Abbey House Gardens

Our 5 acres of grounds had been without owner/occupier for 3 years when we bought the property in 1994.  Half the land on the north side of the house and around the river was completely overgrown, to the point that local residents thought it was waste land.  The other half was in two parts, an old orchard to one side and lawns to the other.

During the time the site belonged to the once highly influential Benedictine Monastery, the garden here was in part the Abbot’s garden where the monks grew herbs, fruit trees, a vinery, and roses.

Ian wanted to reflect the huge history of the site in his garden design and began by first finding out what was already here and clearing parts of the site littered with dead or decaying growth, pernicious weeds, brambles, ivy and the like.  Paths were cut down the slope to access the river and dandelions dug up by hand. Permission sought to remove or pollard certain trees and a resistivity survey undertaken to try to make sure nothing beneath the ground of historical value would be disturbed.  Hedges were planted to break up the larger areas into more manageable size and create different ‘rooms’.  There are new paths, new arches constructed in the walls, old workshops and coal sheds have been converted into refreshment and seating areas, toilets constructed and slopes arranged to allow wheelchairs the best access around the garden that our topography will allow.  In short we’ve been very busy!.

The Saxon Arch which was standing in glorious isolation now has a hedge planted up either side to replace the walls which once stood there. 

The Celtic cross garden began with the beds being created around the well. Ian found he naturally wanted to follow a line around the well and once paths were included he realised he was forming a Celtic cross.

The stanchion of the cross was influenced by St. Martin’s cross on Iona, itself a copy of an original and reflects the fact that a Celt from Iona founded Malmesbury Abbey in the C7th. The patterns on St. Martin’s cross have been recreated in traditional knot garden plants, cotton lavender, wall germander and also box. The date of its planting - 2000 AD is clearly marked at one end and a border added in a Celtic S shape which means ‘Everlasting’ - going forever forward but looking forever back - rather like this garden!

The rose beds to house 2,000 different varieties in the more formal lower lawn area reflected the Tudor aspect of the main house giving a sense of the pleasure gardens which became fashionable. Here too is the place for topiary in the crown of the Celtic cross garden where such plants grow as can be seen in paintings of the C15th and C16th.

Harold Brakespeare's plan from the early C20th was the source for the line of the Lady Chapel on the upper lawn imitated in yew which gave an opportunity to separate an area for feminine colours and sweet smelling plants.  That’s why thousands of hyacinths are planted in this area for spring.  The position of the end of the Lady Chapel is marked with arched crab apple trees and looking down the grassy walk towards the abbey you will now find a monk once again, this one carved by Bill Lazard .

Laburnum trees were planted along the boundary of the Old Orchard forming a transition from the tall line of mature lime trees to the lower growing orchard area. Some time later a frame was installed to train the trees up and over into the tunnel they have become; a glorious sight in May.

The herb garden took many months to build. Initially a response to ‘planting time/thyme’ a clock shape was marked out on the ground with any available material- hose pipe, child’s toy, scaffold pole, quadro until the size and shape was deemed agreeable and pathways NS, EW positioned to cross where a pond with fountain would feature.

The raised beds are of oak and whilst the colonnade surround uses poly-tunnel frame specially commissioned to specific sizes it is then tied, pegged and sometimes screwed together with oak lattice to recreate the feel of a Mediaeval structure. Here grow pears, medlars, quince and grape vines alongside130 varieties of apple cordon, including many now rare varieties which the monks would certainly have had.

The double herbaceous borders followed. These were created in no time at all with the help of a small mini-digger. Earth was mounded up to give added height at the top and in 5’ of good top soil the delphiniums grow very well.

The ornamental pond evolved from the setting out of stone troughs we had seen and liked, redundant quarry sets and a good sized liner dropped into mounded earth. The encircling yew have matured to the size we want to give a sense of seclusion before you burst upon the glorious colour of the beds themselves - the goldfish seem to like it.

A foliage garden developed on the far side of the herb garden connecting the laburnum walk with the Mulberry tree. An unexpected and quiet change of level greets the visitor.

Another water feature was added in the form of a raised tank where koi carp swim. Monks usually had a holding tank not far from the kitchens in which to keep fish before they were put in Friday’s stew, giving rise to the name ‘Stew pond’. The Abbot had his own kitchen separate from the Abbey. Our Stew pond is a good excuse for enjoying the calming movement of beautiful fish whilst having a cup of tea.

The slope on the north side of the house now has a terrace where members of the heather family thrive among spring bulbs and where foxgloves find their own way in to add a vertical dimension.  The bastion shapes below form a suitable reminder that the town was once known as fortress Malmesbury. The bridge joining the two river banks having a lovely feel for the old drawbridge style which once crossed the river on this stretch.

Over the river, parts of the old monastic fish ponds have been re-dug. These had been filled in to allow a now redundant railway track firm passage on the approach to crossing the river.

The earth removed from the diggings has been mounded between two recreated ponds and christened S-tumpe, after the man who built the Tudor house – William Stumpe.  It has itself become a focal point reminiscent of the ‘calvaries’ found in some monasteries and the viewing points enjoyed by Tudors. It’s a great place to linger, sitting on the staddle stones to soak up the view that JM Turner once sketched. It looks fantastic in Spring planted up with an array of Dutch iris followed by the very beautiful bearded irises we bought from Richard Cayeux of Gien, Malmesbury’s twin town in France.

As the river gardens are maturing – which have been the focus of attention since 2000 – more and more visitors expressly comment on the pleasure they bring to them.  This has been the area for mixed planting of deciduous trees and conifers – the latter the obvious choice in response to the ‘global warming’ cry which of course has since mutated to ‘climate change’!  During the winter/spring 2000/1 Ian created a waterfall which featured on BBC 2’s Gardener’s World special programme about Abbey House Gardens.  It was the final big structure to be put in place in the overall scheme.  Since then the work has been more detailed in nature, focusing on smaller areas but aiming to make them look as good as they can as we learn about the many varying soil conditions and microclimates we have in this part of the garden.

Depending on the time of year you will now find colour from a wealth of camellias, hydrangeas, Japanese maples, rhododendron and tree ferns among other specimen trees and shrubs, under-planted with astilbes, daffodils, hellebores, camassia, primroses, snow-drops, tree peonies and lots of other delights like arisaema and meconopsis.

In 2006 an auricula theatre was constructed in the banks below the house which is a picture in May.  The plants sit in rows looking down on visitors passing below which makes them look as if they form the audience for our performances!

There is still plenty to do but we hope you’ll come and see us soon to find out how we are getting along. We’ve set up a small display on our Belvedere so that you can see ‘The Way We Were’!