2025: A Historic Year

Rivers300: it was a special year! Declared to be a celebration of the founding of the Nursery in 1725, in the process of realising the flood of creative initiatives that were proposed it became an additional Rivers history in the making. This Rivers300 website was composed as the year progressed. Now in archiving it as a detailed past, the events that have taken place at the Heritage Orchard and many other locations around Sawbridgeworth and beyond are vividly recorded. More than these, this collection holds monthly diaries as well as articles written by various contributors that offer a deeper further perspective on the Nursery history and the development of the present Orchard site and its value in a changing society. We can see the achievements as described by people who were there and are looking back, as well as read the thoughts of those who are working to save these accomplishments. What a story! What a lot of hard work!

What follows is a list of events and achievements linked to detailed descriptions and a great store of photographs.

There are various themes that emerged over the year:

Art, crafts, illustration and publicity

From the redesign of the logo (see top left of this page), and design of a special leaflet; to designing a new associated website; to changing wall displays in the town centre; to tapestry making for the Council wall and Church kneeler; to focus on women Rivers family artists; to art competitions on Rivers themes for adults and children; to dressing a Rivers Christmas tree within the Church.



Publicity Leaflet for the Rivers 300th Year Celebration with an outline of the year's events - Click to enlarge.

Karin Keddy's Embroideries.

Development as well as constant maintenance of the Heritage Orchard

From choice and planting of new fruit trees; to tours of the Orchard; to recruiting and involving new volunteers; to selling of apple juice to support the project.

Working with schools

From writing a new wassail song and involving Leventhorpe and Herts and Essex students; to the Children’s Art Competition.

Presenting an increased number of events

From giving the usual celebrations such as Wassail and Apple Day an extra vigour to hosting new special events such as a Council Launch in January (see the February diary entry) and a Celebration Study Day in April; to making new display boards, stalls, and providing refreshments from juice to meals; and increasing public awareness by giving talks from the Council Launch to the Rotary Club to the County Archive.

Working with and finding support from larger outside entities

From on-going development of renewed ties with Audley End, to the visit and involvement of the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust, to the County Archive, to the design of History Boards at Rivers Hospital, a talk at History Day run by Bishops Stortford History Society, to drawing on the expertise of outside speakers on the Celebration Study Day in order to see the wider context of Rivers history past and present.

Louise Ellis - head gardener at Audley End with the Rivers 300 year celebration sign installed in the Orchard House, built to the Thomas Rivers design.

At the end of 2025 this special year, we feel strengthened in the value of our work and in our right to exist and assert our rural heritage even as the pace of development exerts pressure. Teamwork has been constant and this year in particular the creative initiatives of the Rivers 300 subcommittee have been brought into being by all. A further legacy for the place and people involved has been established. We hope that the new connections will be maintained.

RHSO volunteers tasting the 2025 apple juice for the first time in the Rivers Orchard.