The Joiners were fortunate through the good offices of the Master and of course H.R.H .Prince of Wales!, to be able to take a party of 25 Joiners with their spouses and companions , to visit the wonderful gardens of Prince Charles' residence at Highgrove near Tetbury, Gloucestershire .
The day was fine and after making sure that all were equipped with passports or other means of identification, the party assembled at the Hare and Hounds in Westonbirt to board the coach for the short journey to Highgrove.
The personally conducted tour lasted around 2 hours, to be followed by an excellent cup of tea, in the Princes' finest china. Then, a little shopping in the well equipped shop before boarding the coach for the return journey and onward transmission to home pastures.
We were indeed fortunate to have had this opportunity to visit this attraction, a splendid addition to the Joiner's programe of events for 2009 .
Highgrove House near Tetbury in Gloucestershire is The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s family home.
The Duchy of Cornwall owns Highgrove, and bought the house, garden and nearby farmland now known as Duchy Home Farm in 1980.
The house, which is often pictured with its striking cedar of Lebanon, had been the home of Maurice Macmillan, Conservative MP for Farnham and son of the former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, for 14 years.
The Prince chose to live in Gloucestershire because of its easy access to London, Wales and other parts of Britain including the western counties where the Duchy has most of its properties.
The Prince hosts many briefings and receptions at Highgrove, and one of his more recent projects was the construction of a function suite in the grounds known as the Orchard Room, which was built in Cotswold stone.
A specially built reed bed sewage system, much loved by dragonflies at its treatment end, is used for all Highgrove’s waste. Rare trees and plants are planted for future generations to enjoy and heritage seeds are planted in areas to keep the varieties going.
This ethically sound management is carried through to the house too, where bottles and cans are recycled, as are newspapers, cardboard and shredded white office paper; all kitchen waste goes through the composting system. An energy-saving programme ensures the fitting of energy-saving bulbs where appropriate and solar lights are used in the staff car parks.
The Prince is proud of his garden and since the early 1980s has regularly invited various groups to visit, such as local charities and gardening groups.
Today, after much time and effort, the gardens at Highgrove and the Duchy Home Farm are flagship examples of the organic movement, both in terms of their environmental sustainability and their natural beauty.