The Milntown Gardens
Milntown’s extensive grounds and formal gardens are a well-kept secret waiting to be explored. Developed and altered over hundreds of years, you can find a mill pond, orchard and extensive kitchen garden, traces of a possible moat and parkland over which the Battle of Sky Hill raged in 1079.
The orchard is within a walled garden that would once have provided much of the produce for the Christian family kitchen. A more recent kitchen garden is now being developed to the Soil Association’s Organic standards and will be used for Chef’s Specials in our café. Running between the kitchen garden and more formal flower beds is the tail leat from the mill, above which are growing two rows of recently planted espalier apple trees (including a Manx variety). Nearby is a large cage for soft fruit, also now grown organically.
Beyond the mill is the mill pond and mill field leading into a network of trails through the extensive woodland area to the rear of the estate. There are many rare and interesting species of plants throughout the gardens and woodland areas and over the next few years the gardens are being re-designed by Laura de Beden and there will always be something new to delight on every visit.
