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The beautiful surroundings, wide range of plants and relaxed, informal classes make learning at Waterperry gardens a pleasure and an inspiration. We offer a wide range of short and long gardening courses and arts and crafts courses for beginners and the more experienced.

Originally designed as a teaching resource for the famous horticultural school, Waterperry gardens provides many examples of garden features both old and new. There are also working nurseries, a plant centre and orchards, all of which are used to enhance the learning experience.

Stuck on ideas for Christmas Presents? Why not look at our courses, they make wonderful presents!

Renting: Our rooms are also available for hire for corporate or private use. We can offer catering tailored to your requirements. Contact the office in the first instance on 01844 339254.

Course Tutors:

Gardening Courses

Mary Spiller M. Hort is well known in the area. She is one of the original lecturers for these gardening courses that began in 1963. Her enthusiasm and drive is infectious and her range of knowledge is wide.

Annette Pursey is an enthusiastic lecturer with experience of teaching RHS courses over a number of years. She also has an up to date working knowledge of the horticultural industry and runs her own gardening business

Steve Relton ex Waterperry manager now runs his own gardening company. He has plenty and varied experience in both teaching and horticulture. He has a passion for vegetable growing and is always interested in new innovations especially for improving organic gardening.

Sue Bedwell has a wealth of horticultural experience and was a student at the ladies horticultural school at Waterperry

Louise Allen is a new recruit to Waterperry and we are delighted to welcome her as tutor for the RHS2 evening classes on Mondays

Lindsay Engers is also new to Waterperry this year and he will be teaching the RHS3 courses on Mondays and Frdays as well as the Garden Design Course in March 2012. Lindsey has a BSc in Horticulture from Reading University and has been teaching for over 20 years as well as working at one of the country's leading nurseries.

Arts & Crafts Course Tutors

Ella Clocksin has been a self-employed artist since 1998 and has over 10 years experience devising and teaching adult workshops in watercolour, mixed media, and drawing. Ella demystifies composition and colour techniques, encouraging looser, more contemporary, and abstract approach to this traditional medium. Her teaching is underpinned by fine art training to Masters Level, at Winchester School of Art and by a generosity about sharing what she knows.

Marc Fraser has his own pottery in North Marston, Bucks., where he produces a range of hand thrown work in stoneware and porcelain, glazed in blues, greens, turquoise, gold and red. He has extensive knowledge of making and glazing ceramics which he brings to bear on his teaching.

Clare Goodall gained her Diploma in Textile Design from Chelsea School of Art which she followed with a Postgraduate Diploma from Goldsmiths. Her interests were then directed to decorative painted finishes and into teaching following her City and Guilds qualification. Clare has experience in a range of teaching including Orthopaedic and Cancer patients and adults and children as well as pursuing her career making mosaic work for exhibitions and commission.

Kate Hole graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from Bristol, and a post-graduate art teacher's qualification from Goldsmith's College, London. She has taught Art History at secondary level and Art with Oxfordshire Adult Education for several years. She has always been a practising artist, mainly in oils and watercolour, and has exhibited regularly. Her favourite subject-matter is landscape, plants and flowers in both painting and drawing media.

Helen Lomberg has been a professional basketmaker and willow weaver for over 15 years, and her baskets are sold in Highgrove among other places. She grows her own willow and, as well as baskets and garden structures, she works on living willow commissions and sculptures.

Peter Massey graduated from the Royal College of Art, London in 1991 and worked for several years as a freelance illustrator. He is co-founder of Zantium, a creative partnership specialising in mosaic, whose activities include designing, making, teaching, and managing group projects. Varied commissions range from decorative panels and furnishings to architectural works such as shop interiors and pavements. Zantium's distinctive mosaics are featured in several publications including their own book 'A Beginners Guide to Mosaic' (Search Press.)

Paul Merry is one of country's leading artisan bakers. He has been involved with craft baking for over thirty years, and in teaching for fifteen. He has run his own bakery in Melbourne using wood-fired ovens and has worked with Andrew Whitley at the Village Bakery in Cumbria as well as being associated with a number of well-known restaurants and bakeries in a consultancy role. He is one of a select number of teachers dedicated to the aim of preserving the finest breadmaking methods.

Zoe Preston is an established watercolour artist who, having initially trained in sculpture, subsequently found her natural medium in the field of painting. She is known for her flowing representational forms observed from nature.

Lilian Shaw trained originally as a painter working in oils and pastels. Her passion for light and colour led her to pursue a career as a stained glass artist. She founded her own studio in 1986. Lilian has many varied commissions to her name both in the UK and abroad. These include pieces for private clients, churches and the National Trust. Lilian is an experienced and enthusiastic tutor.

Anna Steven is a qualified National Judge and Area Demonstrator with NAFAS (National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies) and has been successful in flower arranging competitions both locally and at National level gaining a first at the Nationals in Edinburgh, Silver medal at Malvern, Bronze medal at Chelsea for her club and Gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show 2000 and 2003 and a silver in 2005. She has been teaching community education courses for approx. 20 years and City & Guilds classes for around 10 years.

Rosalind Wyatt initially studied in Western Calligraphy. She has a life-long fascination with text, words and handwriting. In 2003, following a postgraduate course at the Royal College of Art studying mixed media textiles, she discovered 'writing with a needle'. This resulted in a seried of 'Hand-stitched Letters'. Since then, this aspect of her work has evolved, notably with her latest body of work entitled 'The Stitch Lives of Others Parts 1-3' at the John Martin Gallery. She has also been a regular demonstrator at Art in Action.

Alan Baker began his Tai Chi studies in 1985 and is a member of the Chinese Internal Arts Association. He has also attended many seminars with top Taijquan practitioners.

Lis Lawrence's passion for textiles began as a child. Through her fascination for spinning, dyeing and knitting wool she came to Feltmaking. She specialises in making hats, bags, but also enjoys making necklaces, brooches and scarves.

Helen Evans has her studio in Buckinghamshire where she makes sculptural vessels using clay, drawing inspiration from studies of seed pods and natural forms. She has also taught and exhibited at Art in Action and had work commissioned by the Oxford Botanic Gardens.

Heather Kittler studied Modern Languages and Business and University but has always been keen on Arts and Crafts. In 2000 she became fascinated by mosaics and is largely self taught. She has been selling her work at the Gallery since 2002.

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