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Walled garden

This project aimed to restore two ruined Victorian greenhouses, which stood at the back of the Applecross Walled Garden, to their former glory. To provide a practical work space for the Walled Garden gardeners as well as protecting an important part of Applecross built heritage from being lost forever.

Funding for this project was proving difficult until 2013 when HLF, ERDF and the Applecross Trust all agreed to the project outline.

Applecross Trust staff and Walled Garden gardeners, Jackie and Peter, embarked on a mammoth clearing expedition until just the bones of the buildings were standing; all debris having been removed.

Local craftsman Derek MacLennan was recruited to repair the masonry in the traditional manner, which looked spectacular in itself as Victorian pipeworks, heating and propagation systems were revealed.

Once the masonry was complete, local joiners Duncan & Daniel McCowan and their team, James Goldthorpe and Stuart Matthews, began work on the joinery. The west greenhouse was to be reinstated as near to its original form as possible. The east greenhouse was to be split into a potting shed and visitor area.

Once completed, the west greenhouse was immediately filled with vegetables and salads, which would then supply the Potting Shed restaurant within the Walled Garden. The potting shed was also completed and filled with tools, which was a welcome dry, clean space for Jackie and Peter.

The visitor area was lovingly furnished by Peter in the style of the Victorian era. Great time and care was taken in sourcing old garden tools and researching traditional methods of gardening in the Victorian era so that visitors could step inside the Walled Garden of over 100 years ago.

The Walled Garden greenhouses have been so carefully restored in the traditional manner that they fit perfectly into the Victorian Walled Garden. They are a huge asset to everyone involved.

Additionally, there was a small amount of money remaining that meant the Victorian cold frames could also be restored and therefore be put back to use. Again, this work was undertaken by Derek MacLennan in the traditional manner.