A Garden with a View - The Mill Garden

I was lucky enough to be invited to visit The Mill Garden in Warwick on a sunny afternoon in late September. Little did I know that this garden would be one of the best examples I have ever seen of what garden designers describe as a garden with a "borrowed view", where features beyond the boundaries of a garden appear to be part of the garden itself.

The borrowed view of the Mill Garden is spectacular with Warwick Castle as a backdrop on one side rising out of the garden with a huge sense of scale, and the river Avon framing the garden to the other side. The lawn slopes gently toward the river taking in a picture perfect view of the old abandoned bridge which used to carry the road from Warwick to London. The house itself was originally the bridge keepers cottage and has a history going back hundreds of years.

The house and garden are tucked away down a small cobbled street lined with historic houses each of which has its own distinct character and gives a sense of stepping back in time. The street curves gently and so the Mill Garden is hidden from view until you reach the very end of the houses where a quaint and unassuming pink cottage comes into view.

The Cottage belongs to Julia Measures and her husband David Russell and was previously owned by Julia's father Arthur who originally rented the house before purchasing it from the Earl of Warwick in 1959. Julia has been connected with this place all her life and the story of how she met her husband David, and kept the garden she believed she may need to let go, is a fairytale in itself.

Gardens are as much about the people who "garden" them as the garden itself. This garden has been a constant thread interwined throughout Julia's life so I was thrilled to meet Julia and her husband on my visit, and hear first hand, from her, some of the history of this spectacular place.

As you step in to the garden the Castle backdrop is breathtaking with it's turreted tower and huge expanse of grey stone wall running along the length of the garden. The dull grey of the Castle wall tones in perfectly with the pale pink of the Cottage, and its out-buildings, drawing the two together in a very subtle way.

The entrance to the garden has a Cottage Garden feel with bird baths, benches to sit and take in the view as well as a collection of earthenware and terracotta pots displayed beautifully on an old stone bench.

The planting here is very low and close to the ground comprising many alpine type plants in a subtle hue of colours including lilac, pink and white but framed by silver colour foliage. Height has been obtained by growing climbers along the walls of the outbuildings drawing the eye away from the Castle and out towards the garden beyond.

Not only does this garden draw on features beyond its own boundaries, but it also has a very cleverly designed series of paths which lead you, in twists and turns, through the garden. The garden is not that big in size but by using this clever design it is revealed to you bit by bit and so appears to be a lot larger than it actually is.

From the entrance to the garden and the Cottage, a path leads past the low level planting, through a lawn and down to the lower level garden. There is just a glimpse of water beyond and at first glance this seems to be a lake rather than the river itself - it's only as you walk further along the path that the whole view is revealed and you can look back to see the bridge. It is breathtaking and design at its very best.

The stone path continues to weave its way and lead you around the garden making clever use of planting and shrubs to gradually reveal, hide or frame a particular view. This garden should be on every garden designers wish list and be a must have addition to garden design tuition courses. It's only small in size but packs so much in.

The borrowed view doesn't stop at the river, bridge and castle - it also comprises mature trees beyond the river which frame in the view and link up with very tall trees within the garden itself which give the impression of being somewhere in the country rather than in the middle of Warwick Town. It's breathtaking both visually and in terms of design.

What I loved about this garden, as much as the garden itself, were the people. Julia and her husband are very unassuming but were available during my visit to ask questions, share knowledge or plants. They also share the garden not only to passing visitors but by opening for the NGS Garden Scheme and over the years they have raised a substantial amount of money for charities.

They also connect with other nearby gardens and gardeners and help provide training opportunities for the WAGS garden scheme.

It would be very easy to keep this beautiful oasis private and enjoy it only for themselves but instead they, like many other gardeners, share and I am sure that they get a lot of pleasure themselves from doing just that.

As you wander around the garden it feels so natural but there is some very clever and subtle curation going on too. There are lots of intimate viewpoints and vistas and places where you can just stop and take in the view.

The garden is scattered with nods to a time past. There are old stocks, benches, pots, garden rollers and staddle stones too.

I had such an enjoyable afternoon at Julia's garden and I would recommend making the effort to visit Warwick sometime and see this beautiful garden for yourself.

Guineveres Garden | Garden Writer