A space to read At the Edge of the Orchard - Tracy Chevalier reads from Plankbridge shepherd’s hut at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Author Tracy Chevalier on the steps of the orchard-inspired shepherd’s hut at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016.

On Monday 23 May, Tracy Chevalier, author of the international bestseller, Girl with a Pearl Earring, read an evocative extract from her latest novel, At the Edge of the Orchard, on the steps of Plankbridge’s Victorian-inspired shepherd’s hut at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The Dorset-based Master Hutmaker took inspiration for its Tradestand exhibit from Tracy’s new book, a rich and brutal story of a Pioneer family in Ohio and their relationship with the apple trees that they plant to claim their land, creating the perfect backdrop for this unique literary event.

The reading was a meeting of worlds, as the Plankbridge shepherd’s hut, faithfully built in the spirit of the Victorian craftsmen who designed them for shepherds tending their flock during lambing season, provided the stage for a tale of early settlers in Ohio planting apple trees at their new home, with a reliance on the land in the nineteenth century bringing these two stories together.

Plankbridge Master Hutmakers will be on Tradestand AR723 at RHS Chelsea Flower Show from Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 May 2016.

For more information about Plankbridge Hutmakers visit www.plankbridge.com.