The Walled Garden, also known as the Kitchen garden, was created in the mid 1700s on a west facing slope. Probably the biggest in the South East at about 4 acres, its layout is typical in that there is one entrance in the middle of each of the four walls, effectively creating a garden with 4 quadrants. Gardens such as these not only produced the fruit, flowers and vegetables for the owners but also were an expression of the owner’s design tastes. Originally the garden had a dipping pond in the centre of each quadrant and specimen trees in the centre. These ponds were replaced by a central pond in the early 1800s. Greenhouses, both stand alone and lean-to, were gradually installed over the years, many from the firm of Bolton and Paul.
The Walled Garden was acquired in 1999 in a completely derelict state. Since then the volunteers have recreated the layout of the gardens and are once again growing fruit, flowers and vegetables often using glassless, semi-derelict, greenhouses to produce wonderful results. Their achievement is a testament to what volunteers can do. The magnificent Orchard house is now partway restored thanks to donations and grants. The restoration continues.
