Alterations
1964 the Victorian style garden had lots of fruit trees trained on the walls, an orchard and a large vegetable
garden. What flower borders existed held hardy old flower plants and shrubs. Some of these were kept for use
with the new ideas. It seemed that the estate had been self-sufficient in the past. Most of the new alterations
were to be done by the Head gardener, but Sir Richard Harvey employed a local builder to complete any brick work
or path laying that would be required. When going to the right of the front of the house through the archway
with an iron gate you find yourself on the upper lawns, adjacent to the justice room and kitchen area. The
beginning of the alterations started here down to the retaining wall and steps just before the lovely ilex tree.
A great deal of lawn levelling was done to the upper lawn, after the erection of the retaining wall and stone
steps. The York stone path was added at a later date. After the leveling of the lawns the roses and clematis
were added at a later stage. Some of the better fruit trees (mainly pears) were left. Another part of the
project and the largest part was the moving of the waterway from the level parallel with the ilex tree This
Dordogne was very deep and old. The waterway came into the garden between the yew trees, turned towards and
below the ilex level and bank there and came out at the bottom of the vegetable garden.
A new hatch was added to the lower Dordogne to hold water back into the garden.