QUEEN'S SURPRISE VISIT

Chronicle (Levin), 2 August 1947, Page 5

QUEEN'S SURPRISE VISIT

Received Friday, 7 p.m. LONDON, August 1. Londoners working in their bac.k gardens in ihe suburbs of Lambeth Bermondsey and Kennington, wen astoiiislied'ttinl delighted to iind tln i Queen, ushered by officials of the Lon don Ganleus Society, watehing thei. elforls. Iler Majesty spent most of tln al'ternoon visi'ing the garden plots and on several occasions she asked perniis sion to see inside of hou.ses. At oinhouse in Lambeth she talked over th. baek l'ence witli the occupants of th iiexl door house. In Bei'moiidsey the Queen lnspected the prize winning gar den oi' ilr. W. ('. Hodger, a i;ul\va\ forenian, who lias ereated a gav pro fusion of gladioli, niarigolds and dahlias on a sniail section of his pre faluicateil limise summiiled by the dralt walis of wareliouses and tene nients. Mr. hodger took over the house ls inonths ago after his fornier residence was destroyed by a bomb. The Queen also visited Carter Street Southwark, police station to inspeet a lloiirisliiug tiower garden tended by the policemeu in their spare time: On a .sniail lawn of oue jirefaliricated house ■\vhere she found dwarf apple trees ladeii witli fruit, the Queen expressed astonislinient at the size of the erop and asked liow it was obtained. The occupier tohi her the soil was almost entirelv brickdust and gravel and tlial lie had learued all his gardening from books.