The Gardens of All Saints Church and Vicarage - a developing picture.....

By Andrew Morgan MBE

Not long after HRH he Prince of Wales moved to Highgrove he kindly invited the residents of Abbeyfield – a housing charity providing sheltered housing and care homes for elderly people – to visit the garden, and I was enlisted to help on the day. This was a revelation to me; the marvellous vistas and the juxtaposition of formal and informal gardens together with the expert pleaching and topiary and the wildflower meadow all set my mind racing. Although I had always enjoyed gardening, inevitably I had a suburban mindset and lacked the vision of our future King.

The gardens behind All Saints Church and 68-70 Pembroke Road, all belong to a Private Trust and was given a free hand to pull them together with the help of two excellent gardeners. When the church was first re-built, the architect was most insistent on clear lines so as not to distract from the spectacular brutalist architecture and the intricacy of the adjoining Victorian St Richard Chapel. A later donation of Lime Trees in memory of a past member of the congregation and planted in a line on the corner of Alma Vale Road, have now been expertly pleached into an imposing green box which sets off the architecture of the building magnificently and also provides a wonderful entrance to Alma Vale Road. The very fine war memorial has been underplanted with white roses which, as they mature, are entirely in keeping with the purpose of this structure.

From the rear of the church, steps lead down to a gravel terrace which  overlooks the main garden,comprising of extensive lawns dominated by an unusual Preaching Cross - a cross sometimes surmounting a pulpit, which is erected outdoors to designate a preaching place. The Cross forms  a central focus to the garden which is bounded on the eastern side by a long border featuring a variety of flowering trees and shrubs. A particular attraction of this garden is the specialist mature trees which were skilfully planted on the northern side and which provide dappled light during the hot summer months as well as shelter from rain showers at other times of the year.

From this romantic arbour a small gate leads into the Topiary Garden entirely planted with Yew and Box with a flagstone path and patio using the flagstones taken from the basement of the original house. This area features an exceedingly fine Urn believed to have been made for The Great Exhibition in Paris in 1889, which I purchased, had restored then placed on a stone plinth. 

Each year it is planted with brightly coloured annuals giving a splash of colour in an otherwise dark green oasis. Sadly, in common with other areas in Clifton, the Box has been badly attacked by caterpillars and disease which has devasted this garden. I am particularly upset to lose the Knot garden. However, the Yew still thrives, so all is not lost!  A possible way forward is to plant box substitue hedging, such as Euonymus ‘Green Rocket’, or Teucrium x lucidrys - commonly known as germander - both of which are being used at Highgrove whose gardens have not been immune to box blight.  Here, as soon as the box shows signs of infection or infestation it is grubbed out and replaced with this sort of alternative evergreen hedging. 

The fortuitous acquisition of the garden to the rear of 70 Pembroke Road and the recue of two gates in a local skip gave us the opportunity to create an herbaceous and rose garden. This sunny enclave has been planted around the boundaries with Yew which will eventually provide more seclusion, as well as encourage a microclimate to grow more exotic flowers. The attractive garden shed was an extravagant but useful addition but provides a focus when viewed from the long grass walk.

The front garden of 68 Pembroke Road, has one of the finest Magnolia trees in Clifton; braced and supported now, it still brings gasps from passers by, who frequently stop to take photographs when it is in full flower in the late spring. Within its orbit, I have now created a small wildflower garden, creating a distinct woodland ambiance, further enhanced with a fine selection of Hellebores. Shrubs are deliberately kept low in this area so that passers by may enjoy the view of the St Richard Chapel through this woodland glade, one of the many beautiful vistas in these gardens.

I return regularly to Highgrove, and whilst we can in no way compete with its splendours, I like to think that deferring to and emulating its skills, knowledge and design in the gardens of All Saints Church and Vicarage has certainly brought many visitors much enjoyment over the years.

Andrew Morgan MBE
May 2023