Lee Valley Marina Stanstead Abbotts The following prices will be charged from 1 April 2025, only prices that are changing are listed here. Moorings (prices are per metre, per month) Marina: £22.50 Hard standing (large boats): £19.20 Hard standing (medium boats): £18.20 Hard standing (small boats): £15.10 Rye House: £17.80 Late payment of mooring fees: £45.50 Temporary visitor mooring: Marina (max one week stay): £42.50 (per 24 hours) Hardstanding and Rye House (max three month stay): £31.10 (prices are per metre, per month) Craning Single lift: from £250 Double lift: from £480 Crane off lorry and cost for wide beam: from £380 Survey: £550 Storage Caravan: £72.520 (per month) Undercover: £170 (additional monthly charge onto of mooring cost) Boat trailer: £255 (per year) Admin charge for formal letters for non-compliance with agreements: £35

Nature's Magic Distance: 2 miles Terrain: surfaced pathways including a small section of cobbles, wooden boardwalk, grass pathway and several bridges Starting point: Waterworks Centre car park Lammas Road, off Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, London E10 7NU Download route narrative > At at glance information for this route Great for picnics Parking available Public transport closeby Route - running Route - walking A route to discover a magical secret garden packed with history. The route follows the pathways through the WaterWorks Centre and Middlesex Filter Beds nature reserves. Directions Proceed to the right of the WaterWorks Centre building Turn immediately right and proceed across the grey bridge over the Flood Relief Channel onto the nature reserve Follow the pathway, passing the wildflower meadow on the left and the Wildlife Garden on the right Proceed along the path. (There is a short detour into a filter bed along a boardwalk on the left) leading to the bird hide and wildlife and heritage information panels Retrace the route along the pathway crossing the grey bridge back towards the WaterWorks Centre building At the end of the bridge, turn right along the pathway, following the fence line Turn right at the end of the tree line onto the surfaced pathway and continue along the edge of the grass area Turn left across Friends Bridge over the River Lea onto Hackney Marshes Continue ahead on the surfaced path, in a southerly direction Turn right onto the grass path and proceed to the black double gates at the entrance of the Middlesex Filter Beds Continue through the gates and follow the pathway around the edge of the site, passing wildlife and heritage information panels to ‘Natures Throne’ artwork and the weir at the western edge. Return through the middle of the beds and follow the path Turn right and exit the Middlesex Filter Beds through the black gates and retrace the route back to the WaterWorks Centre building Things to note Public transport links: The closest station is Lea Bridge Buses run along Lea Bridge Road Plan your journey with Transport for London There are currently no car parking charges at the WaterWorks Centre car park The site is within the Ultra Low Emissions Zone Dogs are not permitted in the WaterWorks Centre nature reserve Previous Next

Frequently asked questions Lee Valley campsites Got a question? We’re here to answer! If you can’t find the info you’re looking for please contact us. Contact details Lee Valley Almost Wild Campsite, Broxbourne almostwild@leevalleypark.org.uk 03000 030 619 Link to page > Lee Valley Campsite, Sewardstone sewardstonecampsite@leevalleypark.org.uk 03000 030 623 Link to page > Lee Valley Camping and Caravan Park, Edmonton edmontoncampsite@leevalleypark.org.uk 03000 030 625 Link to page > Lee Valley Caravan Park, Dobbs Weir dobbsweircampsite@leevalleypark.org.uk 03000 030 619 Link to page > These FAQs cover our Edmonton, Sewardstone and Dobbs Weir sites. For Lee Valley Almost Wild Campsite FAQs, click here. Bookings Is it necessary to book? We recommend you book in advance, especially in the busy summer months and school holidays, as we’re unable to guarantee availability. We do not take on the day bookings. Can I book a specific pitch? Sorry, no. Pitches are allocated at point of booking. Do I need a deposit to secure my booking? A deposit of £20 is required at the time of booking. Full payment for your booking is due five days prior to your arrival, you’ll receive a reminder. If your arrival is within four days of your booking date you’ll need to pay the full amount at the time of booking. What methods of payment do you accept? We accept cash and all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, Maestro and Electron. We do not accept American Express. Do you allow commercial vehicles onsite? There are restrictions on the type of commercial vehicles allowed onto site. They must not exceed 2m in height, 5.5m in length and payload of 1,100kg. If you want to check that your vehicle is allowed onsite please speak to us before booking. Do you allow visitors? Yes. Guests are welcome