ONE of the most historic of Worcester’s houses played host to the scents and tastes of autumn on Saturday.

Greyfriars, in Friar Street, held its annual harvest event to celebrate the bounty of the season, and attracted plenty of visitors to its ancient house and walled garden, owned and maintained by the National Trust.

Among the attractions on the day were composting workshops, locally-sourced garden produce and seasonal food, as well as craft and activities for the children.

Some of the fruit on offer, notably pears and quinces, were grown right there in the garden, while the apples came mainly from Hanbury Hall, another National Trust property a few miles away near Droitwich.

Beth Tector, the manager of the property, said: “All the fruit for sale is from National Trust properties, we’ve got homemade apple cakes and pear cakes, and there is the chance for children to get involved by making apple crumble.”

Also on hand was Jeremy Thomas, a volunteer gardener at Hanbury Hall and at Croome Court, another National Trust property, as well as a fully-qualified master composter.

He was there to give out advice on how to make a properly-functioning compost heap, which can take garden debris such as lawn cuttings and kitchen waste such as potato peelings, and turn them into nutritious compost for the garden.

He said: “People come to me and, perhaps after having tried composting and not done too well, and I’m able to give them advice and help them to get it right.

“It can be a good way of reducing the amount of green waste that goes to landfill, and making something useful for your own garden at the same time.”

As well as taking guided tours of the walled garden, including the pear and quince trees, visitors had the chance to relax with refreshments at Elsie’s Tea Room.

The historic house was originally built for a wealthy merchant, Thomas Grene, in 1480 and was taken over by the National Trust in 1966 after it had fallen into dereliction and was in danger of being demolished.

It is now open to the public on Tuesdays through to Saturdays for most of the year