Historical Tour & Tea! The secret wedding of Violet Kerr Taylor at St Andrew's Epsom.
'She said she was going out shopping and simply went off and got married'! In 1894 Violet Kerr Taylor of Alberton defied her mother Sophia's wishes to secretly wed her beau - Edward Gilmour - at St Andrew's church in Epsom. Elder brother Vincent gave her away and sisters Winifred and Mildred were possibly present.
Or at least, this the story we have been telling at Alberton for many years, backed up by recollections from descendants ....
A new document discovered for the upcoming historical Tour & Tea as part of the Auckland Heritage Festival 2020, has thrown the elopement and relationship between Violet and her mother into question and there are now several possibilities for what might have happened. Family mythologies are captivating tales that run deep!
Join us at St Andrew's Epsom as we trace back this story and revise the possible scenarios. Along with snippets on late 19th Century NZ weddings and Victorian attitudes towards elopement & marriage, the tour will also take in the sights of this charming Category 1, Gothic Revival church and includes a meander through the graveyard.
Followed by tea & scones served from the vintage china back at Alberton! With plenty of time to explore the house and garden.
Tour & Tea. Violet Kerr Taylor's Wedding at St Andrew's Epsom. Saturday 26 September 10am & 1:30pm. $25 includes tour, tea & scones and Alberton admission. Bookings essential. Email alberton@heritage.org.nz or call 846 7367
Please note this event will still proceed even under level 2 restrictions. Numbers will be reduced, more of the tour will be seated and contact tracing, hygiene and food service protocol will be in place.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.