CHAWTON House Library gardens were transformed last week into a moonlit and frosty wonderland with lantern-lit paths up the hill to the magical walled garden.

The gardening team, dressed in bright costumes, had gathered well-wishers to help them in wassailing the apple trees, something like this...

“Our wassail is made of the elderberry bough, and so my good neighbours, we’ll drink unto thou, besides all on earth, you have apples in store, pray, let us come in for it’s cold by the door.

“We hope that your apple trees prosper and bear, so that we may have cider when we call next year. And where you have one barrel we hope you’ll have ten, so that we may have cider when we call again.”

To follow this there was hot soup and drinks to be had in the Great Hall, although I had mistakenly eaten the bread dipped in apple juice that we were supposed to attach to the trees to show them what delicious fruit we would be expecting in the autumn.

However, as soon as I realised my mistake I straight away bestowed the apple-juice-soaked bread onto the nearest tree with best wassail hopes and wishes.

It was a very special evening and I felt privileged to have been able to join it and wish Chawton House Library and its magical gardens all the very best in this new year.

Gwyneth Rushton