TOUR
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A number of different gardens
have been created within the 11 acres at Pashley;
from the cool creams and greens of the beds as
you enter the gardens, to the rich blues and purples
that surround the pool outside the Victorian green
house. Take
a stroll between the espaliered pear trees and
vine covered arches, past the rose garden toward
the herbaceous borders that are resplendent in
hot reds, yellows and oranges.
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Pause
on one of the many benches to admire the magnificent
sculpture exhibited around the gardens or relax
in the Garden Room Café surrounded by botanical inspired
paintings from local artists. |
At
the back of the Manor house, which is covered in
a magnificent wisteria, café tables are set
out along the terrace with a beautiful view of fine
old trees, fountains, springs and large ponds - an
ideal setting to enjoy the delicious, locally sourced
food and fine wines served from the Garden Room Café.
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It is difficult to
realise today how wild and out of control the grounds surrounding
Pashley were on the arrival of the Sellick family in 1981.
They consisted of only a small formal area to the west
of the house, a sloping lawn to the moat and, of course,
the many mature trees and rhododendrons you see today.
Sadly over one thousand trees were lost from the estate
in the 1987 hurricane, however, this was a blessing in
disguise since it opened up much finer views over the surrounding
rolling terrain.
The
old Walled Garden seemed to contain beneath the
brambles, weeds, tall grasses and nettles, nothing
but tumbled down greenhouses and collapsed cold
frames; all dominated beyond the wall by large
conifers grown for a long past Christmas market,
and the series of picturesque and wild linked waterways
seemed to constantly empty themselves. Very gradually,
with help, enthusiasm and encouragement from the eminent
landscape architect and author, Anthony du Gard Pasley,
an old friend of the Sellicks’, a garden with
great potential was uncovered and has
become one of the handsomest landscapes in Sussex – recognised
after 20 years in 1999 when the Historic Houses Association
and Christies voted Pashley ‘Garden of the Year’. |
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There
is evidence of gardening at Pashley from the 16th
Century. The Walled Garden was completed in 1720
and is historically listed in its own right. It
was one of the first things to be re-planned and
replanted, in 1982. In 1987 the South West lawn
was ploughed up and the slope re-shaped in order
to reveal a flash of water from the back of the
house. The terrace was levelled, and is now used
to sit and enjoy teas and lunches, and the flower
beds along this side of the house and round the
lawn were planted. |
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In 1990
the Rose Garden, espaliered pear trees along the
Rose Walk and the Kitchen Garden were designed
and planted. The Golden Bed,
in memory of a lost daughter, was created in 1993/4
and the Bluebell Walk through the beech, oak and
hazel woods was cleared and opened in 1998. The colourful
herbaceous borders were planned and prepared in autumn
1998 and planted up in 1999. |
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Nearly every year a new
project is undertaken, whether it be gravelled
paths for easier access; clearing further views
throughout the ancient shrubberies; taking in
yet more overgrown areas to plant with trees
and shrubs; or reclaiming ancient parts of the
long-lost Victorian gardens. In the winter of
2007/2008 the main restoration has been on the
fountain pond and a painstaking cleaning and
renewal of glass panes in the Victorian greenhouse.
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This
year should also see the results of a mass planting
of azaleas, budding now for the second year, in
the green valley at the back of the gardens that
was done in the winter of 2006/2007.
The gardens
are always evolving so that they might be inspirational
to the first time visitor yet will never disappoint
those who return regularly.
Personally Conducted Tours of
the Garden either led by James Sellick (the Owner),
or the Head Gardener, Keith Boylett, may be
arranged for groups of 15 or more – see Group
Information.
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