In the twenty-first century the world is reawakening to the importance of the local and the self-sufficient. Our Walled Garden is a beautiful and painstakingly-preserved glimpse of the role these values have played in Pembrokeshire history.
From the early 1850s onwards, Scolton’s gardeners would have grown produce here to supply all or nearly all the Higgon family’s fruit and vegetable needs, including potatoes, carrots, apples, pears and plums, as well as more exotic fare such as peaches and grapes. Even pineapples could be grown here in the specially-constructed Pineapple House (built partially below ground to provide insulation for these tropical delicacies in the cold Welsh winters), as well as flowers such as dahlias, chrysanthemums and lilies to decorate the house. All this would have supplemented the milk, cheese, cream, eggs and meat from the home farm.
Fully restored to its former glory, and opened to the public by Edwina Hart MP in 2014, Scolton’s Walled Garden is today once more a working garden providing fresh organic produce and flowers to the local community and restaurants – including Edie’s Tea Room, where you can sample our wares for yourself!
It is also working to preserve Pembrokeshire’s natural past. Supported by the Woodland Trust, Keep Wales Tidy and Norman Industries, we have established a Tree Nursery where we grow endangered native trees from West Wales seed for local charitable groups, councils and schools to plant into hedgerows, woodlands and fields, where they will flourish for hundreds of years to come. The Walled Garden is part of the ‘One Historic Garden’ scheme, part-funded by Visit Wales’ Sustainable Tourism Project and the European Regional Development Fund.
Take your time wandering through the Walled Garden’s serene avenues and pathways, relax in the arboretum and willow arch, and open a window onto Scolton’s truly self-sufficient past. With a range of native trees available for sale, you can even take a piece of Scolton back to your own garden!
