Victorian walled garden landscape design and construction, Pyecombe

CASE STUDY

Victorian Walled Garden, Jack Windmill, Pyecombe

The Jack and Jill windmills at Pyecombe are iconic, and enjoy incredible views of the South Downs National Park.

The Jill windmill next door was restored by the Jack and Jill Windmill Society and is open to visitors at certain times of the year.

The Jack windmill, however, is now part of a private home with extensive grounds and the new owner was keen to create a Victorian walled garden, sympathetic to the landscape and its history. Starting with a new flint wall was essential to making the windy hilltop a comfortable space to be.

THE BRIEF

A Victorian walled garden with areas for seating, dining and vegetable growing. Re-using existing materials where possible, and incorporating them in the design within the newly built flint wall. The planting scheme had to be authentic and in keeping with the period.

It was apparent very early on that there were some fantastic materials on site that just had to be brought in to the design. An old mill wheel, for example, some wonderful reclaimed bricks, and sleepers for the vegetable patches.

THE RESULT

The client is extremely happy with the result. We incorporated all the elements they’d asked for and a few more. A row of rare-variety fruit trees sit along one wall and the garden is now a haven for the family. It is also a working vegetable garden and is a mass of bees in the Summer.

A mixture of lavenders and immature box hedges line the paths, with more structural plants creating shape along the flint walls and the smaller beds around the dining area.