to visit you during your stay at our campsites. There’s a small charge for each adult guest and all guests must report to Reception on arrival. Guests are required to leave the campsite by 22:00. Cancellations and refunds Is there a charge for cancelling my booking? If you cancel your booking, you’ll lose your non-refundable booking deposit. Can we get a refund if we leave early if the weather is bad? Sorry, no. We don't offer refunds for early departures. How can we get a refund? We currently don't offer refunds but we can transfer your booking to an alternative date, if availability allows. Arrivals and departures What time can I check in? You can check in any time after 15:00 (departure times are 11:00). What is the latest I can arrive on site on arrival day? You can arrive any time after 15:00. If you arrive outside of our reception opening hours you'll be sent an email with all the details of how to access the site and accommodation. Reception times at our Dobbs Weir and Sewardstone sites are: Monday - Saturday 08:30 - 18:00, Sunday 08:30 - 16:00. Reception times at our Edmonton site are: Monday - Saturday 08:00 - 18:00, Sunday 08:30 - 16:00. What time do I need to leave on my departure day? For all touring and camping pods we ask guests to leave by 11:00 on the day of departure. If you’d like to delay your departure time, please check with Reception to see if there’s availability - this is subject to an additional charge. Is the campsite barrier locked, restricting access? Vehicle access to the sites is via a security gate or barrier that's operated by a code, this code will be emailed to you in your welcome letters - please follow any additional instruction such as needing to change the code once you've arrived. What should we do if we leave before Reception is open? If you’re staying in a holiday lodge or camping pod please deposit the keys in the key safe attached to the unit, or in the returned keys box outside Reception. Parking at our campsites Parking Eye car park management system – do you need my car registration number? Our site’s car parks are monitored by Parking Eye. Customers should supply their vehicle registration number when making their booking, if you fail to do this you should add your registration number using the table in reception by 10:00 the following morning after your check in. Will you have my car registration number from the booking that I made? If you've booked directly with us and provided your registration number when you booked then this is automatically uploaded to the parking management system. If you booked via a third party, for example, Hoseasons or Pitchup, they should provide your details, however, to be sure just pop into reception and we can confirm we have all the necessary details. What do I need to do if I have a visitor coming to site? If you've booked to have visitors onsite car parking fees are included within the booking. All they need to do is pop into reception when they arrive and enter their car registration details into the system – our staff will be on hand to help. What happens if I arrive after Reception has closed – will I need to pay car parking? If you’ve booked online and included your car registration details these will be automatically added to the system. If you haven’t given these details, please email the site with your booking reference number and car registration. How many cars are included in each accommodation booking type Touring and camping pitches: one car unless reception has been advised Cabins, Cocoons, Big Chief, Wee Brave Wigwams and Peaky Pods: one car Safari tents: maximum of two cars Holiday lodges and cottages: two cars If you have more cars onsite than detailed for the accommodation you’ve booked you’ll need to contact reception and register the vehicle. I tow an additional car with my unit - do I need to register this too? All car registrations that come onto site will need to be registered, please pop into reception and they can help you register additional vehicles. Do I need to register daily? No, your details will be automatically set up for the duration of your stay. What if I wish to extend my stay? If you extend your stay, you can either book on line or in reception and your parking will be extended. What if I arrive late and reception is closed? You'll receive a late arrival email from us which will contain a link, please complete the details requested on this link. Otherwise register your vehicle by 10:00 the next morning and reception will upload your car registration details. What do I do if I arrive in a different vehicle than the one registered on my booking? Contact Reception as early as possible and they can make the changes needed. What if I want to order a takeaway for delivery? There is a 10 minute dwell time after entering the site so the delivery driver needs to be made aware of this – we suggest meeting your driver at the main gate. Specific information for our holiday home owners I'm a carer