The gardens at Calke Abbey offer a captivating glimpse into the estate’s rich horticultural heritage. The kitchen garden, with its aged walls and weathered glasshouses, evokes a sense of faded grandeur. The flower garden bursts with vibrant, seasonal blooms, while the tranquil physic garden reveals a fascinating collection of medicinal plants once used for healing. Together, these gardens provide a peaceful retreat, brimming with history and natural beauty.
The Flower Garden at Calke Abbey
Calke Abbey’s flower garden, a testament to Lady Georgiana’s passion, offers a captivating glimpse into historical horticultural practices. Built in 1856 the garden features a unique auricula theatre thought to be England’s oldest surviving example. This meticulously maintained space, with its original Victorian layout, is “bedded out” twice yearly, mirroring 1850s techniques. The garden features Victorian-era glasshouses, which were used to grow exotic plants and extend the flowering season. Throughout the year, the flower garden bursts with colour – from early spring bulbs to summer roses and vibrant autumnal hues. It provides a serene space for visitors to wander, while also offering a glimpse into the horticultural tastes and traditions of the estate’s former owners.
The Kitchen Garden at Calke Abbey
Looking out across the expansive green lawn, the ghostly outlines of former garden beds whisper tales of Calke Abbey’s industrious past. This was once a thriving kitchen garden, a vital source of fruit, vegetables, and flowers for the household. More than just a place of production, it served as a tranquil retreat for the family.
On colder days, the family would seek refuge in the heated orangery, with its distinctive arched windows, surrounded by exotic plants.
The garden’s vibrant purpose faded after the Second World War, and by the 1970s, it had been ploughed up for pasture, leaving behind only the subtle contours we see today. These faint remnants, now softened by time and grass, serve as a poignant reminder of Calke’s heyday and the self-sufficient lifestyle it once embodied.
The Physic Garden at Calke Abbey
The Physic Garden at Calke Abbey is a fascinating glimpse into the estate’s working past. In the late 1700s, it was a practical space where herbs were cultivated for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Glasshouses and heated frames were later introduced, allowing the gardeners to grow vegetables and exotic fruits year-round, including cucumbers, melons, grapes, and even pineapples. This productive garden was largely functional, with the family unlikely to visit.
Today, the Physic Garden remains the main productive garden. It is now home to areas dedicated to cut flowers, vegetables, herbs, and soft fruits, as well as orchards of apples and plums. In spring, the garden comes to life with neatly arranged rows of emerging plants, promising an abundant harvest later in the year. Despite its practical purpose, it offers a peaceful, rustic beauty, with pathways lined by lavender and bordered by neatly pruned fruit bushes.
Scarecrows in the Physic Garden at Calke Abbey
The scarecrows in the Physic Garden at Calke Abbey are a charming and playful feature, adding a touch of whimsy to the historic, working garden. They are created by the garden team and volunteers, often dressed in period-style or rustic clothing, giving them a characterful, old-world charm. These scarecrows serve a practical purpose by deterring birds from feasting on the fruit and vegetable crops, but they also contribute to the garden’s storytelling, evoking the spirit of its agricultural past.
Throughout the year, the scarecrows sometimes take on seasonal themes, reflecting events or changes in the garden. Their presence adds to the Physic Garden’s quaint, lived-in atmosphere, making it feel like a working, yet slightly enchanted, part of the estate.
The Vinery in the Physic Garden at Calke Abbey
The Vinery in one of the glasshouses at Calke Abbey’s Physic Garden is a fascinating remnant of the estate’s productive past. Built to cultivate grapevines, it reflects the Georgian and Victorian-era fascination with growing exotic fruits in England’s temperate climate. The glasshouse, with its heated frames and controlled environment, allowed the gardeners to extend the growing season and produce plump, sweet grapes for the family’s table—an impressive luxury at the time.
Grape Varieties Grown in the Vinery
The Vinery in the Physic Garden at Calke Abbey is home to several historic and distinctive grape varieties, each with its own unique characteristics:
Buckland Sweetwater – A traditional English dessert grape, Buckland Sweetwater was popular in Victorian glasshouses for its sweet, juicy flavour and pale green skin. It ripens early, making it well-suited to the temperamental British climate, and was prized for its delicate sweetness.
Leon Millot – This red grape variety originated in France and is known for its early ripening and disease resistance, making it ideal for cooler climates. It produces deeply coloured grapes often used in winemaking, with rich, fruity notes and a hint of spice.
Seyval Blanc – A white grape variety, Seyval Blanc is widely grown in the UK due to its ability to thrive in cooler conditions. It produces crisp, refreshing white wines with citrus and apple notes, making it a favourite among English vineyards.