Nowadays, a wide variety of seasonal vegetables and soft fruits are grown. In the grounds, there are several mature mulberry trees, one of which is believed to have been planted around 1680. They still prolifically!
When available,all these can all be bought in the shop, as well as a broad range of plants, including lavenders, pelargoniums and bearded iris.
This walled Victorian kitchen garden was originally established early in Queen Victoria’s reign to provide fruit, vegetables and flowers for those who lived and worked in the Hall.
Some three acres in area, the gardens follow the traditional layout of that period in which the total area was divided into quarters, each surrounded by a low box hedge. At Scawby, there is a slight variation on the theme, in which the quadrant nearest to the house has a small wrought iron bandstand as its centrepiece.
During the 1870s and 1880s, the Head Gardener was John Wright, a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society, whose prize-winning essay “Profitable Fruit-Growing” written for the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers was published in 1889. It was during this time that the gardens took on their current format.
The Gardens are open each weekday throughout the year, between 9.00am and 4.00pm. Visitors are very welcome to enjoy this haven of tranquility from a bygone era.
Admission is free.
Last updated 25 December 2009
