My daughter went to snap the leaves, branches and thorns of the plant in question, as instructed. She was lucky enough to meet the gardener who remarked that the climber, a rose, was horrific to clean. The thorns were visible as some of the leaves had fallen away. However, as a bonus the gardener was able to tell her the name of the rose, Rambling Rector.
I see it has the RHS Award of Garden Merit