Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden
Encyclopedia
Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, Norfolk
, England, is a registered charity, comprising 131 acre (0.53013866 km²) of ancient Woodland
and Water Garden
and including South Walsham
inner Broad
. Within the garden is an ancient fishpond (King Stephens fishpond - listed in the Domesday book
), a 950 year old oak, over 95 recorded species of birds, a private broad, many species of wild and cultivated plants the most spectacular being the Candelabra primulas – around 50,000 flower during the last two weeks in May and the first two weeks in June.
A network of dykes
criss-cross the garden and are all cleared by hand each winter using a traditional tool called a chrome. Other traditional practices used within the garden are coppicing and leaf harvesting to create a natural fertiliser. The garden is one hundred percent organically managed. The late 1990s saw the return of Otter
s to the garden and broad.
Until the 1980s, the garden was mainly dense wooded areas, but Dutch Elm disease
and the 1987 gale saw one thousand fall. The areas that lost a large number of trees (several of them large Oaks) became open glade areas suitable for more cultivated plants that required more sun than the woodland
plants. Plants such as Gunnera manicata
, hydrangeas, philadelphus, cornus and daffodils were planted to give the garden year round interest.
where he had already developed a garden at Bakenham House, Englefield Green
. Inspiration for the woodland and water garden came from his friend Sir Eric Savill, the creator of the Valley and Savill Gardens
in Windsor Great Park.
The 2nd Lord Fairhaven was an enthusiastic gardener, who designed the Woodland and Water Garden. He had a team of seven gardeners and two woodmen to assist him, who worked in the greenhouse
s, formal garden, vegetable garden and the woodland garden. The woods, untended in the 2nd World War, had become a jungle
.
Lord Fairhaven cleared what is now the main garden, introducing shade and water loving plants including candelabra primulae by the thousand, yellow flowering Lysichiton americanus (skunk cabbage), camellia
s and rhododendron
s specially imported from the Himalayas
. Over ninety percent of the new plants for the garden were grown from seed in the greenhouse
s and brought on in the formal garden before being planted out in the woodland. Trees were grown in the nursery to 6 ft (1.8 m), and were transferred to the woodland garden. It took fifteen years to complete the development of the garden.
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England, is a registered charity, comprising 131 acre (0.53013866 km²) of ancient Woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
and Water Garden
Water garden
Water gardens, also known as aquatic gardens, are a type of man-made water feature. A water garden is defined as any interior or exterior landscape or architectural element whose primarily purpose is to house, display, or propagate a particular species or variety of aquatic plant...
and including South Walsham
South Walsham
South Walsham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is adjacent to South Walsham Broad.It covers an area of and had a population of 738 in 303 households as of the 2001 census....
inner Broad
The Broads
The Broads are a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Broads, and some surrounding land were constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to a UK National Park by The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act of 1988...
. Within the garden is an ancient fishpond (King Stephens fishpond - listed in the Domesday book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
), a 950 year old oak, over 95 recorded species of birds, a private broad, many species of wild and cultivated plants the most spectacular being the Candelabra primulas – around 50,000 flower during the last two weeks in May and the first two weeks in June.
A network of dykes
Ditch
A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water.In Anglo-Saxon, the word dïc already existed and was pronounced 'deek' in northern England and 'deetch' in the south. The origins of the word lie in digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank...
criss-cross the garden and are all cleared by hand each winter using a traditional tool called a chrome. Other traditional practices used within the garden are coppicing and leaf harvesting to create a natural fertiliser. The garden is one hundred percent organically managed. The late 1990s saw the return of Otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s to the garden and broad.
Until the 1980s, the garden was mainly dense wooded areas, but Dutch Elm disease
Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease is a disease caused by a member of the sac fungi category, affecting elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native...
and the 1987 gale saw one thousand fall. The areas that lost a large number of trees (several of them large Oaks) became open glade areas suitable for more cultivated plants that required more sun than the woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
plants. Plants such as Gunnera manicata
Gunnera manicata
Gunnera manicata, or giant rhubarb, a native of Brazil, is an ornamental plant in the Gunneraceae family.The underside of the leaf and the whole stalk have spikes on them. The leaves of Gunnera grow to an impressive size...
, hydrangeas, philadelphus, cornus and daffodils were planted to give the garden year round interest.
The History of the Garden
Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden was created by the 2nd Lord Fairhaven, Henry Rogers Broughton, and left in trust upon his death in 1973. Henry Broughton purchased the 350 acre (141.6 hectare) South Walsham Estate in 1946 which had been used by the military during the 2nd World War. Restoration of the house and the formal gardens required immediate attention so work upon the woodland and water garden did not begin until the following year when he moved to South Walsham Hall from SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
where he had already developed a garden at Bakenham House, Englefield Green
Englefield Green
Englefield Green is a large village in northern Surrey, England. It is home to Royal Holloway, University of London, the south eastern corner of Windsor Great Park and close to the towns of Egham, Windsor, Staines and Virginia Water...
. Inspiration for the woodland and water garden came from his friend Sir Eric Savill, the creator of the Valley and Savill Gardens
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a large deer park of , to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century...
in Windsor Great Park.
The 2nd Lord Fairhaven was an enthusiastic gardener, who designed the Woodland and Water Garden. He had a team of seven gardeners and two woodmen to assist him, who worked in the greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s, formal garden, vegetable garden and the woodland garden. The woods, untended in the 2nd World War, had become a jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
.
Lord Fairhaven cleared what is now the main garden, introducing shade and water loving plants including candelabra primulae by the thousand, yellow flowering Lysichiton americanus (skunk cabbage), camellia
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
s and rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s specially imported from the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. Over ninety percent of the new plants for the garden were grown from seed in the greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s and brought on in the formal garden before being planted out in the woodland. Trees were grown in the nursery to 6 ft (1.8 m), and were transferred to the woodland garden. It took fifteen years to complete the development of the garden.