Old Colwall Garden

Another of the Malverns hidden gems. Old Colwall occupies a site that was owned by the Church until the Reformation. A ‘William de Oldecolewall' was identified as a tenant of the Bishop of Hereford in a record dating from 1250, and in 1354 an ‘Adam of Old Collewall’ held land here. The present house was built for William Brydges in 1704.

The garden contains elements that span this entire period. An enormous yew tree overlooks the garden from the south-west. in 1856 its girth was recorded as 25 feet. lt is the oldest tree in the garden. The walled gardens to the north of the house, with their unusual tricorn capping bricks, date largely from the early 1700s. The lower walls in front of the east elevation are the result of early 1800s

The yew walk, which forms the heart of the garden planted in the early 1700s. ln 1856 there was a record of the hedge being 180ft long, two and a half foot wide, and fourteen foot high. lt has grown considerably since then. The hedge is trimmed once a year, using a cherry-picker, and takes the best part of two weeks to complete.

  

There was still colour and variety in the garden though, like everywhere, turning autumnal.