Some friends mentioned, a while ago, that nearby Sizergh Castle now has a stumpery. As I had no idea what a stumpery is, I wasn’t sure what to do with this piece of information at the time.
But today we went to see it and to try and understand why the Victorians, in particular, liked a good stumpery. They grew out of the Victorian craze for ferns and provided a shady environment, based on decaying tree stumps, which was favourable for ferns. As Sizergh hosts part of the National Collection of ferns, a stumpery fits in perfectly.
Sizergh’s stumpery is more modern - established in 2016 - but feels like it’s been there for much longer. Everything is decaying nicely and the bright green ferns are displayed beautifully.
