Solid Chalk
The plan was to start from the front of the house in the Autumn/Winter of 1964/65.The garden had previously been well maintained in its Victorian state by Mrs Morton Fisher. This plan was drawn up between Sir Richard Harvey, Lady Harvey and their Head gardener, Ralph Palladino. During each of the following seasons (winter and summer) they completed a piece of the garden. The first stage at the front of the house was completed between 1964-5 .The front two wide borders were remade and replanted with climbing roses etc. also the borders were filled with plants Gertrude Jekyll style. The left-side was completed firstly and then the right –hand side. The right hand border was dug out to a depth of 3 feet(solid chalk). After this the drive was redone. In the years 1965-66 the same procedure followed at the rear top of the garden adding the wall and steps level (Ilex level).The next step 1966-67 was altering the deep Dordogne and filling with chalk taken from the front garden dig-out. The new waterway which now exists was the largest of all of the changes to the Priory garden made by Lady Harvey and her Head-Gardener, Ralph Palladino. The digging out for the new water course and the filling in of the old Dordogne was completed 1966/67. The change over was made by using a mini-digger and a dumper truck. Getting these implements into the main garden gate presented a problem. This single four foot gate was therefore changed into a double gate , so a slice of wall was taken away. The top of this was taken off and it was retiled. The tiled capping on top of these walls were constantly being repaired. This too was when the chalk was taken out of the front borders two feet deep to make proper nine foot border. This was refilled with good soil. The chalk was kept in a pile by the gate near to the farm buildings. This chalk was then loaded on to the truck and used to refill the deep Dordogne in the main garden. The good soil from the new water course was used to complete the new top surface for the old Dordogne. Then began the complete leveling and grass seeding down to the present water course. When digging out the new water course there was a bowl(near willow)where quite a number of flints were found. For a start it was thought to be a flint mine , but on reflection it could have been the foundations of a path.Explaining Left and Right Borders at the Front of the House
The left narrow border dug out from end to end, three to four feet deep and all bind weed eradicated (lots of broken tiles found below, maybe from mending of the roof in the past). Right border was created by the head gardener (not much of a border 3-6 inches of soil on solid chalk), so it was decided to dig out border 9ft wide and 3 ft deep the length of the wall. Chalk below was solid, had to be picked out and carted away ready to refill Dordogne at the ilex tree when altering run of water to lower part of the garden (this was successful). Soil from new water way removed (topsoil) to refill old waterway at ilex tree – so creating the look in the garden today. All work done by small trailer drawn by a small petrol machine and a wooden 6ft by 3ft trolley on rubber tyres. This tractor had many implements including a small trailer. Cultivating and reseeding the lawns were accomplished with this machine. The trailer attachment was to be the most useful as the gardens were enhanced over the years. Note – chalk wall to back of front right border I will mention later on in drives made to the house.