worked onrestoring it together. They also
visited many places in the city.That previously held too many
painful memories to go to.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: There was a lot going on about (03:49):
undefined
reclaiming your identity in aplace where it had really been
taken away. So we came, andsadly he brought me back in.
Then he didn't live to see allof what he started, but he was
right.
JESSE EDBROOKE (04:06):
Anatoly sadly passed away two years after they
moved to Ethiopia. After hisdeath, one of the places that
the Princess was drawn to wasthe House in which her family
grew up. It was built on landthat was donated to the Addis
Ababa University.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Because when I passed by all the (04:20):
undefined
time, I was very curious, sawhow badly the facade of it was,
and it looked so lonely andunkept. And it's funny how
houses do speak. There was justnothing there for it to say to
me. So I'll never forget, I camethrough the front gates and came
up to the building and I askedthe guard, do you know whose
(04:42):
House it is? And he said, well,somebody important during the
imperial time.
JESSE EDBROOKE (04:48):
The imperial time was the rule of Emperor
Haile Selassie. The emperor'seldest son, Crown Prince
Asferwassen, was PrincessEsther's grandfather, and this
was his House and gardens.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So to me, that was a start (04:59):
undefined
point. I wrote a concept note tothe university, basically
saying, a disabled university isa heritage. It started with the
land grant given by EmperorHeile Selassie to the
university. This is also theCrown Prince's House.
I think it's reallyinappropriate for the loss of
(05:20):
the history. I was verypassionate the way I wrote it
down. If I could just get a gofrom the university, this would
be the ideal place. It allreally matched up.
JESSE EDBROOKE (05:30):
The Tsegereda Rose Garden Project was born,
which aimed to create abeautiful public garden
showcasing climate resilienceand presenting through the
flowers and design a differentside of history that Princess
Esther feels is no longer told.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: That history has painted my (05:43):
undefined
ancestors and my people I grewup with as something monstrous
and uncaring. And it's aterrible, terrible picture that
they have. So being able to givethem a different picture to me
is important.
JESSE EDBROOKE (05:59):
One of the key aspects of the vision is to
empower the next generation withskills, opportunity and hope for
the future.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I hope next generations will (06:07):
undefined
seek the truth, will seekjustice and bring all the
potential to realization. Ibelieve in the future, but the
future that respects and loves,loves. I think love is at the
heart of it for me becausepeople might think how naive,
but the longer I live, the moreI'm convinced that. The biggest
(06:28):
value there is in life is love.Maybe that's what I want to
simply say.
JESSE EDBROOKE (06:34):
The work that Princess and her team are doing
on heritage has continued,despite this being a challenging
time for conservation in thecountry.
But now it's time to visit thegarden and experience the space
for ourselves.
Joining the exchange are twohorticulturalists from the
National Trust, Jen and Michael,who are enjoying a freshly
(06:55):
ground Ethiopian coffee after anovernight flight.
JENNIFER HARBROW (06:59):
I'm Jen, I'm a gardener at Hinton Ampner and we
have just arrived in Ethiopia.I've been invited out to Addis
Ababa as part of a climateresilience program to talk about
our gardens but alsospecifically about roses.
MICHAEL HARVEY (07:15):
I'm Michael Harvey, so I'm the senior
gardener for Mottesfont, so I'min charge of the Rose Garden.
It's one of the most importantrose collections in the world
and it's one that I'm trying topreserve. Coming to a place like
Addis Ababa, it's an experienceto say the least.
JESSE EDBROOKE (07:28):
Jen and Michael started working together at the
National Trust's Hinton Ampnerin Hampshire.
MICHAEL HARVEY (07:34):
So Jen and I worked together for four and a
half years. Yeah. Yeah, it was agreat experience.
JENNIFER HARBROW (07:39):
We kind of grew up as gardeners together a
bit, actually.
JESSE EDBROOKE (07:41):
So what were some of the key things that Jen
and Michael wanted to learn fromthe visit and the international
collaboration?
JENNIFER HARBROW (07:47):
So I'm really interested to see harvesting,
storing rainwater and some ofthe really practical things that
gardeners... Are doing here tomanage what I understand are
hotter, drier summers and wetwinters.
MICHAEL HARVEY (08:00):
It's actually to see what roses they grow in
Ethiopia. There's not often aplace that you come to and that
actually can see a differentvariety of rose that probably
nowhere else actually grows it.And also it's like the
conditions that that rose has towithstand. It's a once in a
lifetime opportunity to come tosomewhere like Addis Ababa and
to meet Esther and all her team.
JESSE EDBROOKE (08:25):
15-minute taxi ride to the north of the city to
visit the Tsigerida Rose Garden.
JENNIFER HARBROW (08:29):
So we're in the middle of Addis Ababa. It's
lovely and sunny, but it's notreally hot and it's still very
green. There's still a lot ofplants around and foliage.
MICHAEL HARVEY (08:39):
So we're meeting the team of Heritage Watch
Ethiopia. We've been in constanttalks with them talking about
how roses and gardens have beenwithstanding change. Yeah, so
it's going to be really excitingto finally see it in person.
JENNIFER HARBROW (08:50):
It's going to be quite an experience, I think.
JESSE EDBROOKE (08:52):
Winding in and out of the traffic, taking in
views of the cityscape, theyarrived at the Addis Ababa
University to be met for thefirst time in person by Heritage
Watch Ethiopia's PrincessEsther.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Welcome, everybody. (09:07):
undefined
JENNIFER HARBROW (09:08):
Thank you.
MICHAEL HARVEY (09:10):
Michael, yeah? Yeah. It's an absolute pleasure
to be here. It really is.
JENNIFER HARBROW (09:12):
Hi, I'm Jen. It's lovely to come and see the
garden. Really great as we cameround the corner to see how
beautiful it is.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So shall we head over there? (09:18):
undefined
JENNIFER HARBROW (09:19):
Great.
JESSE EDBROOKE (09:20):
Tsegereda means the rose in English.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: We're coming to the first (09:23):
undefined
section of the collections here,which we've named the Royal
Family Collection. Urbanhorticulture in Addis Ababa
started roughly around the 40s.And at that time, one of the
groups of people who werebringing in and appreciating
gardens was the Royal Family.
JESSE EDBROOKE (09:45):
Many members of the Royal Family had acquired a
love of roses from time theyspent in England in the 1930s.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Right next to that is the plant (09:52):
undefined
selections for droughtresistance. The reason being in
Ethiopia as a nation we sufferfrom drought and so to showcase
drought-resistant plants made alot of sense, of which we
feature these wonderfully grownfalse banana trees. The root of
(10:13):
it is taken out and eaten by thepeople of Guragye, especially
it's a delicacy.
JESSE EDBROOKE (10:18):
Ethiopia is experiencing more extreme
weather events, so not only doesthe garden aim to showcase
flood-resistant varieties ofplants, such as tubers, but also
drought-resistant varieties.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: In the centre of the garden we (10:29):
undefined
have four sections. And theyrepresent all the plants we've
selected for flood resistantflowers.
JENNIFER HARBROW (10:37):
Ah, flood, okay.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: As you see, quite a variety of (10:38):
undefined
colours. And because flood is abig issue, every year it gets
worse and worse. The rainyseason is longer and the level
of water is more intense. Veryintense.