for a holiday home owner and will not be on site until after reception is closed? So long as you register the vehicle by 10:00 the following day you will be exempt from a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). I'm expecting friends and family to visit what should I do? You can pre-register your friends and family’s arrival with reception who’ll enter the details. What do I need to do for my car that I have on site? All holiday home owners who have pre-registered their vehicle are exempt and will be issued with parking permit for that vehicle. I have purchased an additional parking bay on the holiday home field, what do I need to do? If you already have a second parking bay the registered vehicle will also be issued with a parking permit. General information Are there any campsite rules? Yes. You can read our campsite rules here. Does the site have WiFi? Yes, the site offers FREE WiFi to all its visitors. Are there any EV charging points onsite? Our Dobbs Weir site has four EV charging points available in the main car park plus The Country and The Lee View luxury holiday lodges also have charging points too. If staying in a luxury lodge the charging costs are included in your fees. For the chargers in the general car park just scan the QR on the side which will take you to the Monta website and follow the instructions - the costs are clearly displayed on the site. Vehicles must only be charged in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and that only EVs with Original-Equipment- Manufacturers’ (OEM) factory-fitted batteries should be charged (the only exception is where OEM-approved compatible replacement batteries have been fitted by a competent person). Is there fishing onsite? Dobbs Weir allow fishing however, you must hold a valid fishing licence. There’s a closed season for river fishing from 16 March until 16 June each year. How good is the television reception onsite? TV reception is good. Do you allow contractors? We allow a limited number of contractors to stay on our site. Are camp fires and BBQs allowed? Open fires or the burning of fallen logs aren’t permitted onsite. Small charcoal burning BBQs are allowed, however they must be raised off the ground and not on wooden tables or decking and extinguished by 22:00. We also have fire pits and BBQs that can be hired from Reception who also sell specialist logs for burning in the fire pits. Can I park my car next to the touring pitch or camping pods? In most cases the pitches are big enough to park your vehicle next to your pitch. Each camping pod and lodge have their own parking bays. What is your noise policy? We ask for quiet between 23:00 - 08:00. Please respect other campers who may be trying to sleep. All our sites are a family orientated and we will not tolerate anti-social behaviour or language. Anyone causing a disturbance will be asked to leave and no refund will be given. Do you have accessible facilities on site? We have accessible toilet and shower facilities onsite, please advise us when making your booking if you require the use of these facilities so we can allocate you as close as possible. Do you need a key to use the accessible bathrooms on site? It varies depending on what site you’re staying at: Lee Valley Caravan Park, Dobb Weir – the bathrooms are unlocked 24/7 Lee Valley Campsite, Sewardstone – the facilities have a Radar key for access Lee Valley Camping and Caravan Park, Edmonton – the facilities require a key which can be obtained from reception. When you check in please let the team know you’d like to use these facilities and they’ll sort a key out for the duration of your stay. Please note a fully refundable deposit may be requested for the key Is your site wheelchair accessible? None of our sites are wheelchair accessible all year round. If you or any of your party have a disability or complex needs of any description, please contact the site and we’ll try to make arrangements to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible. What’s included when you book a cabin or cocoon? All of our cabins and cocoons come with beds and have electricity and lighting. You'll need to bring your own bedding and linen, we don’t hire out sleeping bags, bedding, linen, towels or tea towels. Only cabins have cooking equipment. What is included when you book a Wigwam? All of our Wigwams are heated and have electricity. You'll need to bring your own bedding and linen. We don’t hire out sleeping bags, bedding, linen, towels or tea towels. What is included when you book a safari tent? Our pre-pitched safari tents come with most of what you need for your stay. You'll need to bring your own bedding and linen. We don't hire out sleeping bags, bedding, linen, towels or tea towels. Is there anything I need to know if using the hot tubs that's included at some of the accommodation? Some of our holiday lodges and homes have hot tubs available for visitors to use. If using a hot tub before you get into the