As mentioned in the last post on Thursday afternoon we visited Westonbury Water Mill Gardens, near Pembridge. We first discovered these gardens when we stayed for a long weekend in Herefordshire some years ago and I've been wanting to re-visit since we bought the static caravan.
The gardens are set around the Curl brook and cover about 5 acres. They have been developed over the last 20 or so years by the owners and include several unusual follies.
The Stone Tower was the first folly to be constructed and was built when the owner Richard Pim found a small iron water wheel. Water gushes from the mouths of gargoyles and the Tower is the home to white doves.
The Glass Dome was built from 5000 wine bottles and when it is sunny it creates a stained glass effect.
The giant cuckoo clock is powered by water.
The Spiral Mound
The rill and pagoda are recent additions and the rill has a solar powered water pump. The idea is that you ascend the spiral mound and look down the length of the water toward the end and look through the rose pergola to the hills in the distance.
Oontitoomps!!!
After wandering round the gardens we sat outside the tearoom and had tea and cake - mine was carrot cake :)
*DMe playing "King of the Castle"
Photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one or one of my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).
14 comments:
Can't go wrong with a nice piece of carrot cake can you? I hope Timothy had some? Well done on sneaking in oontitoomps!
The wooden sculpture of the horse reminds me of a thestral.
I hope you haven't blown away yet. It's certainly been wild and windy here overnight and still blowing now.
Rustic Pumpkin - Thanks so much. Carrot cake one of my favourites and yes Timothy tucked in!!!
Will have to check out thestral!
Not been to bad here at home but I bet its windy in Herefordshire. Hope weather improves for you today.
Rustic Pumpkin - Harry Potter!!
LoL!!! 👏👏👏
What a splendidly wacky garden.
Rustic Pumpkin Smiles - sorry can't put emoji in reply on my system!
John "By Stargoose and Hanglands" - Thanks so much - yes it is rather unusual there and quirky :)
Those oontitoomps get everywhere! Looks like a splendid garden to visit with all its quirky follies to explore. I wonder if that cuckoo make people jump if they are nearby on the hour. Good to play king of the castle especially if you can have carrot cake afterwards:)
Rosie - Thanks so much and yes they do! To be honest we never actually heard the cuckoo clock go off - I only got a photo because a man was demonstrating how the clock mechanism worked so when cuckoo popped out I didn't actually hear a noise. You can't beat carrot cake :)
What a lovely place to visit. Some lovely ideas in the planning of it. Loved that stained glass dome.
Bovey Belle - Thank you - its a lovely quirky garden.
I love this garden.
On one of our visits we enocuntered the owner who was trying to fix the cuckoo clock that had failed to chime!
CherryPie - Thanks so much. Its a quirky garden. I hope the owner fixed it.
I knew you would end with cake when I saw tea room on the map! Looks like a really lovely place. The follies are rather fun and the glass dome is brilliant on the inside. I also love that wooden statue of the horse.
Millymollymandy - Thanks so much - lol re: cake. Thankfully for me son seems to have temporarily abandoned his diet otherwise there would have been no cake! It is a wonderful garden - have fond memories of our first visit hence the desire to return :)
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