Rose Cottage

A Memory of Bretby.

Bretby was 'discovered' by my dad who liked to vary his route in Ashby to work at Burton Girls' Grammar School. Bretby is not exactly the-land-that-time-forgot, but it is a delightfully unspoilt oasis, despite its proximity to Burton-on-Trent. Rose Cottage was a dilapidated house in the middle of the village, near the Green. The house was originally the blacksmith's house, and it was next the old forge, which was a derelict shell of a building then.
My mum and dad took on the house and turned it into a home. Rose Cottage still has doors which my dad re-built, which have the original hinges made by the old blacksmith. There are exposed beams in the sitting room, and quirky features in the floors. But the most obvious change in the house is the garden. My dad, with my mum's help, planned and re-landscaped a sloping garden into a series of terraces, inspired by Capability Brown's principles. His now-failing health prevents him from working in the garden now - but be sure and look over the hedge - it is a true summer pleasure. Drop by and compliment the garden; he'd be as proud as Punch.