water, please have a quick look at our guidelines of what we need to do before entering the tub, this can be found next to the hot tub and in the welcome book. Our team MUST carry out tests on the water quality twice a day (normally about 09:00 and 16:00) please note if the water quality if outside of the permitted readings the tub will be shut down and not available for use, until satisfactory readings are again achieved. Our onsite team will of course keep you informed of any changes to test times or work needed on the unit. Do you provide towel hire? Sorry, no. You'll need to bring your own towels and tea towels, unless you're staying in a lodge, holiday home or Peaky Pod at Dobbs Weir or Sewardstone. These come with bedding, towels and tea towels. Do you have caravans or tent for hire? No we don’t hire caravans or tents, however we do have a number of safari tents, camping and glamping pods, lodges and holiday cottages that can be hired. Can I hire camping equipment, travel cots or sleeping bags? We have a limited number of travel cots for hire but these will need to be requested at time of booking. We do not hire out sleeping bags or camping equipment, however our shops do stock some basic camping equipment that you can purchase. Can I hire cooking utensils? Sorry, no. Can I buy gas bottles from the site? Our Sewardstone sites stocks a range butane and propane gas bottles in a variety of sizes. Prices are available direct from the site (03000 030 623). This is our only site that stocks gas bottles. How can we pay the toll charge for the Dartford crossing? We recommend you pay this online before you start your journey. Can we have grocery shopping delivered to the site? Sorry, no. Deliveries of shopping to the site aren't permitted, however the site has a small shop stocking a range of products and there are also supermarkets a short drive from the site. Are pets allowed onsite? We welcome well behaved dogs, but they must be kept on a lead at all times. Dogs must be kept in the caravan, motorhome or tent at night. No dog is to be left unattended outside a tent, caravan or motorhome. We restrict this to a maximum of two dogs per pitch. Are dogs allowed in the camping pods? We have a few dog friendly safari tents, cabins, cocoons, Wigwams, lodges and glamping pods available, please request at time of booking if you need one of these to be allocated to you. This is essential as there's limited availability. Please note ther's an additional charge for dogs. Are there specific dog walking areas? Dobbs Weir has a riverside walk where dogs can be walked but must be kept on a lead. Sewardstone has a woodland walk which leads to Gunpowder Park and the River Lee where dogs are welcome. We just insist dogs are kept on leads at all times and kept out of the children's play area. Owners must clear up after their dogs Edmonton has a pathway down to the river which makes an ideal dog walk. Dogs must not be walked on the golf course Is there somewhere local to eat or drink? Almost Wild: a parade of shops is located about one mile from site in Broxbourne. This includes a bakers, butchers, off licence, pharmacy and a small supermarket Dobbs Weir : there is a very good cafe close to site and The Fish and Eels pub is also within walking distance from the site. Both are across the bridge Edmonton : The Navigation Inn is about a 15 – 20 minute walk away. If travelling by car the postcode is EN3 4XX Sewardstone: The Plough is within walking distance from the site and is open from 11:00. For breakfast or lunch there is also a very good cafe close to site Are there any local takeaways that deliver to the site? There are a number of takeaways that deliver to site. Can you buy drinks and food at the site? Our licensed site shop stocks a range of food and drink to buy. With the exception of Almost Wild where there’s no shop. Do you have the details of a local taxi company? Almost Wild : Broxbourne Station Cars Ltd - 01992 464 007 Dobbs Weir : Broxbourne Station Cars Ltd - 01992 464 007 Edmonton : Nightingale Cars – 020 8350 6147 Sewardstone : Mount Cars – 020 8529 111 or 01992 631 631 Getting out and about in the area Can I hire bikes from the site? Yes our Edmonton, Sewardstone and Dobbs Weir sites offer bike hire, you can book this when you do your initial booking or pop into reception to book during your stay. Do holiday makers get discount on golf at Lee Valley Camping and Caravan Park, Edmonton? Yes anyone staying at the site can received 10% off a round of golf – just pop into reception to book. Golf clubs are available to hire. What attractions and places are near to the campsite to visit? There’ll be information supplied in your welcome letter. To find out more about other Lee Valley Regional Park attractions go to visitleevalley.org.uk or when onsite pop into Reception, where you'll find whole host information on the attractions in the area. How far is the site from central London? Almost Wild is approximately 50 minutes