Beaudesert (house) - The Gardens

The Gardens

The gardens at Beaudesert were quite large and extended from the hall to Castle Ring. A wide pathway called the Broad Walk ran the length of the gardens. The lower end of Broad Walk near the hall had yew hedge on either side which had topiary in the form of 24 peacock shapes. From Broad Walk access could be gained to the terrace sitting room on the first floor of the hall, this was gained by the way of a stone terrace beneath which and supporting it on the lawn side were several stone arches. The most outstanding feature of the gardens was a chain of about seven lily ponds. The water would fall from the first pond high up in the garden and cascade by the way of waterfalls into the next one until the water from the last pool but one ran under a stone bridge and then cascaded into the pond nearest to the hall by the way of a 14 ft high waterfall. The gardens were landscapes with ornamental shrubs such as azaleas, rhododendrons and mahonias, these are all still present today and contrast with the surrounding pine forest landscape. In 1937 Lord Anglesey gave 123 acres of land on which the gardens stood to the scouts, guides and other associations and organisations having similar purposes. The Beaudesert Trust was set up to administer the land. A camping site was opened on 2 July 1938 by H.R.H. The Princess Royal. Since then the camp has been used by the scout groups using the site.