Wilstone House & Gardens at RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court 2008

Christo McKinnon, co-owner of Wilstone said “during 2008 we exhibited at Hampton Court and Chelsea Flower Show, and we were all really excited about exhibiting at both places. Last year the response we got from visitors to both of the show was fantastic. We think their reaction was because the majority of our products are antique and reclaimed and very unusual!”

Christo’s wife Kate who designs the planting schemes and grows the plants herself at their Shropshire home said “the best part of the show for me is the planting -  it pulls everything together. It is hard work and some nights we are working on site until way after after midnight but the end result is well worth it!”

The Wilstone stands this year featured large and extremely rare Lingam stones, a classically designed hand carved wall fountain with a lead lion water spout, a large selection of hand carved sandstone pieces in traditional and contemporary designs and reclaimed architectural elements.

Christo continued “we exhibited a tented or canopied Gazebo at both shows, a new product for us. We sell a lot of our wrought iron Gazebos, but we have now added something unique – a tented section which attaches to the inner roof of the Gazebo to give cover or shade to those sitting underneath it.”

Made in natural canvas and available in burgundy or gold colour, the suspended tent allows the Wilstone Gazebo to become a room in the garden. Another new product from Wilstone is a classically designed sandstone pergola which features reclaimed timber roof beams. 

Wilstone also exhibited their popular wrought iron Kadais which can be used as fire bowls, BBQ’s, planters or water features. Christo said “heavy riveted wrought iron kadai’s where once used all over India as large ceremonial cooking pots for weddings and festivals.”

Kate and Christo McKinnon on their stand at Chelsea Flower Show

Where will Wilstone House and Gardens be exhibiting in 2009? Watch this space, and keep and eye out on the website at www.wilstone.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wilstone House and Gardens

The Fairtrade ethos is now making more of an impact on the nation, with most customers being aware that purchasing items under the Fairtrade banner means that the workers have been paid a fair rate. Scan along any supermarket shelves and you are bound to see chocolates, coffee, tea, and dried fruit – but an eccentric husband and wife team based in Shropshire has taken Fairtrade to an entirely different level.

 

Christo McKinnon’s roots lay firmly in the antique business, until he and his milliner wife Kate decided to buy a rambling Georgian house with dilapidated barns amid the glorious Shropshire Hills. The McKinnon’s had previously spent many months travelling Asia and found a myriad of interesting and unusual items that they felt would enhance homes and gardens within England.

 

Christo researches traditional and functional designs in iron and stone, and commissions the highly skilled and fairly paid masons and ironworkers in India to re-create his designs. Christo also visits the production sites and talks to the workers ensuring that they are getting a decent wage with good working conditions.   

 

With the house bought, many months of ‘Fairtrade’ research and the business plan in place, Wilstone House and Gardens was formed.

 

Christo and Kate travel to India and source items of interest that are then shipped back to England in huge crates. Each crate represents a possible logistical nightmare, with many suppliers having to coordinate production and packing for the shipping date. But, once the container arrives, having been precariously driven around the tight lanes inhabited by the fearless chickens of Wilstone, it is like Christmas.

 

Hundreds of boxes and crates, miles and miles of brightly coloured shredded paper wrapping Cobalt blue ceramics, hand crafted stone troughs, jali panels in all shapes and sizes, fountains made of shiny white sparkly marble, old market cart wheels, symbolic shrines and temples that would have been disregarded on the streets of India, delicately hand carved wooden panels of all shapes and sizes depicting Peacocks, traditional floral designs, horses, Indian Gods and Deities and many carvings stemming from the period of the Raj. Victorian Tiles, taken from their original setting and turned into Coat Hooks. Iron Gazebos shrouded in bubble wrap, a pair of stately looking hand carved Lions, Stone benches shining a pale golden yellow in the afternoon sunlight.  

 

In a small hamlet, amid the hills of Shropshire, there are busy people organising and planning for their next trip abroad, to bring back many, many more fascinating and unusual things to delight and enhance the homes and gardens of England. 

The Wilstone House and Gardens Kadai

Perfect for the cool late Summer evenings, the Kadai from Wilstone House and Gardens makes an ideal BBQ. After you have eaten, remove the grill and fill with firewood. The handles don’t get too hot, so move the Kadai nearer and all your friends will be toasty warm. Lovely!

These Kadai are available in many different sizes to suit all gardens and outside spaces.

For further information, please visit the Wilstone House and Gardens website www.wilstone.com

The Wilstone House and Gardens Kadai on a high stand