Walled Kitchen Gardens

Walled kitchen gardens are recognised as an important part of our social and garden history. In the past, most large country houses would have had a walled garden which provided vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit for the entire household.

They were very labour-intensive, needing a large and skilled workforce. With the judicious use of south facing slopes, glasshouses and heating systems, the skilled gardeners could extend the growing season by several months, permitting produce that at the time was classed as “out of season” or indeed “exotic”. The entire garden would have been designed in such a way that everything from potatoes to apricots could be produced.

During the twentieth century many of them became surplus to requirements because of developments in technology, methods of food production, patterns of employment and the cost of maintenance. Whilst some walled gardens are being revived, many have disappeared or are being put to different uses.

Walled Kitchen Garden Register

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The Research Group is creating a Register of Walled Kitchen Gardens in Leicestershire and Rutland as they are an important part of our heritage.

This will provide a permanent record of their history and development, as well as their current use.

New research will be added to the Register as it is completed, so, if you cannot find the information you are looking for now, do come back and look again later, or contact us. Similarly, if you have any information which might be helpful for this project, we would be very pleased to hear from you.

Below are listed the walled kitchen garden sites that we have identified so far in our local Boroughs. As we learn of other sites, we will add them to this list. If you know of other sites in this area, or have any information which would help in our research, we should be delighted to hear from you.

A map showing the boroughs of the LRGT Walled Garden Project area

We are very grateful to the owners of all those properties that we have visited and to all the people who have helped us with this project.

For further information about Walled Kitchen Gardens, you might like to visit the Walled Kitchen Garden Network.

Walled Kitchen Gardens we have researched are highlighted and you can download our research.

Blaby

Charnwood

Harborough

Hinckley and Bosworth

Melton

North West Leicestershire

Leicester City

Rutland

Possible additional sites:

  • Ashwell Rectory, Ashwell
  • Cottesmore Lodge, Cottesmore
  • Stocken Hall, Stretton
  • Whissendine Manor, Whissendine

Walled Kitchen Gardens News

Reclining chairs donated to “The Secret Garden”

Elizabeth Bacon and Sue Blaxland have visited “The Secret Garden” at Glenfield Hospital to hand over officially the two reclining garden chairs that the Trust is donating to the project. Originally the walled kitchen garden to Leicester Frith (the Victorian mansion on the hospital site) and used by Mental Health Services during the 20th Century, the garden had become derelict. Thanks to many generous donations and volunteer support, it is now almost restored and is…

Secret Garden progress

I recently had to go to Glenfield Hospital and took the opportunity to visit the Secret Garden, formerly the walled kitchen garden at Leicester Frith, which we researched a couple of years ago. I was keen to see the progress that had been made in the garden. Thanks to donations of materials and labour, a seating area has been created and there will be a café.  In front of the 18th century wall, individual bays…

Old Vicarage at Gumley

Gumley walled kitchen garden

When we started out with the Walled Garden Project we had a list of known walled gardens in the two counties. I do not think we expected to keep finding more, but we do. The walled kitchen garden at Gumley Old Vicarage is a case in point. Early on in lock down Gill and Paul Knight were walking near Gumley and Gill spotted this obvious walled garden. She rang in great excitement to tell us…