Grove Place takes Gold in the New Homes Garden Awards

Grove Place is pleased to be the 2011 recipient of the Gold Award for the Best Landscaped Luxury Retirement Development. 

In 2006, retirement specialists LifeCare Residences acquired Grove Place, formerly an independent school, with a magnificent centrepiece period building, set in 27 acres of private grounds. 

The beautifully restored Manor House now functions as the natural meeting place for residents. It has an impressive range of facilities, including a chef-run restaurant, bar, billiards room, library, arts room and several lounges, complete with their original fireplaces.

To match the ambitious restoration of the Manor House, a full scale landscaping scheme was undertaken, to bring some well-deserved grandeur back to the estate. Distinguished landscape architects Anthony Jellard Associates were appointed to complete the transformation. Their task was to restore the grounds, design new gardens for the immediate surrounds of the Manor House and create more informal gardens outside residents’ own homes. 

The Manor House has a pair of very mature magnolia grandiflora, said to be the tallest in the county, framing its Tudor oak main entrance doors. These, along with a number of original fine specimen trees, all protected by a tree Preservation Order, in the grounds, were  carefully protected during the construction period.

The new communal gardens were positioned close to the Manor so that the residents could access them easily. A level garden, laid out in a series of partially enclosed spaces using the existing yew hedges as a framework was designed, with broad gravel and brick pathways. 

Tony Jellard put scent and colour at the top of the priority list, knowing these two elements would provide a great deal of pleasure for the residents. He created a ‘colour’ garden, an arrangement of box hedged parterres, planted with an innovative mix of perennials and evergreens that has quickly established itself as a magnet for both residents and wildlife, brimming with vibrant colour and scent. 

The re-vitalised rose garden immediately behind the Manor House also retains an impressive weeping cherry tree which bursts into full flower in early Spring. The several hundred rose bushes, ranging in shades of pale pink to deepest crimson, flower steadily throughout the summer weeks. 

Regular cuttings are made from both the sensory and rose garden to fill the flower vases in the Manor House. In the winter, evergreens come to the fore. 

Seating has been provided throughout for residents’ use, so they can enjoy using the gardens and grounds. The rest of the grounds have been retained as acres of grassland and woods, perfect rambling country for the Grove Place residents.

The gardens, with easily negotiable pathways are a great attraction for prospective purchasers at Grove Place. The 27 acres at Grove Place are awaiting their arrival, all maintenance free, as the Grove Place gardening team maintain all areas. 

Visit Grove Place for more information about the village.