A Garden for Workers - Kilver Court Gardens
Garden Designers visit gardens for inspiration, and also for some respite! Some may say a busman's holiday! Any chance I get I will stop at a garden. Here I was visiting friends and found Kilver Court on our doorstep.
Small traditional stone garden room
Kilver Court Gardens is an eclectic garden layered in history, nestled in Shepton Mallet in Somerset. The children loved the gardens because of the twists and turns, the surprises, the hidden features, and the one large dominating structure that cuts through the garden like I have never seen before!
Not everyone has a viaduct in their back garden
What I personally found inspiring about the gardens was its history.
Back in the early 1900s, Ernest Jardine, the owner of the lace factory that was on the Kilver Court site, developed the gardens for his factory workers for their recreational use. The 'Jardines Park' became a much used garden by the workers for relaxation when on break from work. They could boat on the lake, and eat fruit and vegetables grown on site for lunch, and the staff were encouraged to work on and utilise allotment produce. This was so progressive for its time. Even now - 100 years on - it is practically newsworthy if a new public/semi-private garden is developed for workers!
Traditional Formal English Garden
Gardens, even the smallest of outdoor spaces, if green and looked after are inviting, and with seats and space to wander provides much needed respite in our busy lives. Public spaces and parks are dotted all over our cities, but sometimes break time is limited and it isn't always easy to get out. Many businesses have outdoor space, often turned to parking or under-utilised. Greening these spaces and encouraging employees and visitors into the garden must surely be good for business and productivity!
Rockery Garden with Stream. Very evocative of the 1960/70s
We need to be more like Mr Ernest Jardine, and create more green spaces at our work places!
To find out more about the gardens and to find out about opening times and get directions, see here. Don't forget to take your bank cards so you can stop in at the designer outlet shops on the premises!