away from central London via Broxbourne Station. Dobbs Weir is about 50 minutes away from central London. Broxbourne Station is a 35 minute walk along the canal or a 10 minute drive from the site. You can get a free parking pass for Broxbourne Riverside car park, which is close to the station. Just ask at Reception. Edmonton is about 50 minutes away. The easiest way to travel to central London is to take the train from Edmonton Green straight into London Liverpool Street. Sewardstone is a bus and train ride from central London. Catch the 215 bus, which runs all year round and calls at the site regularly. Every 20 minutes Monday – Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sundays. The bus takes you to Walthamstow Central, from there you can take the trains into central London. Where’s the nearest overground train station? Almost Wild : nearest station is Broxbourne, around a 20 minute walk from site Dobbs Weir : nearest train station is Broxbourne, which is a 10 minute drive or 35 minute walk along the canal. Each visitor receives a free car parking pass for Broxbourne Riverside car park which is close to the station, just ask at Reception Edmonton : nearest station is Edmonton Green which runs into London Liverpool Street in central London Sewardstone : nearest station is Chingford. There’s a bus stop outside the campsite where you can board a bus to Chingford Station What’s the most cost effective way to travel into London? There are a few ways to pay for any bus or train journey. It's worth noting that children aged 5 - 11 travel free of charge when accompanied by an adult on buses and underground trains plus some overground train routes are also free for a maximum of four children per adult. Please check tfl.gov.uk for more information. Contactless payment : just touch your contactless debit card at the payment points on the bus or at the train station and the system will automatically work out your journey costs for the whole day. Please note a separate debit card will be required for each person (who needs to pay for the journey) Oyster cards : available to purchase from any over or underground train station. These cards are valid throughout your stay and can be topped up as required Is the site within London's Low Emissions Zones Two of our sites, Sewardstone and Dobb Weir , are located outside of both the LEZ (Low Emission Zone) and ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) that's in place. Our Edmonton site is located within ULEZ and LEZ that's in place – if travelling to this site please check your vehicle compliance on the Transport for London website . Please also check your journey route to see if it enters either the LEZ or ULEZ as our Sewardstone site is very close to these zones. If you travel into London you may need to pay these charge and in central London there's also a Congestion Charging Zone. You can find out more about these zone on Transport for London's website . Please note these charges apply to non-UK registered vehicles too.

The Hamilton Book now > Special offer available Sleeps four people. Lovely, modern holiday lodge with two bedrooms and open plan living, dining and kitchen area. The no stress holiday option, with all the bits you need for a great break away. Hire BBQs, fire pits and bikes for your stay – see our holiday extras . This holiday lodge is dog friendly (maximum of two) please add them as an extra at time of booking. In the holiday lodge you’ll find: Two bedrooms: double bedroom; twin bedroom Open plan living area with seating and dining area Fully equipped kitchen Main family bathroom with bath with shower Cooking pans, utensils and kettle Dinnerware, cutlery, can opener, peeler and corkscrew Dedicated parking area next to lodge with EV charging point - charging costs are included in accommodation price The accommodation includes: Free WiFi Free WiFi (You can upgrade to superfast Wifi) Bedding and towels Welcome pack which complimentary tea, coffee and biscuit selection View image gallery to see this lodge in more detail. Holiday lodges are also available at: Lee Valley Campsite, Sewardstone Access guide If you need any more information on the accessibility of this accommodation please contact us. View floorplan in the gallery Parking : next to the holiday lodge with gravel surface, uneven ground Access to lodge : steps (with handrail) leading onto decked area Main entrance door : step over doorway lintel Outdoor space : decking directly accessed by patio doors. Around holiday lodge there’s grassed outdoor space with gravel parking area For accessibility information for our site and its facilities please see out listing on Access Able . Price The Hamilton: from £319 for a three night stay

