Columbine Hall

A cooler day welcomed us to Columbine Hall…and what a relief, following the intense heat we have been experiencing!

We all came together in the barn at Columbine, where Hew and Kate welcomed us with tea and cake. Hew Stevenson, the owner of the hall and estate, bought the empty and neglected Columbine with his late wife Leslie Geddes Brown in 1993 and began extensive works on the hall and the gardens. They took a gamble back then by employing a 16 year old Kate Elliott who wanted to be a gardener. It was a gamble that paid off as Kate is still at the hall as head gardener, and between them they have created a beautiful site. The barn is now a perfect site for weddings and events, the dairy is now a delightful holiday let with it’s views over the moat and down the gardens and it’s clock tower.

The moat is obviously a big feature of the grounds and has been dredged and maintained and 2 bridges built across it. No treasure was found but lots of Bovril jars, presumably thrown into the moat by the land army girls that lived and worked there! Outside the barn were 2 large brick built buildings with asbestos roofs. The roofs were removed and the walled core left to make 2 lovely walled gardens. One of the buildings was used as a milking shed and the names of the cows are still left, painted onto the walls.

There is now an orchard, a wood and a bog garden, as well as the more ‘formal’ gardens around the hall. Although we have had a particularly hot and dry summer, the moat still had plenty of water in it and even the bog garden was a little bit damp.

Kate and Hew do not rest though, more plans are afoot for extending the garden areas and Kate is looking towards creating a more drought tolerant space.

Columbine Hall has open gardens through the year to raise money for St. Elizabeth Hospice, so do keep an eye out for the dates and try to get along, you won’t be disappointed, it really is a delight!