Private visit to Wadham College Gardens

Wadham College Garden

In the “merry month of May” a visit to the many varied gardens hidden behind the walls of Wadham College. Originally a series of orchards and market gardens carved out from the property of the Augustinian priory, Wadham’s gardens have been significantly modified and added to over the past 400 years. During a tour of the gardens, Head Gardener Andrew Little will share his extensive knowledge – some trees were grown from seeds which he planted three decades ago. Numbered amongst the tree collection are a holm oak, silver pendant lime, tulip tree, ginkgo, dawn redwood, tree of heaven, incense cedar, Corsican pine, Wollemi pine and a rare Chinese Gutta-percha. Among other curiosities are an 18th-century ‘cowshed’ set into the remnants of the Royalist earthworks of 1642 and a sculpture of Sir Maurice Bowra (Warden, 1938–70) by John Doubleday. And, in the greenhouse, a 200-year-old dessert ‘Black Hamburg’ vine, still provides the college with grapes though none will be hanging in tempting bunches at the time of our visit! Refreshments on arrival in the college's ante-chapel.