Sulgrave Manor gardener to speak May 6 at Warner Hall

The master gardener of an English estate built by George Washington’s ancestors in the mid-1500s will be the featured speaker at the Inn at Warner Hall’s Dinner and Discussion event on May 6.

Sue McNally, estate manager at Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire located about 80 miles northwest of London, will give a presentation titled “Sulgrave Manor, Past and Present” as part of the ongoing Dinner and Discussion series at Warner Hall.

The Warner Hall series is held several times a year featuring speakers presenting on topics of interest to the community. A group discussion follows before closing with complimentary wine and a buffet dinner.

Tickets for the Dinner and Discussion event are $55. Advanced reservations are required.

Sulgrave Manor was built by Lawrence Washington, George Washington’s great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. Just above the door of Sulgrave Manor, Lawrence Washington had carved into the stone the family’s coat of arms — the “mullets and bars” that resemble stars and stripes and is believed to have influenced the “stars and stripes” design of the American flag.

Warner Hall was founded by Augustine Warner, George Washington’s great-great-grandfather, in 1642 upon his arrival to the Virginia Colonies from England. Warner Hall is now a restored plantation bed and breakfast on 38 acres in Virginia’s historic Chesapeake Bay region.

McNally has been the head gardener at Sulgrave Manor for nine years. She has overseen the addition of a Tudor vegetable garden, new rose beds and a children’s wooded walkway.

Sulgrave Manor is the home to the National Herb Society and features gardens with six beds of domestic, culinary and medicinal herbs. The estate is also in the process of developing an American Medicinal Herb Garden to open in 2016.

At the Dinner and Discussion event, McNally will speak on the Anglo-American Peace Committee that bought Sulgrave Manor in 1914 and the development at the estate since then to include information on the architect and garden designer from 1920, Sir Reginald Blomfield.

Contact the Inn at Warner Hall to reserve a seat at 1-800-331-2720 or info@warnerhall.com.

The event is open to the community and for non-lodging guests. The Inn at Warner Hall’s 11 rooms are available the evening of the event. Guests should inquire about room availability when making an RSVP for the Dinner and Discussion.