Our famous Water Garden is one of the best-designed water gardens in Hampshire, all whilst retaining the feel of a private garden. It was John Spedan Lewis’ own private garden; a place where he spent time relaxing as well as managing his retail business from – in fact, the thatched summer house was often used as his office! Much of the layout and planting was inspired by the vision of John Spedan Lewis and the famous Water Garden still retains a good deal of its original layout, although a few changes have been made over the years.
How the Water Garden Has Grown
The Water Garden team have worked hard to preserve the original character and design of the garden, whilst adding some modern touches – particularly to the planting style. By planting grasses and mixed swathes of planting, the Water Garden has achieved a beautiful display of natural but striking planting patterns.
One of the most recent changes in the Water Garden is the development of a new pathway. Improving the route around the garden has made it much more accessible, and this also means the garden is far more resilient on those wet, rainy days that we are all too familiar with. As well as this, Partners in the Water Garden have now opened a whole new area of the site, giving visitors a spectacular view across the whole garden.
The Water Garden and Sustainability
The team at the Water Garden, like all areas of the Leckford Estate, are committed to working sustainably and ethically wherever possible. The garden is encouraged to blend naturally with the environment, creating natural habitats for animals and insects. Our Partners at the Water Garden have even introduced a new beehive into the garden, as part of their ongoing mission to nurture the environment surrounding them.
One way the Water Gardens promote sustainability is through reusing spent mushroom compost from the Estate’s own mushroom farm to mulch the borders in the garden. There are also plans for the future, including replacing power tools with cleaner and quieter electric tools to avoid disrupting the natural environment and wildlife.
Why do the Partners Love the Water Gardens So Much?
The team at the Water Garden absolutely love seeing visitors enjoy the garden – especially when they introduce something new. One of our Partners at the Water Garden noted, “It’s great to see the visitors’ reaction to the garden and get their feedback on any new planting or design.”
One of the biggest challenges over the past 12 months was having to adapt the garden to welcome visitors back. The team worked hard to make sure visitors got to experience as much as possible during their visit, whilst still complying with the restrictions in place at the time.
For the Partners, the garden is a great place to work - not only because of its charm and stunning views, but also because of the amazing feedback they get from visitors. After a long period of lockdown, Partners recall that some visitors were overwhelmed by the beauty and serenity of the garden and visitors remarked how they felt refreshed after strolling around the beautiful Water Garden.
Come and Visit the Famous Water Garden in Hampshire
The Water Garden is open right through until 31st October with lots of seasonal interest.
Tickets are available online - visit our website for Water Garden booking and visitor information.
The team is looking forward to welcoming you to the garden before it closes for 2021. Book your ticket, come along and say hello.
While you’re here, there’s plenty to do on Leckford Estate! Our cafe in the park, Cherry Tree Cafe, is available for drinks, snacks and sandwiches. Sit in the gorgeous park and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Leckford Estate.