< Back to What's On Lifewalk - open space Join our team for these great walks to improve you health and wellbeing Date: 15 December Time: 10:00 FREE Open Spaces Location: Email the team > Routes range from 1.7 miles to 3 miles in length. Each walk includes a designated front and back leader, enabling participants to walk at their preferred pace. While we encourage a pace that is slightly brisker than your usual walking speed, participants are welcome to proceed at their comfort level. These walks are social and support a healthy, active lifestyle. Cost: FREE On the day: a register will be taken at the start of each walk. Please arrive a few minutes early to ensure no delays. Parking: at Lee Valley White Water Centre, Lee Valley Athletics Centre and Lee Valley Ice Centre is free and you’ll need to input your car registration upon arrival. Please check our website for all other open space. To sign up and receive the monthly schedule please email activation@leevalleypark.org.uk Previous Next

< Back to What's On Health Qigong - Lee Valley White Water Centre - 12 Nov Tai Chi & Qigong: Gentle Movements, Powerful Results Date: 12 November Time: 13:30 FREE Lee Valley White Water Centre Location: Book your space > Join Dao Lu CIC and Lee Valley Regional Authority for a summer of tai chi and health qigong sessions right in the beautiful grounds of Lee Valley White Water Centre. We’ve got back-to-back Thursday sessions for you over 15 weeks (13 August - 19 November): Tai Chi - 11:30 to 13:00 Qigong (Liu Zi Jue or Six Healing Sounds) - 13:30 to 15:00 . Feel free to try one or both! These sessions are perfect for beginners or anyone at any level. Plus, kids are welcome if they come with a parent or guardian. Previous Next

< Back to What's On Lee Valley Vampires vs Slough Odyssey Cheer on Lee Valley Vampires at their home game Date: 10 January Time: 16:30 Lee Valley Ice Centre Location: See the fixtures > Cheer on the Lee Valley Vampires as they battle through the ladies Ice Hockey League. Previous Next

< Back to What's On Lee Valley Bats vs Streatham Storm Cheer on Lee Valley Bats at their home game Date: 12 December Time: 14:00 Lee Valley Ice Centre Location: See the fixtures > Cheer on the Lee Valley Bat as they battle through the ladies Ice Hockey League. Previous Next

Contact us > Lee Lodge (2026) £125,000 Location: Lee Valley Campsite, Sewardstone Plot number: Plot 15 - Premium (download map ) The home fully furnished with a luxury package and is finished to the highest specification throughout. There’s a large lounge area which extends onto the open plan kitchen/diner. The lounge has double doors onto the front exterior and personal deck space. There’s an attractive fireplace feature and air conditioning to accommodate both summer and winter living climates. The lounge extends onto the kitchen/breakfast area where there are ample windows allowing for plenty of natural light. The kitchen has a white high gloss finish kitchen and offers fully integrated appliances including dishwasher, washing machine, eye level microwave and oven with electric hob. The rear of the home provides two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master suite houses a double bed, fitted wardrobes and a dressing table area. To support the master bedroom is a luxury en-suite shower room with shower, wash hand basin and low-level WC. The second bedroom measures 9’4 x 7’t and houses a single bed and fitted wardrobe. This is supported by the main shower room which offers a double walk-in shower, wash hand basin and low flush WC. The unit is built to a fully residential specification with full double glazing, LPG gas central heating and mains plumbing. Located on a holiday site the annual licence allow occupation for 11 months of the year (March – January) the site is closed in February when the holiday home must be vacated. Room sizes Caravan over all dimensions: 45’ x 13’ Lounge/kitchen: 18′ 8" x 12′ 11" (5.69m x 3.94m) Hall: 11′ 3" x 3′ 3" (3.43m x 0.99m) Bedroom one: 10′ 6" x 12′ 11 max" (3.2m x 3.94m) En-suite bathroom: 5′ 1" x 5′ 1" (1.55m x 1.55m) Bedroom two: 9′ 4" x 7′ (2.84m x 2.13m) Exterior Parking available (space next to home to be confirmed) Communallawned grounds surround the unit Utilities Electricity: via standpoint and billed individually to each unit on personal usage Water and sewerage charges: included within the annual pitch fees Heating: bottle LPG Gas Council tax: exempt Broadband: available, superfast WiFi available for additional charge Mobile signal and coverage: varies between providers Superfast premium WiFi Holiday home owners can upgrade WiFi to a premium superfast service which costs £25 per month . Installation fees may be payable depending on when installed. Tenure and charges Ownership is under licence with Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. Annual fees Annual pitch fees are payable by all holiday home owners - monthly direct debit payment options are available. Fees are: Premium pitch: £4,110 Decking fee: £390

