Minterne Gardens

The Minterne Valley, landscaped in the manner of Capability Brown in the 18th century, has been the home of the Churchill and Digby families for over 350 years.

The gardens are laid out in a horseshoe below Minterne House, with a chain of small lakes, waterfalls and streams. They contain an important collection of Himalayan Rhododendrons and Azaleas, with Spring bulbs, Cherries, Maples and many fine and rare trees; the garden is noted for its Autumn colouring.

Over 1.5 miles of walks with Palm trees and towering Rhododendrons, framed by tall Cedar and Beech trees, provide a new vista at each turn.

The changing seasons make each visit to Minterne a memorable experience. The old Churchill house was demolished in 1900, the present house, completed in 1906, is not open to the public.

In 2009 we are very fortunate to have been joined by Iain Davies as Head Gardener. Robin Pearson, who was Minterne's Head Gardener until he retired in 2008, will be a very challenging act to follow, as he nurtured the garden with great professionalism for some 50 years.

Iain brings with him a very broad array of expertise. At Castle Fraser he was the youngest Head Gardener to be appointed by the National Trust. Following the National Trust Iain moved to Sark to restore a private Mediterranean garden. He built and planted a 4-acre walled garden and a 25-acre shrub garden from scratch, working with the designer, Tom Stewart-Smith. Subsequently he worked with Mrs. George Harrison renovating the largest rock garden in Europe.

We are all very excited about developing Minterne Gardens and have agreed that the ethos here must continue unchanged. The gardens will remain quiet and secluded, with rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias shown in a similar environment as they were found in China by the 19th and 20th Century plant hunters.

We are looking at the possibility of creating a group of "Friends of Minterne Gardens" which may include a Season Ticket to visit the gardens and regular garden walks with Iain. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

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