JESSE EDBROOKE (10:52):
There was a prominent place for a lush
evergreen shrub with dark greenleaves sprouting in pairs,
beneath which were small greenbeans.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: We have the coffee. Of course, (11:00):
undefined
we can't not have the coffee ina garden such as this, because
coffee originated here inEthiopia, in the Kapa region.
JENNIFER HARBROW (11:10):
The coffee here is amazing. So much better
than the coffee I drink at home.It really is!
JESSE EDBROOKE (11:17):
With caffeine continuing to fight our jet lag,
we approached a meticulouslylandscaped runoff that drains
excess rainwater after heavyflooding. Plants that were
flood-resistant varieties boundthe soil with their roots to
mitigate the effects of erosion.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: A very important feature is the (11:31):
undefined
rain garden, which we designed.It can be done in any home. We
have devised all sorts of waysfor the water to go out. A
beautiful collection of flowersspecifically for that is there.
So it would be nice to educatepeople to emulate this.
JESSE EDBROOKE (11:49):
And then the highlight of the garden.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So finally we come to the (11:52):
undefined
centerpiece. Here is the rose.This particular variety is
special in that it alsorepresents heritage. And they're
all scented. In the spring, itwas absolutely stunning. When
you walked by, you had all thesescents.
JESSE EDBROOKE (12:08):
Commercial roses are scentless, but these roses
that represented heritage werethe classic kind, fully scented.
The master gardener for theTsegereda garden planted a
specific delicate pink climbingrose in the centre of the
garden. It was a variety thatbelonged to an English family
with a significant connection toEthiopia.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: He could identify which (12:28):
undefined
household it came from. Really?Yes, and he could identify Rita
Pankhurst, is the wife ofRichard Pankhurst, the son of
Sylvia Pankhurst, thesuffragette. By the way, Sylvia
Pankhurst is huge in Ethiopia,as is Richard, because they were
dedicated to Ethiopian history.
JESSE EDBROOKE (12:50):
Sylvia Pankhurst came from Manchester. She
petitioned the Britishgovernment to liberate Ethiopia
from fascist rule in the late1930s. Following the liberation,
she spent the rest of her daysin Ethiopia, a friend of the
Royal Family, and after herdeath in 1960, received a full
state funeral at which theemperor named her an honorary
(13:11):
Ethiopian.
Her rose honours that deepcommitment to friendship and
justice.
MICHAEL HARVEY (13:18):
But seeing roses which are actually heritage,
still growing, still...
Thriving in different places isfantastic yeah i just i'm so
pleased they look they look likethey're putting on so much
healthy growth as well the thingis the soils is so different
here it's more red it's moreclay like but they're just so
happy and it's just it's justlovely lovely to see it does
(13:39):
make you quite emotionalactually
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So yeah by then Michael because (13:41):
undefined
i think it's nothing morebeautiful than the rose.
JESSE EDBROOKE (13:46):
18 different varieties of roses are showcased
with rich reds soft pinks andwarm golden tones creating a
peaceful atmosphere. The work onthe garden started in March 2024
and was completed at the end ofthe year with a celebration. But
what was the place like to beginwith?
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I'll share with you some images (14:05):
undefined
of what this place was beforethe garden. It was a very
discarded, rough area whereliterally students would crawl
in there with the dust and siton it. The transformation is
amazing. Where... Ourhorticulture heritage comes
from, which in the case of AddisAbaba is the 1930s, 40s. Looking
(14:27):
at it from now, it's a story.
JESSE EDBROOKE (14:29):
It's great.
JENNIFER HARBROW (14:32):
There's so many levels of meaning to this
garden. That's what'sfascinating. The more you talk
about it, the roses and theirlinks to Ethiopian history and
the people that are involved,and then also the drought
tolerant garden and your raingarden. There's so many things
to it. And it's beautiful. And Ilove it. The curves in it, I
wasn't sure what to expect. Andit is a really nice place to be
(14:54):
in.
JESSE EDBROOKE (14:57):
The garden has been transformed from a dust
heap to the oasis of calm andbeauty that it now is.
Princess Esther expands on herpersonal connection to the
garden when her grandfather, theCrown Prince, owned it.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I grew up here and I ran around. (15:14):
undefined
That House over there was thechildren's House.
JESSE EDBROOKE (15:19):
What games did you play there?
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Hide and Seek. It would be all (15:21):
undefined
around this House. This is thechildren's House.
As you can see, it's kind ofminiature. They've let it go
quite a bit. And bicycling, wewere not allowed for some
reason. I don't know. The girlsweren't supposed to bike. And we
would. And sometimes he wouldshow up and we'd have to hide.
And to hide, sometimes we'd dashINTO the bushes with our bikes.
(15:47):
I remember that with my sister.One time we were trying to
disappear from view and itwasn't very successful. We
thought they would be more madthan they actually ended up
being mad. But growing up,Ethiopian culture was more kids
are to be seen and not heard. Sowe just took that to the nth
(16:07):
degree sometimes ourselves. Youknow, a lot of wonderful memory.
I mean, we'd come to say helloto him.
JESSE EDBROOKE (16:15):
This House would be filled with laughter of
children then.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Yes, yes, it would. All of that (16:17):
undefined
is a wonderful memory.
JESSE EDBROOKE (16:22):
After one more magnificent Ethiopian coffee, it
was time to return to the UK.Before heading to Mottessfont,
Princess Esther represented theEthiopian Royal Family at the
celebrations of Emperor HaileSelassie's final visit to Bath
70 years ago. To fullyunderstand why these are
important, we need to travelback to Ethiopia almost a
(16:42):
century ago. Here's historianRas Benji.
RAS BENJI (16:47):
The Ethiopia of the early 20th century was a
glorious Ethiopia that was thisuncolonized place full of
ancient kings and queens and theoldest Christian history.
JESSE EDBROOKE (16:59):
In 1930, a new emperor was crowned, Emperor
Haile Selassie. He traced hislineage back to Emperor Menelik
I, said to be the child of KingSolomon and the Queen of Sheba.
In 1936, the young Emperor HaileSelassie faced a crisis. The
fascist Italians, led byMussolini, invaded Ethiopia.
(17:20):
After fighting in the battle,the emperor and his family fled
and arrived in the UK.
RAS BENJI (17:26):
So he moved to Bath. He took the healing waters of
Bath on his mustard gas-burnedarms. And then he purchased
Fairfield House for £3,500.
JESSE EDBROOKE (17:37):
Fairfield House is a large detached House on the
outskirts of the city.
RAS BENJI (17:43):
So began those five long, difficult years of
Ethiopian exile here. But thepeople of Bath were so kind to
him. And people volunteered todo what they could for the
emperor.
They gave gifts of coal. Andfood so the House would be kept
warm and the people would bewell fed.
And generally just showed him alot of kindness and support,
(18:05):
people of Bath writing in thenewspapers constantly, standing
with the emperor.
After World War One there was agreat anxiety of this global
conflict, so it was verypossible that that would erupt
again.
