British Plant History – Sold Out

This course is fully booked.  Please email courses@wealddown.co.uk or call 01243 811021 if you wish to be added to the waiting list.

The Course

This course explores our native British herbs. Anglo-Saxon Leechbooks contain references to around four hundred herbs but today their uses are less well known and some are even considered to be garden weeds. It is time to restore an appreciation of all they have to offer.

The day will include a tour of our Museum gardens to identify plants of specific interest. We will investigate their histories and uses by making recipes from the past and modern day. The herbs we will focus on include alehoof, agrimony, burdock, chickweed, daisy, dandelion, elder, greater plantain, herb bennet, ivy, native golden rod and native lady’s mantle, hawthorn, meadowsweet and self-heal.

The Tutors

Christina Stapley BSc (Hons) MCPP is a retired qualified medical herbalist with a degree in Phytotherapy (plant therapy). She has grown, studied and used over 300 herbs and has written three books on cultivating and using herbs in cookery, fragrant recipes, wines and liqueurs, crafts and home remedies. She has also edited and interpreted a 17th century book of cookery and physic recipes.

Christina now lives in Wiltshire and teaches History of Western Herbal Medicine, Pharmacognosy and Materia Medica for the School of Herbal Medicine.

Participant Information

Please bring with you a pen and paper and suitable clothing footwear as you will spend part of the day outside. The course may take place in an historic building which can be cool, it is advisable to wear warm layers.

Fee & Refreshments

£75 per person, including tuition, teas and coffees. Please let the Museum know in advance of any dietary requirements. The Museum café will be open for lunch or alternatively participants can bring their own packed lunch.