THE RESTORATION

The first stage was to rescue the house and lodges, and to carefully restore the outbuildings and gardeners cottage using traditional techniques and materials; these are now let as holiday accommodation to provide some supporting income.

Work started on restoring the gardens and grounds in 1997, this was a huge undertaking as large areas had not been maintained for over seventy years. In 1998 the area immediately behind the main house became a ‘herb garden’. The following year the sheltered courtyard between the cottages was planted as a garden.

The herb garden behind the main house

Meanwhile the walled garden was carefully cleared so as to save any plants that had survived, the walls that had collapsed have been rebuilt.

Both the valley, and upper garden have been provided with a new network of footpaths based on early maps, they have both been replanted, and now form the basis of a 'plantsmans garden’.

Recently a further area of the valley garden has been cleared of cherry laurel, revealing further pathways and three spectacular waterfalls.