JESSE EDBROOKE (18:18):
The emperor attended the League Of Nations
and gave a prophetic speech inwhich he warned against the
rising powers of fascism andthat they would not be satisfied
with only occupying Ethiopia.
RAS BENJI (18:30):
His Majesty, he was known to take a daily walk in
the city of Bath. He'd head fromFairfield INTO the city and
quite often come back on theRiver Avon. And many people that
saw him on his walk, they wereused to greeting the emperor.
They said that the emperor hadimpeccable manners.
Often he'd have his small dogwith him. The emperor went to a
(18:52):
number of churches in Bath. HisChristian faith was very
important, and he established achapel at Fairfield House. So
they had a tabot that wasbrought from Jerusalem and that
made the first EthiopianOrthodox church in this country.
JESSE EDBROOKE (19:07):
Whilst bringing and celebrating Ethiopian
culture in the UK, Emperor HaileSelassie was also keenly engaged
in British culture and took areal interest in the local
horticultural trends inparticular.
RAS BENJI (19:19):
His Majesty was actually featured on a magazine
called Success with Roses. He'son the front cover planting
roses with other priests. And atFairfield House, this time 70
years ago, over 400 plants wereplanted in a restored garden.
And the headline said, the rosesare blooming. So roses were
(19:40):
special symbolism to theemperor. And I learned on my
trip to Ethiopia that roses arethe symbol of nobility. Of
heritage to do with the kingsand queens.
JESSE EDBROOKE (19:55):
Emperor Haile Selassie's government in exile,
along with support from Englishfigures such as the suffragette
Sylvia Pankhurst, petitionedcountries across the world to
come to Ethiopia's aid againstthe Italians.
Finally, in 1941, two yearsafter the start of the Second
World War, the British armyhelped the Ethiopian army win a
decisive victory and EmperorHaile Selassie was returned to
(20:19):
the throne as ruler.
RAS BENJI (20:22):
He never forgot that kindness that the people showed
him. So he came back here 70years ago today, returning to
the city of Bath. Becoming afree man of the city of Bath.
He stayed here for the best partof the week, visiting schools
and hospital and other localinstitutions, thanking his
friends and seeing them againafter 13 years away from this
(20:44):
country. And then the emperorgifted his home to the city of
Bath a few years later. So itbecame a place for the elderly
and still is today.
JESSE EDBROOKE (20:56):
Fairfield House provides regular events for the
elderly in many sections of thecommunity. And continues to be a
portal to the world.
Princess Esther is still helpingto shape this positive legacy
today.
RAS BENJI (21:13):
She helped found the Kidani Meharet prayer room and
just representing hergreat-grandfather in a number of
occasions and difficult momentsalso, showing leadership
qualities, obviously, that havecome from His Majesty. And her
Majesty.
JESSE EDBROOKE (21:33):
Communities in the city gathered to celebrate
the 70-year anniversary withlive Ethio-jazz, reggae, and
gospel performances at theNational Trust Assembly Rooms,
Bath Abbey, and Bath SpaUniversity, showing the depth of
relationship between Ethiopiaand the people of Bath. There
are also plans for a newcollection of roses to be
planted in the garden ofFairfield House in the near
(21:56):
future.
The time came to visit Jen andMichael at Mottisfont. The
property has a historic Housewhich was built in the 1300s as
a priory and has had manynotable owners including King
Henry VIII's Lord Chamberlainbut today we're focusing on its
world-famous Rose Garden.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Here we are finally come and see (22:17):
undefined
Mottisfont. It's a beautifulgrounds I could see. A group
right up front a familiar faceof Michael, i see and others.
Michael let me see yes yes thisis awesome oh typical that's
(22:42):
home i said it's not going torain and it's ah yeah i got the
whole nine yards weatherincluded.
MICHAEL HARVEY (22:53):
I think we're going to start making our way up
to the Rose Garden.
JESSE EDBROOKE (22:57):
The grounds at Mottisfont are 2,080 acres and
the anticipation built as weneared the garden.
MICHAEL HARVEY (23:03):
See that wall over there? That's the Rose
Garden. You can't tell there's aRose Garden behind that wall.
JESSE EDBROOKE (23:08):
The number of visitors every year is extremely
high.
MICHAEL HARVEY (23:12):
85,000 visitors. The whole size of Wembley
Stadium descending on thisgarden is incredible.
So this is the main entrance tothe Rose Garden.
JESSE EDBROOKE (23:21):
One of the foremost Rosarians. Or experts
in roses, is David Stone, and heworked with Graham Stuart Thomas
to care for the Rose Garden. Atthe entrance, they planted a
special species to welcomevisitors.
MICHAEL HARVEY (23:34):
Because it's such a famous Rose Garden, he
wanted to have a little play onwords.
So originally, he put in thepilgrim's rose, because people
make a pilgrimage to Mottisfontto come to the garden. We're
going to spiral them up theposts and train them, so then
actually you'd have flowersgalore all the way through.
JESSE EDBROOKE (23:50):
Michael explained just how crucial the
hard work done in the RoseGarden is.
MICHAEL HARVEY (23:55):
The place is important mainly because it's
protecting such importantvarieties of roses. This day and
age, a lot of roses are beingdropped because they're not
healthy enough. But atMottisfont, we're looking after
heritage. We're looking afterhistoric roses that some of them
are the rarest, where you canonly find them at one or two
places in the world.
JESSE EDBROOKE (24:12):
Despite the wet weather today, one of the
problems that Mottisfont isexperiencing is extreme heat.
MICHAEL HARVEY (24:18):
So what we've experienced is a lot of... Of
black spots, a lot of sawflyissues, a lot of drought
problems.
For instance we have someclimbing roses on an east-facing
wall and they've suffered with alot of rose dieback and that's
because being against the wallin the summer we're getting
about 40 degree heat which iscausing them to burn and really
struggle so they've died backand so we're seeing a lot of
(24:40):
different changes in the roseworld.
JESSE EDBROOKE (24:42):
A pilgrimage to the garden illustrates how each
rose has its own character andspecific needs such as amounts
of light, water, and nutrients.Pruning is also essential to
focus the growth on the flowers.In order for this to happen, a
rose is cut in the winter withsecateurs to resemble an ice
cream cone. The next example ofthis handiwork was a buttery
(25:03):
yellow tea rose.
MICHAEL HARVEY (25:05):
There is one main roses that I need to show
off. That's because it is easilyone of the most important roses.
Yeah.
This rose just here, IsabellaSprunt, is very, very small. But
she is one of the rarest roses.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Okay. (25:18):
undefined
MICHAEL HARVEY (25:19):
You can see she's just also very small
there.
JESSE EDBROOKE (25:22):
New roses are created when rose breeders
cross-pollinate differentvarieties to produce unique
hybrids. These roses often havenew traits like color, fragrance
or disease resistance.
A breeder can then name therose, it's often after famous
people, and the name isregistered with the
International CultivarRegistration Authority for
roses, so it is officiallyrecognised. In this way, a rose
(25:45):
can encapsulate and reflecthistory. One of the key roses in
the garden was named after awell-known rosarian in the UK.
MICHAEL HARVEY (25:52):
So Graham Thomas, he was one of the top
Rosarians in the country.
