Mount Ephraim Gardens is an

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

terraced gardens located at

Hernhill Hernhill is a village and civil parish between Faversham and Canterbury in southeast England. The parish includes the hamlets of Crockham, Dargate, The Fostall, Lamberhurst, Oakwell, Staple Street, Thread, Waterham and Wey Street. Churches Duri ...

, near

Faversham Faversham is a market town in Kent, England, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2, which follows an ancient British t ...

, in the English county of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

History

The gardens are laid out around a large house and estate. It was originally built in 1695, then rebuilt in 1878 and then extended 1913 all for the Dawes family. The house is listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England, and its gardens are also Grade II listed on the

Register of Historic Parks and Gardens The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by Historic England ...

. The gardens were laid out in the early 1900s, but after wartime neglect (when most adult men were enlisted in wartime services) were substantially restored by Mary and Bill Dawes from the early 1950s. Mary Dawes was involved in the day-to-day running of the gardens until her death in 2009, at the age of 93. Mount Ephraim has never been a 'professionally' maintained garden, but Mary had always lovingly tended it.

Description

Mount Ephraim Gardens have a large collection of spring bulbs, trees and shrubs including Rhododendrons, many types of Camellias and

Magnolias ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

. It has various areas, including the Millennium Rose Garden. It also has a large Sweet Chestnut, planted to commemorate the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

. The 'Miz-maze' was planted in 2004 on the slopes of a former

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

. Based on an ancient labyrinth called a

Mizmaze Mizmaze (or Miz-Maze or Miz Maze) is the name given to two of England's eight surviving historic turf mazes, and also to a third, presumably once similar site (at Leigh in Dorset) that is now merely a relic. Of the two which survive, one is at Br ...

(Mary Dawes, who lived at Mount Ephraim for sixty years, was always known to family and friends as 'Miz'). It was created by garden designer Sarah Morgan. Although based on a traditional labyrinth design, the layout incorporates some dead-ends, making it a hybrid between a maze and a labyrinth. The pattern of the grass paths is marked out with combinations of tall-growing ornamental grasses and colourful herbaceous perennial plants. The rock garden together with the water garden, is based on a series of pools ornamented with a Japanese stone bridge and stone lanterns. The topiary of the garden has been cut into a various birds and animals, and also First World War memorabilia in clipped

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...

. The long herbaceous border, has a brick wall giving wind shelter and it provides colour throughout the flowering season. The arboretum was planted to commemorate the late Mary Dawes' 80th birthday and also the 300 years of the family's ownership of Mount Ephraim. Sited on an artificially raised mound, the area gives far views of Blean woods, Hernhill church and the Miz Maze. The gardens also include a

Ha-ha A ha-ha (french: hâ-hâ or ), also known as a sunk fence, blind fence, ditch and fence, deer wall, or foss, is a recessed landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier (particularly on one side) while preserving an uninterrupted view ...

, which was built in the 18th Century of red brick. It is about 3 feet high, and approximately 100 yards in length. It has a double curve.

References

External links

*{{Official, http://www.mountephraimgardens.co.uk/gardens/edwardian.aspx
Faversham Tourism page
Country houses in Kent Grade II listed parks and gardens in Kent Grade II listed houses Tourist attractions in Kent Borough of Swale