With its extensive glasshouses, including a vine house and peach house, espaliered fruit trees against the walls and neat beds containing a variety of fruit and vegetables, the house would have been almost self-sufficient in fresh produce – essential in those days of course because there was no supermarket down the road for rural Victorians. No doubt the tenants did their best to keep it up during the war when everyone was ‘digging for victory’, but after that, without an army of gardeners to tend to it, the garden declined.
When the Sue Ryder Prayer Fellowship took over the house all manpower was needed to keep the house running and so the walled garden declined further. However, the present Lady Parmoor, a former trustee of the SRPF, cherished a dream of restoring the garden and in doing so fulfilling one of Lady Ryder’s aims – to assist those in need. By providing productive voluntary work and education for disadvantaged young people she and a small committee of dedicated volunteers have been able to bring the garden back into productive use and with the aid of grants the first of the glasshouses has been restored.
Many people have already benefited from this project, not least St. Katharine’s kitchen who are proud to tell their guests that not only are the ingredients for their meals fresh, but some of them were growing in the garden that morning! For more information about the Walled Garden Project please click here.
The walled garden is open to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:30am till 3:30pm each week, when the volunteers are hard at work. Outside of these times should be arranged through the Retreat House.
Produce grown in the Walled Garden can be purchased at the Table Top Sale every Wednesday between 11:30am & 3:00pm. This can be found by the double doors at the back of the garden.
Lady Ryder of Warsaw Rose
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“ Thank you so much for everything that you and your team did for our family yesterday. Everything went so smoothly and everyone said what a wonderful venue St Katharine's was both in terms of food and venue. Your team were absolutely outstanding and made the day very easy for us. ”
CM - Feb 2020
“ Thank you for a wonderful stay. It was perfect. The memorial garden is wonderful and so good to have time to sit and appreciate the atmosphere. ”
Rosemary
“ Just wanted to thank you for the lovely day we spent on Saturday. I felt very welcome, the food was delicious and the grounds were so peaceful. It was really good to get away from the hustle and bustle for a few hours. Please convey my thanks to all who were involved. May God bless you all ”
J.K. London 2022
“ Stunning house and gardens both are beautifully cared for. Staff were wonderful and vegan food was delicious. Thank you for a wonderful day. ”
Melissa - Sept 2022
“ Just a short note of thanks for my wonderful day at St. Katherine's yesterday. It was such a fruitful and blessed time with God. Please pass on my thanks for the warmth of the welcome. I look forward to booking another day with you in the future and will be in touch then. ”
Sheila - April 2022
“ I just wanted to say thank you to you and your staff for a wonderful retreat weekend. Everything was just lovely - the location, the accommodation and the food. It was a truly refreshing time and having everything arranged so perfectly meant that there were no distractions to relaxing and hearing from God ”
Rachel - April 2022
“ Just wanted to thank you for the lovely day we spent on Saturday. I felt very welcome, the food was delicious and the grounds were so peaceful. It was really good to get away from the hustle and bustle for a few hours. ”
Jenny - March 2022
“ Many thanks to all those who made our retreat such a success. Peaceful surroundings with ideal facilities and great hospitality made for a memorable time. ”
VW - Nov 22
“ We had a marvellous time last week. The house is so clean and tidy and beautifully supportive of quiet yet productive prayer. It is a credit to you all. ”
LD - Nov 22
“ I was with you today for the Deanery Retreat Day and it was so lovely to be there, and we were so well looked after – thank you so much! ”
JD - Nov 22
“ It was a WONDERFUL venue and we very much enjoyed meeting you, and were blessed by the amazing hospitality by you and your team. Thank you so much. ”
DH - Dec 2022
“ Please pass on my thanks and appreciation for my two day stay last week. The meals were all great and my stay was a real help to me and I hope to be coming back again in the next few months. ”
TP - Feb 2023
“ Thanks for letting us use St Katherine's this last couple of days. We had a lovely time and were very well looked after. The ladies really loved being there and felt very much that they had got away from the stresses of everyday life. ”
RM - March 2023
“ Thank you for a super day on Saturday. There has only been positive feedback from everyone. We were well looked after by your catering team. The Prayer Room worked well - and the sun came out in the afternoon, so the team up top also doing marvellous work. ”
LW - March 2023
“ A huge thanks for a WONDERFUL time at our men's weekend away. ”
SB - March 2023
“ We had a wonderful day in so many ways. Loved the food and the setting, the sense of space and peace there is so tangible. ”
SW - May 2023