He was the man who created thisRose Garden. He brought roses
from all across the world,America, Australia, and brought
these collections all together.But because he got such a
reputation, they created a rosecalled the Graham Thomas Rose,
which is this rose.
It's repeat flowering, beautifulyellow, golden rose. So it's
(26:14):
absolutely stunning. It's verydifficult to grow sometimes
because roses put so much energyINTO flowering that sometimes it
loses its leaves, it's moresusceptible to black spots. It's
one of the most important rosesin the garden, history-wise.
JESSE EDBROOKE (26:26):
Yes Michael's team is small and incredibly
dedicated as the sheer amount ofwork to protect one of the most
important rose gardens in theworld is huge he couldn't do
this work without members of thepublic giving their time
currently in the garden team.
MICHAEL HARVEY (26:40):
I have 30 amazing volunteers who might
actually meet when we go aroundthe corner
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: All ages? (26:44):
undefined
MICHAEL HARVEY (26:44):
All ages! We've got volunteers younger than
myself and i've got a volunteerin their late 70s.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Nice community! (26:49):
undefined
JESSE EDBROOKE (26:53):
Many of the volunteers are keenly following
the twinning relationship withthe Tsegereda Rose Garden.
MICHAEL HARVEY (26:58):
I'm going to bump into my volunteers who are
doing an amazing job just aroundthe corner. There they are.
These are my amazing team. Ihaven't said good morning to
them this morning. Hellostranger, are you alright? Good
to see you. Good to see you too.Wonderful.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Thank you for having me. (27:09):
undefined
JESSE EDBROOKE (27:16):
One of the main concepts that gardeners in Addis
Ababa are observing is the useof mulch. Mulch is a loose
covering of old leaves, plantsand garden waste that has been
broken down and is placed on topof soil or compost. It's an
important way of carbonsequestering, reusing nutrients
from broken down soil. How muchmulch does the garden and
Mottisfont need?
MICHAEL HARVEY (27:37):
I'll show you our compost tubes as well.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Oh, very good. So when does all (27:38):
undefined
that happen in the spring?Winter.
MICHAEL HARVEY (27:43):
Oh, really? The main reason we do mulching in
the winter is the winter weatherwill break down the mulch.
Although worms do help.
It does help break it down, soactually you're suppressing the
weeds you're feeding the roseswhen they need support in the
new growth they need help and soall the feed is in the soil when
you've mulched it and then alsoit helps with the water
(28:03):
retention in the soil as well wewill be mulching in January so
we will be shipping in 110 tonsof mulch.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So the space you have here? (28:10):
undefined
MICHAEL HARVEY (28:12):
Yes yeah the relationship between Mottisfont
Hinton Ampner and Heritage WatchEthiopia you has enriched
gardeners with new techniquesand international understanding.
How will it continue to grow?
I think the relationship becamereally strong when we went over
to Ethiopia. After Ethiopia,it's got even stronger. With the
likes of going to FairfieldHouse and understanding the
(28:33):
history and heritage side ofEthiopia, I think it's amazing.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I would say the same for us. We (28:37):
undefined
also learned a lot. So when wegot this twinning program, we
got how to sustain a garden, howto promote it, composting and of
course withstanding climatechange. The Tsegereda garden got
developed as that conversationwas developed.
JESSE EDBROOKE (28:57):
The connections that have been forged between
the gardeners will have alasting impact on the
development of the projects.
JENNIFER HARBROW (29:05):
I think that was one of the things I really
got out of Ethiopia. I hadn'tappreciated how important
heritage was. Maybe I take it abit for granted because
obviously people in the UK, it'ssomething we've always done. I
hadn't realised how much we'vemade a choice to do that. The
garden is one aspect, but when Ilook at it, having these
beautiful houses that wemaintain and the parkland and
(29:28):
the history and the stories thatcome with it, it adds so much
context to it, doesn't it?
JESSE EDBROOKE (29:32):
Jen feels that the trip has profoundly impacted
her.
JENNIFER HARBROW (29:36):
It was a bit of a reset, Ethiopia, really. I
kind of went away as onegardener and then came back and
everything's different.
JESSE EDBROOKE (29:44):
The findings of the Withstanding Climate Change
Project are already being sharedwith heritage sites around the
world, and the shared learningis a source of strength.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: As Michael said, the (29:53):
undefined
relationship keeps going. It'salways about people, isn't it,
in the end? And at that level, Ifeel very, very happy to get to
know Michael, Jen, whom Iconsider now friends rather than
just strangers. So friendshipshappen, but there's much to look
(30:14):
forward to.
JESSE EDBROOKE (30:26):
Thank you for listening to the National Trust
Podcast. The episode ends here,but if you want to find out more
about the INTO TwinningPartnership, Heritage Watch
Ethiopia, or the world-renownedRose Garden at Mottisfont or
Hinton Ampner, please search forINTO, Withstanding Change, or
INTO on the National Trustwebsite.
Don't forget, your NationalTrust membership will allow you
(30:49):
access to other heritageorganizations around the world,
including Italy, Canada,Australia, Korea, and... And
even Bermuda. The WithstandingClimate Change Project has been
funded by the British Council'sCultural Protection Fund. To
hear more episodes of theNational Trust Podcast, please
subscribe to wherever you getyour podcasts.
(31:10):
Watch out for the all-newseries, which will be launched
in March 2025, including a newnature series, a new history
series, and Ranger Ray and theWildlifeers. Until next time,
goodbye.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (31:29):
Our award-winning members' magazine
is now digital. It includes thesame great content as the print
magazine, plus interactivefeatures like videos,
soundscapes and podcasts likethis one. For a taste of what to
expect, along with fivedelicious regional recipes from
Trust places, go tonationaltrust.org.UK forward
(31:50):
slash historic hyphen recipes,or see this episode's show notes
to find out how to switch.
Whatever your choice, you'll behelping look after nature,
beauty and history. Foreveryone, forever.
Welcome to the National Trust Podcast. This is
an episode about World HeritageHeroes, which highlights some of
the inspiring individuals andorganisations fighting to
preserve nature, beauty andhistory for future generations.
I'm Jesse Edbrooke, a producerat National Trust, and today our
story takes us to Addis Ababa,the capital of Ethiopia, to
(01:01):
discover the twinning by theinternational National Trust
organisation that connects a newRose Garden in the city. With
one of the world's mostimportant collections of roses
in Mottisfont and Hintonampenain Hampshire.
Ethiopia is often named thecradle of civilization because
(01:21):
the oldest known human fossilswere found here. Its culture has
influenced countries all overthe world. For example, coffee
originated here, and 2.25billion cups of it are drunk
around the world in one day.
Addis Ababa, the capital city,is 2,440 meters above sea level.
(01:43):
The country's high altitude,abundant sunshine, and moderate
temperatures create perfectconditions for growing
high-quality roses. The countryis now the fourth largest rose
exporter in the world. The rosesare intrinsically linked with
royalty and heritage.
To find out more about thisconnection, we have flown 3,000
(02:05):
miles to meet Princess EstherSelassie Antohin,
great-granddaughter of theEmperor Haile Selassie, who
ruled from 1930 to 1974.
Princess Esther fled the countryas a teenager after the
Ethiopian revolution and livedin exile for almost 40 years.