< Back 11. Pergola Garden, Rose Garden and exotic plants 11. Pergola Garden, Rose Garden and exotic plants Artist Name 00:00 / 02:01 Narrator: When Bowles first had a Pergola built here, its oak frame was made from trees that were grown on the estate. But the wood has long since rotted away. The pergola that stands here now was put up in the 1980s. Roses, honeysuckle, wisteria, and low growing herbaceous plants grow here[OU1] . A second smaller pergola is devoted to vines. The formal Rose Garden was created in Edwardian times. At its heart stands Enfield’s old Market Cross. - Bowles persuaded his father to buy it from a builder’s yard in 1906, for just a few pounds. He wrote about it: Voice of Bowles: it came here for a quiet time among the roses and makes a splendid support and background for that lovely single-flowered climber Rosa ‘Anemone . Narrator: Bryan Hewitt remembers that when renovation work started here in the 1980s, this area was a tangled mess, with plants’ shoots, or suckers, cropping up all over the place: Bryan Hewitt: The rose garden was in a terrible state when I came here in 1982. There were suckers from a nearby poplar coming up through the… path; all around the beds and the rose garden and all the box hedging had been ripped out and there weren’t many roses left from Bowles’ time and those that were there were not properly identified and some had reverted to suckers, so they had to be ripped up and removed. And so we put in a new layer of soil, and replanted with some varieties that were around in Bowles’ time. To add interest to the garden we do know that Bowles planted phlocks and salvias and other perennial plants like peonies, because he didn’t want just roses in the garden he wanted to increase the seasons of interest when the roses weren’t flowering. Rose Garden Narrator: An old brick pillar is topped by a stone ball. It is an eye-catching feature on this curiously shaped wall - known as the Irishman’s Shirt. Bryan Hewitt will explain how it acquired its unusual name, after Bowles brought the Tudor pillar back here from nearby Gough Park. Bryan Hewitt: it was about eight or nine feet tall and was diamond shaped as seen from above and had some wonderful brickwork with very fine lines of cement which Mr Bowles greatly admired and Bowles said “yes, I’d like that and we can put it up in the garden!”. So it was sawn in half somehow and it was bought here by a horse and cart … And it was erected where you see it here to this day and Bowles capped it with a stone ball and he noticed when it was completed that the ball looks as if it wants to roll to the left as seen from one side and looked at from the right it looks as if it wants to roll to the other side. He went up it with a ladder and checked it with a spirit level and to his surprise it is absolutely square on that plinth, and it is simply an optical illusion caused by the diamond shape of the pillar. And Bowles…added a wall and a summerhouse, all built from reclaimed materials – bricks, columns, the tiles on the floor – and then beyond, heading east, the other wall and then it turned right with the wall and headed south a couple of feet and finished it with that wonderful serpentine brickwork that you see. And he called the whole thing the Irishman’s Shirt, because he’d heard a tale of a cheeky Irish tinker who’d knocked on a kindly old lady’s door and asked her if she’d be so kind as to sew a shirt onto his button… Narrator: Bowles grew many tender plants in the bed on the southern, sheltered, side of the wall - in the hope that they would survive the winter. To this day the gardeners at Myddelton use this area to experiment with growing unusual and exotic pants. Exotic plants Narrator: The gardeners at Myddelton continue to follow in Bowles’s footsteps. The beds on the south side of the Irishman’s Shirt are used to experiment with the types of plants that can be grown here. Let’s hear from Bryan Hewitt: Bryan Hewitt: Well, Bowles was very keen to see what he could get away with growing; what would come through the winter in the garden… A lot of tender stuff would be put in there and I think he was a bit like his friend Professor Balfour of the Edinburgh Botanical Garden, who … said that “I never believe that a plant is not hardy until I’ve killed it”. So I suspect he got through a lot of plants through testing them. … We’ve got some bananas in there at the moment. … And we’ve got another plant called Albizia julibrissins which is in the leguminous family which has lovely pincushion-like flowers. He also grew a banksias rose, which is slightly tender, on the Irishman’s Shirt. He wrote in his book My Garden in Summer … in 1914 that he had hoped that one day it would eventually encircle the ball on the top of the column in the corner ... …I think Mr Bowles liked people to think they’d come to another country when they came to this garden, with the wonderful exotic things; in his day… it was a very, very famous garden. And some of these plants, which are common now, had not been seen before. I would like to recreate, somehow, the magic that he had here by growing challenging plants and constantly pushing the boundaries.

