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The Garden House is composed of various gardens set on eight acres. Although known as one garden, it is made up of numerous settings that are spectacular, tranquil and simply beautiful. The site includes the sweet and lovely Walled Garden set along the crumbling ruins of a medieval vicarage and the exotic and lush South African Garden. The Cottage Garden is beautifully wild while the Long Walk offers a winding garden that stretches across meandering paths and along brilliant vistas.

All of this magnificent beauty and much more await you at the Garden House. In addition to the presently pleasant surroundings, the Garden House offers visitors a stroll through its full, rich history.

History of the Garden House

The Garden House is the former site of the area’s parish priest. The Abbot built the original structure on the order of the Bishop in 1305. After the monasteries, the house became the vicarage for the former abbot who was now a vicar. By the early 18th century, the building was three-stories tall. But within time the structure was transformed into ruins. It now stands as some of the remaining ruins along the Walled Garden.

When a modern home was built for the vicar in the 1920s, the Garden House was sold to a family. After World War II, the home was sold again. This time to former Eton master Lionel Fortescue and his wife, Katherine. It was Lionel and his wife who started to renovate the property, creating and developing garden after garden. They did this while running a farming enterprise that included managing a herd of Jersey dairy cattle, selling stock plants to growers in the Tamar Valley and overseeing their successful market garden enterprise.

From the Second Half of the 20th Century

Over the next 40 years, the husband and wife developed one of the best gardens in Great Britain. By 1961, the Fortescue Garden Trust was established to make sure that the amazingly diverse and beautiful gardens would be preserved for future generations. In the 1980s, after the husband and wife passed, the charity the Fortescues had established took over the management and development of the gardens.

Prior to his death, Lionel Fortescue appointed Keith Wiley as the site’s Head Gardener. Over 25 years, he would continue the transformation of the garden. After leaving the Garden House in 2003 to pursue new ventures related to his career, Matt Bishop took over as the Head Gardner. Bishop is involved in a major refurbishing effort of the original Fortescue garden while maintaining the rest of the estate.

Visiting the Garden House

Take a leisurely stroll across and along the paths and amongst the verdant grounds that comprise the Garden House. The setting is serene, fragrant and breathtaking. For those who would like some insights into gardening and planting, the Hylands Nursery, which is a New Ross nursery, offers expert advice that you can use to start creating your own Garden House. Visit the Garden House and you’ll be taken to a more simple time that will leave you relaxed, refreshed and inspired.

About the Author

John Joe Hyland owns and operates the nursery that was established by his grandparents, William and Elizabeth, more than 60 years ago. Specializing in quality hedging and trees, this Wexford Nursery, which is located on 20 acres, produces Laurel, Griselinia, Escallonia, Oleria, and Holly Evergreen Hedging, as well as, Beech, Hornbeam, Dogwood, and Willow Decideous Hedging. They also supply a range of Evergreen and Decideous Trees. John Joe, who is exceptionally passionate and knowledgeable about plants and trees, also offers professional consulting services for gardening.