(02:26):
She finally returned and formedHeritage Watch Ethiopia to
protect some of the quicklydisappearing history and also
empower younger generations inhorticulture and design. We meet
her in a peaceful space amidstthe hustle and bustle of the
center of Addis Ababa.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I'm Esther Selassie-Antohen. (02:42):
undefined
I was born and raised in AddisAbaba.
Left Ethiopia really veryabruptly and under very
traumatic conditions after the1974 revolution.
JESSE EDBROOKE (02:58):
Many of Princess Esther's family were imprisoned
during the revolution, but shemanaged to escape, along with
some of her younger brothers andsisters, through Kenya, Sweden
and West Germany before beingpermitted to enter the USA.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Really had left Ethiopia and (03:11):
undefined
never thought I'd be part of it.And here I have to credit... My
late husband, Anatoly Antohin,who just basically said, no,
you've got to face your demons.You've got to look at what
Ethiopia is. You were forced outat a very young age. You carry
Ethiopia with you, whether yourealize this or not.
JESSE EDBROOKE (03:31):
Princess Esther and her husband, Anatoly, moved
back to Ethiopia and began toreconnect with her roots. They
lived in Esther's grandmother'sproperty, which had fallen INTO
disrepair, and worked onrestoring it together. They also
visited many places in the city.That previously held too many
painful memories to go to.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: There was a lot going on about (03:49):
undefined
reclaiming your identity in aplace where it had really been
taken away. So we came, andsadly he brought me back in.
Then he didn't live to see allof what he started, but he was
right.
JESSE EDBROOKE (04:06):
Anatoly sadly passed away two years after they
moved to Ethiopia. After hisdeath, one of the places that
the Princess was drawn to wasthe House in which her family
grew up. It was built on landthat was donated to the Addis
Ababa University.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Because when I passed by all the (04:20):
undefined
time, I was very curious, sawhow badly the facade of it was,
and it looked so lonely andunkept. And it's funny how
houses do speak. There was justnothing there for it to say to
me. So I'll never forget, I camethrough the front gates and came
up to the building and I askedthe guard, do you know whose
(04:42):
House it is? And he said, well,somebody important during the
imperial time.
JESSE EDBROOKE (04:48):
The imperial time was the rule of Emperor
Haile Selassie. The emperor'seldest son, Crown Prince
Asferwassen, was PrincessEsther's grandfather, and this
was his House and gardens.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So to me, that was a start (04:59):
undefined
point. I wrote a concept note tothe university, basically
saying, a disabled university isa heritage. It started with the
land grant given by EmperorHeile Selassie to the
university. This is also theCrown Prince's House.
I think it's reallyinappropriate for the loss of
(05:20):
the history. I was verypassionate the way I wrote it
down. If I could just get a gofrom the university, this would
be the ideal place. It allreally matched up.
JESSE EDBROOKE (05:30):
The Tsegereda Rose Garden Project was born,
which aimed to create abeautiful public garden
showcasing climate resilienceand presenting through the
flowers and design a differentside of history that Princess
Esther feels is no longer told.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: That history has painted my (05:43):
undefined
ancestors and my people I grewup with as something monstrous
and uncaring. And it's aterrible, terrible picture that
they have. So being able to givethem a different picture to me
is important.
JESSE EDBROOKE (05:59):
One of the key aspects of the vision is to
empower the next generation withskills, opportunity and hope for
the future.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I hope next generations will (06:07):
undefined
seek the truth, will seekjustice and bring all the
potential to realization. Ibelieve in the future, but the
future that respects and loves,loves. I think love is at the
heart of it for me becausepeople might think how naive,
but the longer I live, the moreI'm convinced that. The biggest
(06:28):
value there is in life is love.Maybe that's what I want to
simply say.
JESSE EDBROOKE (06:34):
The work that Princess and her team are doing
on heritage has continued,despite this being a challenging
time for conservation in thecountry.
But now it's time to visit thegarden and experience the space
for ourselves.
Joining the exchange are twohorticulturalists from the
National Trust, Jen and Michael,who are enjoying a freshly
(06:55):
ground Ethiopian coffee after anovernight flight.
JENNIFER HARBROW (06:59):
I'm Jen, I'm a gardener at Hinton Ampner and we
have just arrived in Ethiopia.I've been invited out to Addis
Ababa as part of a climateresilience program to talk about
our gardens but alsospecifically about roses.
MICHAEL HARVEY (07:15):
I'm Michael Harvey, so I'm the senior
gardener for Mottesfont, so I'min charge of the Rose Garden.
It's one of the most importantrose collections in the world
and it's one that I'm trying topreserve. Coming to a place like
Addis Ababa, it's an experienceto say the least.
JESSE EDBROOKE (07:28):
Jen and Michael started working together at the
National Trust's Hinton Ampnerin Hampshire.
MICHAEL HARVEY (07:34):
So Jen and I worked together for four and a
half years. Yeah. Yeah, it was agreat experience.
JENNIFER HARBROW (07:39):
We kind of grew up as gardeners together a
bit, actually.
JESSE EDBROOKE (07:41):
So what were some of the key things that Jen
and Michael wanted to learn fromthe visit and the international
collaboration?
JENNIFER HARBROW (07:47):
So I'm really interested to see harvesting,
storing rainwater and some ofthe really practical things that
gardeners... Are doing here tomanage what I understand are
hotter, drier summers and wetwinters.
MICHAEL HARVEY (08:00):
It's actually to see what roses they grow in
Ethiopia. There's not often aplace that you come to and that
actually can see a differentvariety of rose that probably
nowhere else actually grows it.And also it's like the
conditions that that rose has towithstand. It's a once in a
lifetime opportunity to come tosomewhere like Addis Ababa and
to meet Esther and all her team.
JESSE EDBROOKE (08:25):
15-minute taxi ride to the north of the city to
visit the Tsigerida Rose Garden.
JENNIFER HARBROW (08:29):
So we're in the middle of Addis Ababa. It's
lovely and sunny, but it's notreally hot and it's still very
green. There's still a lot ofplants around and foliage.
MICHAEL HARVEY (08:39):
So we're meeting the team of Heritage Watch
Ethiopia. We've been in constanttalks with them talking about
how roses and gardens have beenwithstanding change. Yeah, so
it's going to be really excitingto finally see it in person.
JENNIFER HARBROW (08:50):
It's going to be quite an experience, I think.
JESSE EDBROOKE (08:52):
Winding in and out of the traffic, taking in
views of the cityscape, theyarrived at the Addis Ababa
University to be met for thefirst time in person by Heritage
Watch Ethiopia's PrincessEsther.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Welcome, everybody. (09:07):
undefined
JENNIFER HARBROW (09:08):
Thank you.
MICHAEL HARVEY (09:10):
Michael, yeah? Yeah. It's an absolute pleasure
to be here. It really is.
JENNIFER HARBROW (09:12):
Hi, I'm Jen. It's lovely to come and see the
garden. Really great as we cameround the corner to see how
beautiful it is.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So shall we head over there? (09:18):
undefined
JENNIFER HARBROW (09:19):
Great.
