Mount steps
Over the past twelve months, the South Prospect garden has undergone a transformation. Gone are the self-seeded trees, and gone is the Diana car park (Diana herself having left earlier, after cars had bumped into her once too often). These have been replaced with new paths and a parterre, and in time a wild flower meadow will be encouraged. The Mount underwent similar treatment: gone are the trees and the scars in the side of the slope, and a spiral path has been put back in place to get to a fantastic view point, as it was at the time of the Clifton family.
The steps of the path were then put in place by our own team of “Mounties” volunteers. There are 64 steps and the final one was hammered in a few weeks ago. We celebrated the occasion in the traditional ceremony of “topping out”, by putting the initials of our sturdy workers on the top step, and drinking to the success of the operation. A yew tree branch was put up on the highest point too.
Edward Thorp, landscape architect and “Mounty”, said: “we felled the larch for these steps early in January and it’s great to see them now having been shaped on site, and laid with great skill and expertise. The path is based on historical maps and drawings which show its existence to the viewing platform at the top.”
John Miller, Chief Executive of Heritage Trust for the North West, which runs Lytham Hall, added: “this has been tremendous hard work by the volunteers and I’m delighted that their enthusiasm and energy week after week has paid off with completion of the steps.”
The intention is to complete this phase of restoration in March 2015 and re-open the area to the public.
