Charles Bird, Garden of ornaments

this picture (September 2008) 
courtesy of stowupland, Flickr

The picture above gives an impression of the Garden of ornaments in the community of Stowupland  (Suffolk area, United Kingdom) as it was in September 2008, just before it was demolished.

Life and works

Charles Bird (1933?-2006), who created this garden, made a career in the Royal Air Force.

The garden project probably came in full swing when Bird got retired, probably in the early 1990s.

The following pictures, made in the 1990s,  show that in these years the garden was abundantly decorated with all kinds of colourful items, including a display with US license plates.

this picture and the next two (made in the 1990s

courtesy of Katie Teague

 

This display also has a sign in which Bird pays tribute to his American connection. This refers to a number of friends he made in the United States when in the late 1950s he stayed there for some six months to attend a training course.

Garden ornaments such as water pumps and bird houses, were Charles Bird's favourite items.

He died in February 2006.

I suppose that after some time the house was sold. The new owners removed most of Bird's decorations. They may have thought that one water pump and one birdhouse would be enough.

Documentation
* Via private correspondence with Katie Teague, a member of Charles Bird's American connection I got some biographical data and a number of pictures.

* The internet has no documents that relate to the garden

first published: July 2011, last revised September 2016

Charles Bird

Garden of ornaments

Sycamore Road

Stowupland, Suffolk, East of England region, UK

the decorated garden doesn't exist anymore