JESSE EDBROOKE (09:20):
Tsegereda means the rose in English.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: We're coming to the first (09:23):
undefined
section of the collections here,which we've named the Royal
Family Collection. Urbanhorticulture in Addis Ababa
started roughly around the 40s.And at that time, one of the
groups of people who werebringing in and appreciating
gardens was the Royal Family.
JESSE EDBROOKE (09:45):
Many members of the Royal Family had acquired a
love of roses from time theyspent in England in the 1930s.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Right next to that is the plant (09:52):
undefined
selections for droughtresistance. The reason being in
Ethiopia as a nation we sufferfrom drought and so to showcase
drought-resistant plants made alot of sense, of which we
feature these wonderfully grownfalse banana trees. The root of
(10:13):
it is taken out and eaten by thepeople of Guragye, especially
it's a delicacy.
JESSE EDBROOKE (10:18):
Ethiopia is experiencing more extreme
weather events, so not only doesthe garden aim to showcase
flood-resistant varieties ofplants, such as tubers, but also
drought-resistant varieties.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: In the centre of the garden we (10:29):
undefined
have four sections. And theyrepresent all the plants we've
selected for flood resistantflowers.
JENNIFER HARBROW (10:37):
Ah, flood, okay.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: As you see, quite a variety of (10:38):
undefined
colours. And because flood is abig issue, every year it gets
worse and worse. The rainyseason is longer and the level
of water is more intense. Veryintense.
JESSE EDBROOKE (10:52):
There was a prominent place for a lush
evergreen shrub with dark greenleaves sprouting in pairs,
beneath which were small greenbeans.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: We have the coffee. Of course, (11:00):
undefined
we can't not have the coffee ina garden such as this, because
coffee originated here inEthiopia, in the Kapa region.
JENNIFER HARBROW (11:10):
The coffee here is amazing. So much better
than the coffee I drink at home.It really is!
JESSE EDBROOKE (11:17):
With caffeine continuing to fight our jet lag,
we approached a meticulouslylandscaped runoff that drains
excess rainwater after heavyflooding. Plants that were
flood-resistant varieties boundthe soil with their roots to
mitigate the effects of erosion.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: A very important feature is the (11:31):
undefined
rain garden, which we designed.It can be done in any home. We
have devised all sorts of waysfor the water to go out. A
beautiful collection of flowersspecifically for that is there.
So it would be nice to educatepeople to emulate this.
JESSE EDBROOKE (11:49):
And then the highlight of the garden.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So finally we come to the (11:52):
undefined
centerpiece. Here is the rose.This particular variety is
special in that it alsorepresents heritage. And they're
all scented. In the spring, itwas absolutely stunning. When
you walked by, you had all thesescents.
JESSE EDBROOKE (12:08):
Commercial roses are scentless, but these roses
that represented heritage werethe classic kind, fully scented.
The master gardener for theTsegereda garden planted a
specific delicate pink climbingrose in the centre of the
garden. It was a variety thatbelonged to an English family
with a significant connection toEthiopia.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: He could identify which (12:28):
undefined
household it came from. Really?Yes, and he could identify Rita
Pankhurst, is the wife ofRichard Pankhurst, the son of
Sylvia Pankhurst, thesuffragette. By the way, Sylvia
Pankhurst is huge in Ethiopia,as is Richard, because they were
dedicated to Ethiopian history.
JESSE EDBROOKE (12:50):
Sylvia Pankhurst came from Manchester. She
petitioned the Britishgovernment to liberate Ethiopia
from fascist rule in the late1930s. Following the liberation,
she spent the rest of her daysin Ethiopia, a friend of the
Royal Family, and after herdeath in 1960, received a full
state funeral at which theemperor named her an honorary
(13:11):
Ethiopian.
Her rose honours that deepcommitment to friendship and
justice.
MICHAEL HARVEY (13:18):
But seeing roses which are actually heritage,
still growing, still...
Thriving in different places isfantastic yeah i just i'm so
pleased they look they look likethey're putting on so much
healthy growth as well the thingis the soils is so different
here it's more red it's moreclay like but they're just so
happy and it's just it's justlovely lovely to see it does
(13:39):
make you quite emotionalactually
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So yeah by then Michael because (13:41):
undefined
i think it's nothing morebeautiful than the rose.
JESSE EDBROOKE (13:46):
18 different varieties of roses are showcased
with rich reds soft pinks andwarm golden tones creating a
peaceful atmosphere. The work onthe garden started in March 2024
and was completed at the end ofthe year with a celebration. But
what was the place like to beginwith?
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I'll share with you some images (14:05):
undefined
of what this place was beforethe garden. It was a very
discarded, rough area whereliterally students would crawl
in there with the dust and siton it. The transformation is
amazing. Where... Ourhorticulture heritage comes
from, which in the case of AddisAbaba is the 1930s, 40s. Looking
(14:27):
at it from now, it's a story.
JESSE EDBROOKE (14:29):
It's great.
JENNIFER HARBROW (14:32):
There's so many levels of meaning to this
garden. That's what'sfascinating. The more you talk
about it, the roses and theirlinks to Ethiopian history and
the people that are involved,and then also the drought
tolerant garden and your raingarden. There's so many things
to it. And it's beautiful. And Ilove it. The curves in it, I
wasn't sure what to expect. Andit is a really nice place to be
(14:54):
in.
JESSE EDBROOKE (14:57):
The garden has been transformed from a dust
heap to the oasis of calm andbeauty that it now is.
Princess Esther expands on herpersonal connection to the
garden when her grandfather, theCrown Prince, owned it.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I grew up here and I ran around. (15:14):
undefined
That House over there was thechildren's House.
JESSE EDBROOKE (15:19):
What games did you play there?
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Hide and Seek. It would be all (15:21):
undefined
around this House. This is thechildren's House.
As you can see, it's kind ofminiature. They've let it go
quite a bit. And bicycling, wewere not allowed for some
reason. I don't know. The girlsweren't supposed to bike. And we
would. And sometimes he wouldshow up and we'd have to hide.
And to hide, sometimes we'd dashINTO the bushes with our bikes.
(15:47):
I remember that with my sister.One time we were trying to
disappear from view and itwasn't very successful. We
thought they would be more madthan they actually ended up
being mad. But growing up,Ethiopian culture was more kids
are to be seen and not heard. Sowe just took that to the nth
(16:07):
degree sometimes ourselves. Youknow, a lot of wonderful memory.
I mean, we'd come to say helloto him.
JESSE EDBROOKE (16:15):
This House would be filled with laughter of
children then.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Yes, yes, it would. All of that (16:17):
undefined
is a wonderful memory.
JESSE EDBROOKE (16:22):
After one more magnificent Ethiopian coffee, it
was time to return to the UK.Before heading to Mottessfont,
Princess Esther represented theEthiopian Royal Family at the
celebrations of Emperor HaileSelassie's final visit to Bath
70 years ago. To fullyunderstand why these are
important, we need to travelback to Ethiopia almost a
(16:42):
century ago. Here's historianRas Benji.
RAS BENJI (16:47):
The Ethiopia of the early 20th century was a
glorious Ethiopia that was thisuncolonized place full of
ancient kings and queens and theoldest Christian history.
