Chiswell Walled Garden is a community walled garden, located on the

Isle of Portland An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is found in the village of

Chiswell Chiswell , sometimes , is a small village at the southern end of Chesil Beach, in Underhill, Dorset, Underhill, on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. It is the oldest settlement on the island, having formerly been known as Chesilton. The small bay ...

, close to

Chesil Beach Chesil Beach (also known as Chesil Bank) in Dorset, England is one of three major shingle beach structures in Britain.A. P. Carr and M. W. L. Blackley, "Investigations Bearing on the Age and Development of Chesil Beach, Dorset, and the Associat ...

, within the remaining ruins of an old Jacobean house. The garden was created between 2001-06 by the Chiswell Community Trust, with funding from Countryside Agency under their Doorstep Green Initiative. It is maintained by volunteer members of the trust and is open to the public.

History

Chiswell Walled Garden was created out of a perceived lack of green space within Chiswell village. The old village common was transformed into a housing estate in 2001, prompting local residents to seek an alternative site. With the help of the Doorstep Green advisors, the Chiswell Community Trust obtained a lease on a derelict walled compound near Chesil Cove. The launching of the Countryside Agency's Doorstep Green Initiative in 2001 saw 25 projects commissioned in the South West, including the creation of Chiswell Walled Garden. Additional funding was received from the Local Heritage Initiative, Living Spaces, Awards for All and Breathing Places, while gifts were received from the South West Regional Development Agency, Batten's Solicitors, the NCCPG and many of the trust volunteers who were involved with the project. The walled garden project was reported to be one of the smallest and most difficult of the South West's community greens. Since completion, the Chiswell Community Trust have received a Green Pennant award for both the nearby

Chiswell Earthworks Chiswell Earthworks is a land sculpture, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is found above Chesil Beach's most southerly part Chesil Cove, at the end of the promenade sea wall, towards West Weares. It was created by John Maine RA ...

and the Walled Garden – an award for the best community-run parks in the country.

References

External links

{{Isle of Portland Isle of Portland Gardens in Dorset