< Back 13. Kitchen Garden and its history 13. Kitchen Garden and its history Artist Name 00:00 / 03:29 Narrator: MUSIC: Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses Levasseur to fade in at Once a week the cook had a conference Fruit and vegetables have probably been grown in this area since the 16thcentury. Even in Bowles’ day the house was virtually self sufficient - with a strict rotation of crops. Potatoes, swedes, kale, lettuce, turnips and cabbage all grew here. As well as vegetables there were trained fruit trees, which supplied the house with apples, pears, plums, peaches and nectarines. Once a week the cook had a “conference” with Bowles, to discuss the meal requirements for the week ahead. The Head Gardener was issued with a list of fruit and veg, which an under-gardener gathered together and took to the kitchens by eleven o’clock each morning. But things did not always run so smoothly! Alfred Swatton, the head gardener here for over 40 years, kept an eagle eye on his kitchen garden. Early one morning he caught Mina, the Austrian cook, taking his best apples from the tree near his house. MUSIC: Continues and runs under scene Short scene: Male voice shouts SFX sound of feet running across gravel MALE VOICE Oi, you! What do you think you’re doing? Narrator: He was livid, and stormed out in his pyjamas to give her a piece of his mind! She never did it again. Alfred Swatton & The Kitchen Gardens Narrator: When Alfred Swatton came to Myddelton House from Kew Gardens, he and his family lived in Augustus Lodge, just outside the Kitchen Garden. Swatton worked here as head gardener for over 40 years – despite the fact that he and Bowles did not always see eye to eye. Once a week Bowles would walk down into the Kitchen Garden for an update on how things were going. Fruit and veg weren’t the only things that were grown here: cut flowers were also grown in the Kitchen Garden. These were picked for the house, and for the local Church, where Bowles was churchwarden for many years. Cornflowers and Gladiolus were favourites, but there was also a large bed of white trumpeted, regal lilies. One gardener, Charlie Smith, remembered that Bowles always made a point of stopping to sniff the lilies . He would walk on, totally unaware that they had left his nose a pollen stained orange colour. There used to be two vast compost heaps in the kitchen garden: one for fresh material and one for mature material. In winter it was not unusual to see four frozen gardeners standing in the steaming mature heap, warming their feet School of Pharmacy and the Royal Free Hospital Narrator: After Bowles died in 1954, the estate was sold to the School of Pharmacy and the Royal Free Hospital. The Kitchen Garden was turned into a medicinal garden for teaching and research. A comprehensive collection of plants was propagated and grown here. These provided live material for undergraduate research. The western end of the Potting Shed, which is now the gardeners’ rest room, was converted into a laboratory. From here plant material was delivered to the School of Pharmacy in London. The whole operation was kept secret because a number of poisons and drugs – including cannabis - were grown here. For 48 years this was the site of important research into pain relief.

< Back 17. Rock Garden 17. Rock Garden Artist Name 00:00 / 00:56 Narrator: The Rock Garden was Bowles’ favourite place to spend time, as Bryan Hewitt explains: Bryan Hewitt: The rock garden, … was an area he looked after himself personally. He knew it intimately and he knew even when he was blind he could still take you to where he knew a plant would be growing and he’d know what state of growth it would be in as well. … When the weather was good he’d be out there until four o’clock; and that’s why he had his ashes scattered in the rock garden, because it was his favourite part of the garden. Narrator: Bowles started work on the Rock Garden when he was in his early 20s. It was his first venture into garden design. Later, he wrote about it. Voice of Bowles: It is a Rock Garden but by no means an alpine garden, for though alpine plants have a first choice of place I have always been ready to plant any bush or even tree in it.