JESSE EDBROOKE (16:59):
In 1930, a new emperor was crowned, Emperor
Haile Selassie. He traced hislineage back to Emperor Menelik
I, said to be the child of KingSolomon and the Queen of Sheba.
In 1936, the young Emperor HaileSelassie faced a crisis. The
fascist Italians, led byMussolini, invaded Ethiopia.
(17:20):
After fighting in the battle,the emperor and his family fled
and arrived in the UK.
RAS BENJI (17:26):
So he moved to Bath. He took the healing waters of
Bath on his mustard gas-burnedarms. And then he purchased
Fairfield House for £3,500.
JESSE EDBROOKE (17:37):
Fairfield House is a large detached House on the
outskirts of the city.
RAS BENJI (17:43):
So began those five long, difficult years of
Ethiopian exile here. But thepeople of Bath were so kind to
him. And people volunteered todo what they could for the
emperor.
They gave gifts of coal. Andfood so the House would be kept
warm and the people would bewell fed.
And generally just showed him alot of kindness and support,
(18:05):
people of Bath writing in thenewspapers constantly, standing
with the emperor.
After World War One there was agreat anxiety of this global
conflict, so it was verypossible that that would erupt
again.
JESSE EDBROOKE (18:18):
The emperor attended the League Of Nations
and gave a prophetic speech inwhich he warned against the
rising powers of fascism andthat they would not be satisfied
with only occupying Ethiopia.
RAS BENJI (18:30):
His Majesty, he was known to take a daily walk in
the city of Bath. He'd head fromFairfield INTO the city and
quite often come back on theRiver Avon. And many people that
saw him on his walk, they wereused to greeting the emperor.
They said that the emperor hadimpeccable manners.
Often he'd have his small dogwith him. The emperor went to a
(18:52):
number of churches in Bath. HisChristian faith was very
important, and he established achapel at Fairfield House. So
they had a tabot that wasbrought from Jerusalem and that
made the first EthiopianOrthodox church in this country.
JESSE EDBROOKE (19:07):
Whilst bringing and celebrating Ethiopian
culture in the UK, Emperor HaileSelassie was also keenly engaged
in British culture and took areal interest in the local
horticultural trends inparticular.
RAS BENJI (19:19):
His Majesty was actually featured on a magazine
called Success with Roses. He'son the front cover planting
roses with other priests. And atFairfield House, this time 70
years ago, over 400 plants wereplanted in a restored garden.
And the headline said, the rosesare blooming. So roses were
(19:40):
special symbolism to theemperor. And I learned on my
trip to Ethiopia that roses arethe symbol of nobility. Of
heritage to do with the kingsand queens.
JESSE EDBROOKE (19:55):
Emperor Haile Selassie's government in exile,
along with support from Englishfigures such as the suffragette
Sylvia Pankhurst, petitionedcountries across the world to
come to Ethiopia's aid againstthe Italians.
Finally, in 1941, two yearsafter the start of the Second
World War, the British armyhelped the Ethiopian army win a
decisive victory and EmperorHaile Selassie was returned to
(20:19):
the throne as ruler.
RAS BENJI (20:22):
He never forgot that kindness that the people showed
him. So he came back here 70years ago today, returning to
the city of Bath. Becoming afree man of the city of Bath.
He stayed here for the best partof the week, visiting schools
and hospital and other localinstitutions, thanking his
friends and seeing them againafter 13 years away from this
(20:44):
country. And then the emperorgifted his home to the city of
Bath a few years later. So itbecame a place for the elderly
and still is today.
JESSE EDBROOKE (20:56):
Fairfield House provides regular events for the
elderly in many sections of thecommunity. And continues to be a
portal to the world.
Princess Esther is still helpingto shape this positive legacy
today.
RAS BENJI (21:13):
She helped found the Kidani Meharet prayer room and
just representing hergreat-grandfather in a number of
occasions and difficult momentsalso, showing leadership
qualities, obviously, that havecome from His Majesty. And her
Majesty.
JESSE EDBROOKE (21:33):
Communities in the city gathered to celebrate
the 70-year anniversary withlive Ethio-jazz, reggae, and
gospel performances at theNational Trust Assembly Rooms,
Bath Abbey, and Bath SpaUniversity, showing the depth of
relationship between Ethiopiaand the people of Bath. There
are also plans for a newcollection of roses to be
planted in the garden ofFairfield House in the near
(21:56):
future.
The time came to visit Jen andMichael at Mottisfont. The
property has a historic Housewhich was built in the 1300s as
a priory and has had manynotable owners including King
Henry VIII's Lord Chamberlainbut today we're focusing on its
world-famous Rose Garden.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Here we are finally come and see (22:17):
undefined
Mottisfont. It's a beautifulgrounds I could see. A group
right up front a familiar faceof Michael, i see and others.
Michael let me see yes yes thisis awesome oh typical that's
(22:42):
home i said it's not going torain and it's ah yeah i got the
whole nine yards weatherincluded.
MICHAEL HARVEY (22:53):
I think we're going to start making our way up
to the Rose Garden.
JESSE EDBROOKE (22:57):
The grounds at Mottisfont are 2,080 acres and
the anticipation built as weneared the garden.
MICHAEL HARVEY (23:03):
See that wall over there? That's the Rose
Garden. You can't tell there's aRose Garden behind that wall.
JESSE EDBROOKE (23:08):
The number of visitors every year is extremely
high.
MICHAEL HARVEY (23:12):
85,000 visitors. The whole size of Wembley
Stadium descending on thisgarden is incredible.
So this is the main entrance tothe Rose Garden.
JESSE EDBROOKE (23:21):
One of the foremost Rosarians. Or experts
in roses, is David Stone, and heworked with Graham Stuart Thomas
to care for the Rose Garden. Atthe entrance, they planted a
special species to welcomevisitors.
MICHAEL HARVEY (23:34):
Because it's such a famous Rose Garden, he
wanted to have a little play onwords.
So originally, he put in thepilgrim's rose, because people
make a pilgrimage to Mottisfontto come to the garden. We're
going to spiral them up theposts and train them, so then
actually you'd have flowersgalore all the way through.
JESSE EDBROOKE (23:50):
Michael explained just how crucial the
hard work done in the RoseGarden is.
MICHAEL HARVEY (23:55):
The place is important mainly because it's
protecting such importantvarieties of roses. This day and
age, a lot of roses are beingdropped because they're not
healthy enough. But atMottisfont, we're looking after
heritage. We're looking afterhistoric roses that some of them
are the rarest, where you canonly find them at one or two
places in the world.
JESSE EDBROOKE (24:12):
Despite the wet weather today, one of the
problems that Mottisfont isexperiencing is extreme heat.
MICHAEL HARVEY (24:18):
So what we've experienced is a lot of... Of
black spots, a lot of sawflyissues, a lot of drought
problems.
For instance we have someclimbing roses on an east-facing
wall and they've suffered with alot of rose dieback and that's
because being against the wallin the summer we're getting
about 40 degree heat which iscausing them to burn and really
struggle so they've died backand so we're seeing a lot of
(24:40):
different changes in the roseworld.
