The Memory Garden at Compton Acres

Today I'm sharing a small part of a garden in Dorset which I visited last March. Compton Acres is in Poole and is one of the most amazing spaces I've been to in a long while.  I've shared little of it here so far, I'm not quite sure why - maybe because there are so many photos to wade through, or perhaps because it's full of plenty of stunning gardens and I want to do it justice.

But I can't do it justice without starting so I'm doing just that and starting with one of the most poignant spaces and that's this small memory garden which was dedicated to the owner's three children in the mid-1950s. 

GARDEN OF MEMORY

AND WITH THE MORN THOSE ANGEL FACES SMILE WHICH HAVE LOVED LONG SINCE & LOST AWHILE

The names of the children, Dick, Elizabeth and Anne are engraved in wooden benches in the small circular space. The son was killed in 1942 while flying in the RAF and the daughters died of polio.

It's believed that their mother arranged flowers from the garden in what I fist thought was a bird bath, but is in fact described as a font. It is, of course, made from local Portland stone and somehow the reflection of the trees in the water echoed the poignancy of its origin.

For me this space proved you can have the smallest of spaces, but it can still be moving and as beautiful as anything larger and full of plants.

Two loos at Max Gate

It's been a little while since I've shared a loo, or two here, so that's just what I've got planned for today. And just like buses, there's two - both from the same National Trust property, Max Gate.  I shared pictures from the garden there last month, but our visit - well mine anyway - actually started in the loo, and it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

To set the scene, Max Gate is, or was, Thomas Hardy's house and had had tenants until relatively recently. So when I found myself in the loo, I was surprised to find myself in a normal bathroom, and one with a bath.  

It really was quite odd. Mainly because the bath felt out of place, and I couldn't help wonder if any visitors to the property took advantage of the bath, even now remembering I'm having a little giggle.  

I think the picture below - and my face - sum up my bemusement.  

The bathroom was functional and clean, and well, just a little domestic, and if you're wondering full of flowery charm, and thankfully no one in the bath!  In fact I was so set back my the bathroom that I insisted MOH visited before we headed out into the garden.  Humouring me he did, and he left just as bemused - see, my work here (or rather, there) was done...

But it wasn't the only loo in the house, and I did promise you two.

Upstairs it was an entirely different story, and a loo, you're more accustomed to seeing here.  I mean, just look at that wallpaper. 

I'd happily have the wallpaper on the top half of the wall today, I'm less keen on the border and striped lower half, but it just screams tradition doesn't it? 

And traditional also means a high level cistern.  

And a chance to admire that gorgeous wallpaper again. 

So there you have it, two more loos, and another first for the Loo Series as I'm pretty sure this must be the first to include a bath. I'm curious now though, have you experienced anything similar?

The Max Gate garden

Max Gate is the Victorian house that Thomas Hardy designed himself, and it's a great looking house. It's in Dorchester and was on our To Visit List during our stay near Swanage last Spring. It was a damp and grey day on our visit and so our visit started in the house, but there were many glimpses on the garden as we made our way around.

It was the type of garden that was like our own domestic gardens. It was probably a bit larger than most domestic gardens, but what I mean is that it wasn't one of those grand and well manicured gardens. That's not to say it wasn't charming, it was, but it was quite normal, if you know what I mean.

Almost as soon as we entered the garden we were at the potting shed, which you'll know is regularly my highlight of any garden. This one was small and it seems that Hardy wasn't such a fan as me, as it seems that a shed only appeared on the records in 1928, which is the year of his death.  I can't imagine that his dying wish was to build a potting shed, so I suspect someone took charge when they could.

Perhaps it was Bertie Norman Stephens, the gardener from 1926. This blackboard in the shed sheds (no pun intended) more light on the gardener and his tasks.

What was great though was you could actually get in the shed and have a nose around among the seedlings.

And it was the first time I've seen peas hanging up like this, and it gave me an idea - as well as reminding me that guttering is great for peas.

You might be wondering how I knew these were peas, well the photo below gives that away.

Look closely and the guttering is pretty special too. It's not the plastic sort I have, and totally in keeping with a make do and mend approach to life.  There was also produce available for donations, just look at that rhubarb.

From many parts of the garden you got a great view of the house. It's the kind of house that really appeals to me, one with nooks and crannies and plenty of architectural detail, and not box-shaped at all.  I'm sure the number of roofs and varying heights makes it a nightmare to maintain, but it's a good looking house.

Hardy planted the trees to shelter the garden and gradually created a beautiful garden, with a croquet lawn and the Nut Walk and often he would walk along here every day.

The woodland area was great to see as our garden has many trees, and its these gardens which give me ideas of plants to introduce in our garden, especially those that will add some colour interest. The bluebells were about to burst into flower, and the raindrops on the leaves just emphasised their lushness.

It was here that I spotted a row of forsythia cuttings in a row and gave me the idea to do something similar.  I don't think my cuttings have made it, but I'm definitely going to try this again.  

I'll leave you with another shot of the house, it really is a good looking house isn't it? - and the recommendation to pop along and see the house and the garden for yourself if you're close by.