The gardens are open to the public all year (closed Christmas, Boxing and New Years Day).  Perfect for a quiet and inspiring stroll in these magical gardens. Why not have a real coffee, a light lunch or a spoiling cream tea in the Harlequin Cafe before or after visiting the gardens. We also have a well stocked Plant Nursery to take goodies home!

Kilver Court Gardens have featured in the press several times in the last 12 months...this includes, Country Life Magazine, Mail on Sunday, The Telegraph, Lady Magazine and You Magazine

Garden History

The Gardens at Kilver Court are a secret gem to say the very least.  Approached through the industrial area of Shepton Mallet, the gardens were first created by Ernest Jardine as a recreational space for factory workers of Kilver Court in the 1800’s and were known as Jardine’s Park and Vegetable Gardens. In the 1960’s, they were restored and developed by the Showering family of Babycham fame, who commissioned George Whitelegg to recreate his Gold medal winning Chelsea Flower Show rockery garden within the setting. At the time, the garden was a bold and modern design statement. Since then, the Gardens have been a hidden secret for the past 25 years.

The Gardens feature a millpond and boating lake as well as rolling lawns, parterre and herbaceous borders. But probably the most staggering feature of this secret garden is the backdrop – a vast Grade II listed viaduct built for the Somerset and Dorset railway in the 1800’s and which now act as a link to the rolling Somerset countryside beyond. In addition, following the success of the vegetable garden at Sharpham Park, Jardine’s concept of model fruit and vegetable cultivation will be reinstated with the establishment of a sustainable bio-dynamic system both for education and to supply organic produce to the Shop and Café. Plants that you will see throughout your walks through the garden are for sale at the entrance, along with other British plants, shrubs and trees.