JESSE EDBROOKE (24:42):
A pilgrimage to the garden illustrates how each
rose has its own character andspecific needs such as amounts
of light, water, and nutrients.Pruning is also essential to
focus the growth on the flowers.In order for this to happen, a
rose is cut in the winter withsecateurs to resemble an ice
cream cone. The next example ofthis handiwork was a buttery
(25:03):
yellow tea rose.
MICHAEL HARVEY (25:05):
There is one main roses that I need to show
off. That's because it is easilyone of the most important roses.
Yeah.
This rose just here, IsabellaSprunt, is very, very small. But
she is one of the rarest roses.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Okay. (25:18):
undefined
MICHAEL HARVEY (25:19):
You can see she's just also very small
there.
JESSE EDBROOKE (25:22):
New roses are created when rose breeders
cross-pollinate differentvarieties to produce unique
hybrids. These roses often havenew traits like color, fragrance
or disease resistance.
A breeder can then name therose, it's often after famous
people, and the name isregistered with the
International CultivarRegistration Authority for
roses, so it is officiallyrecognised. In this way, a rose
(25:45):
can encapsulate and reflecthistory. One of the key roses in
the garden was named after awell-known rosarian in the UK.
MICHAEL HARVEY (25:52):
So Graham Thomas, he was one of the top
Rosarians in the country.
He was the man who created thisRose Garden. He brought roses
from all across the world,America, Australia, and brought
these collections all together.But because he got such a
reputation, they created a rosecalled the Graham Thomas Rose,
which is this rose.
It's repeat flowering, beautifulyellow, golden rose. So it's
(26:14):
absolutely stunning. It's verydifficult to grow sometimes
because roses put so much energyINTO flowering that sometimes it
loses its leaves, it's moresusceptible to black spots. It's
one of the most important rosesin the garden, history-wise.
JESSE EDBROOKE (26:26):
Yes Michael's team is small and incredibly
dedicated as the sheer amount ofwork to protect one of the most
important rose gardens in theworld is huge he couldn't do
this work without members of thepublic giving their time
currently in the garden team.
MICHAEL HARVEY (26:40):
I have 30 amazing volunteers who might
actually meet when we go aroundthe corner
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: All ages? (26:44):
undefined
MICHAEL HARVEY (26:44):
All ages! We've got volunteers younger than
myself and i've got a volunteerin their late 70s.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Nice community! (26:49):
undefined
JESSE EDBROOKE (26:53):
Many of the volunteers are keenly following
the twinning relationship withthe Tsegereda Rose Garden.
MICHAEL HARVEY (26:58):
I'm going to bump into my volunteers who are
doing an amazing job just aroundthe corner. There they are.
These are my amazing team. Ihaven't said good morning to
them this morning. Hellostranger, are you alright? Good
to see you. Good to see you too.Wonderful.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Thank you for having me. (27:09):
undefined
JESSE EDBROOKE (27:16):
One of the main concepts that gardeners in Addis
Ababa are observing is the useof mulch. Mulch is a loose
covering of old leaves, plantsand garden waste that has been
broken down and is placed on topof soil or compost. It's an
important way of carbonsequestering, reusing nutrients
from broken down soil. How muchmulch does the garden and
Mottisfont need?
MICHAEL HARVEY (27:37):
I'll show you our compost tubes as well.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: Oh, very good. So when does all (27:38):
undefined
that happen in the spring?Winter.
MICHAEL HARVEY (27:43):
Oh, really? The main reason we do mulching in
the winter is the winter weatherwill break down the mulch.
Although worms do help.
It does help break it down, soactually you're suppressing the
weeds you're feeding the roseswhen they need support in the
new growth they need help and soall the feed is in the soil when
you've mulched it and then alsoit helps with the water
(28:03):
retention in the soil as well wewill be mulching in January so
we will be shipping in 110 tonsof mulch.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: So the space you have here? (28:10):
undefined
MICHAEL HARVEY (28:12):
Yes yeah the relationship between Mottisfont
Hinton Ampner and Heritage WatchEthiopia you has enriched
gardeners with new techniquesand international understanding.
How will it continue to grow?
I think the relationship becamereally strong when we went over
to Ethiopia. After Ethiopia,it's got even stronger. With the
likes of going to FairfieldHouse and understanding the
(28:33):
history and heritage side ofEthiopia, I think it's amazing.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: I would say the same for us. We (28:37):
undefined
also learned a lot. So when wegot this twinning program, we
got how to sustain a garden, howto promote it, composting and of
course withstanding climatechange. The Tsegereda garden got
developed as that conversationwas developed.
JESSE EDBROOKE (28:57):
The connections that have been forged between
the gardeners will have alasting impact on the
development of the projects.
JENNIFER HARBROW (29:05):
I think that was one of the things I really
got out of Ethiopia. I hadn'tappreciated how important
heritage was. Maybe I take it abit for granted because
obviously people in the UK, it'ssomething we've always done. I
hadn't realised how much we'vemade a choice to do that. The
garden is one aspect, but when Ilook at it, having these
beautiful houses that wemaintain and the parkland and
(29:28):
the history and the stories thatcome with it, it adds so much
context to it, doesn't it?
JESSE EDBROOKE (29:32):
Jen feels that the trip has profoundly impacted
her.
JENNIFER HARBROW (29:36):
It was a bit of a reset, Ethiopia, really. I
kind of went away as onegardener and then came back and
everything's different.
JESSE EDBROOKE (29:44):
The findings of the Withstanding Climate Change
Project are already being sharedwith heritage sites around the
world, and the shared learningis a source of strength.
PRINCESS ESTHER SELASSIE ANTOH.: As Michael said, the (29:53):
undefined
relationship keeps going. It'salways about people, isn't it,
in the end? And at that level, Ifeel very, very happy to get to
know Michael, Jen, whom Iconsider now friends rather than
just strangers. So friendshipshappen, but there's much to look
(30:14):
forward to.
JESSE EDBROOKE (30:26):
Thank you for listening to the National Trust
Podcast. The episode ends here,but if you want to find out more
about the INTO TwinningPartnership, Heritage Watch
Ethiopia, or the world-renownedRose Garden at Mottisfont or
Hinton Ampner, please search forINTO, Withstanding Change, or
INTO on the National Trustwebsite.
Don't forget, your NationalTrust membership will allow you
(30:49):
access to other heritageorganizations around the world,
including Italy, Canada,Australia, Korea, and... And
even Bermuda. The WithstandingClimate Change Project has been
funded by the British Council'sCultural Protection Fund. To
hear more episodes of theNational Trust Podcast, please
subscribe to wherever you getyour podcasts.
(31:10):
Watch out for the all-newseries, which will be launched
in March 2025, including a newnature series, a new history
series, and Ranger Ray and theWildlifeers. Until next time,
goodbye.
CLAIRE HICKINBOTHAM (31:29):
Our award-winning members' magazine
is now digital. It includes thesame great content as the print
magazine, plus interactivefeatures like videos,
soundscapes and podcasts likethis one. For a taste of what to
expect, along with fivedelicious regional recipes from
Trust places, go tonationaltrust.org.UK forward
(31:50):
slash historic hyphen recipes,or see this episode's show notes
to find out how to switch.
Whatever your choice, you'll behelping look after nature,
beauty and history. Foreveryone, forever.
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