Introduction
The Guild Hall has a formal garden, with four areas of lawn around a central sundial, and flower borders on two sides.
The garden is of a symmetrical design, with four small lawned areas separated by stone paving. A sundial provides a central feature. There are two flower borders.
The original symmetry has been lost by one of the lawned areas being planted with a mulberry tree, now the subject of a Tree Preservation Order.
The garden is most notable for its surroundings, as it is bounded on the west by the 15th-century Grade II-listed Guild Hall and on the south by the 14th-century Grade I-listed parish church of St John.
The boundary wall to the east features a length of the original iron rail from the Stratford-upon-Avon to Moreton-in-the-Marsh horse-drawn railway.
- Visitor Access, Directions & Contacts
Access contact details
10am to 4pm each day of the year, other than Christmas Day.
Directions
South on A3400 from M42 or north on A3400 from Stratford-upon-Avon. The entrance is in an alley way between the Arden Tandoori Restaurant and the Guild Hall, which is in the centre of the town immediately north of the parish church of St John .
Owners
Henley in Arden Guild Hall Trust
- History
The existing Guild Hall Garden was created by W. J. Fieldhouse in 1915 and donated to the Henley-in-Arden Guild Hall Trust by his daughter, Mrs Nancy Barnard, in 1957.
A mulberry tree was planted in the garden in 1977 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen.
The garden is now maintained by the Court Leet of Henley-in-Arden. It is planned to increase the size of the existing garden by walling off an open space of land between the Guild Hall Garden and the River Alne. This will be developed with flower and shrub borders, yew hedging and a number of ornamental trees. A central lawned area, surrounded by stone paving, will be available for use as an auditorium for musical and dramatic events put on by local societies and schools. The boundary wall will be interspersed by stretches of iron railings to allow views of the garden from the street. The newly created garden will be connected to the existing Guild Hall Garden by making a gate in the wall of the latter. It is hoped that this will be open to the public in the summer of 2010.
- Associated People
- Features & Designations
Designations
Conservation Area
Plant Environment
- Environment
- Walled Garden
Style
Medieval Garden
Features
- Sundial
- Description: Mulberry Tree
- Ironwork
- Key Information
Type
Formal
Purpose
Ornamental
Plant Environment
Environment
Principal Building
Heritage Site
Survival
Extant
Hectares
0.09
Open to the public
Yes
Civil Parish
Henley-in-Arden
Electoral Ward
Henley