THE WINTER'S TALE
Once a space overrun by self-seeding trees and unruly brambles, the walled garden at Preston Hall has been given a sensational makeover by the Callander family, finds Antoinette Galbraith
Left to fall into disrepair, Preston Hall's walled garden has been given a spectacular makeover
If there were ever any doubts about Will Callander’s passion for Preston Hall, his family home south of Edinburgh, these were erased the week before his wedding when he climbed along the top of the 13fthigh garden wall to pull out self-seeded saplings, much to his mother Jackie’s horror.
Will’s commitment to the house, garden and estate stepped up a gear further in 2020 when he, his wife Henrietta and their three-year-old son Archie moved full-time to Preston Hall, intent on creating a community from the Palladian-style mansion and estate cottages. The fourth member of the family, Rose Edie Callander, was born in October 2020. At the heart of the garden sits a magnificent 3.2-acre Walled Garden.
The project, Will explains, was kick-started 10 years ago by Richard Edward, a retired haulage and agricultural contractor from Haddington who approached the family in the hope of realising his long held dream of restoring a walled garden. To the Callander family, faced with a neglected walled garden with crumbling walls, Richard’s request couldn’t have come at a better time. ‘Richard took a major worry off our minds,’ explains Will. ‘After World War II the gardens became too expensive to maintain.’
“Self-seeded trees and brambles had obliterated all signs of the original layout
For forty years self-seeded trees and brambles had invaded the space, obliterating all signs of the original layout. The greenhouses were tumbling down and, worse still, a sycamore had taken root in one of the iconic two octagonal red brick and stone gazebos overlooking the garden.
Laid out in 1791 by Alexander Callander when he built Preston Hall, the garden was intended to supply fruit and vegetables for the house and estate. Just under a century later the space was redesigned by Cecilia Margaret Callander who added decorative buttresses and carved stonework along the southern wall. ‘When Cecilia married Henry Callander, she brought with her grand ambitions for the gardens and thankfully a bank account to match,’ explains Will.
Cecilia also embellished the octagonal brick by adding a spiral staircase, and installed a tea room in the stone gazebos. Both were expertly restored in 2014.
Richard works with three part-time helpers, and estate groundsman Andrew Scougall also works part-time in the garden. ‘It’s a pretty special relationship,’ says Will, adding that the whole family are involved, including Archie, who Henrietta says is often bustling about with his wheelbarrow.
Richard spent the first year clearing the space before he
could start thinking about a layout and planting. He found the architectural setting lent itself to a classical, cruciform design with a central path leading from the gate directly to the central point between the gazebos. A second, equally wide grass path divides the space horizontally. Happily a metal sundial over a stone plinth still stood in the centre of the garden.
Reached from the house through policies planted with a large collection of rare and unusual trees, the walled garden is entered through one of three ornamental wrought iron gates topped with a stone arch carved with Cecilia Margaret’s initials.
Slowly Richard laid out paths and borders backed by parallel hedges. Distinct spaces began to take shape, including a box parterre and a winter garden planted with a range of conifers, grasses and heathers. There is also a wildlife pond and a generous vegetable patch. ‘I wanted the garden to reveal itself as you walk around, to draw you in,’ Richard says, ‘with a surprise around every corner.’ Asked how many spaces he has created, he suggests the best way to find out is to view the garden from the gazebo – he has never kept count.
From this vantage point you look down over a tapestry of shapes and textures punctuated by ornamental trees – a major interest of Richard’s. You also look down on the glasshouses, home in late summer to an abundance of grapes with fig trees on the outside.
Ever enthusiastic, Richard restored the original ponds beyond the garden five years ago. Much to Henrietta’s delight, the results have been spectacular. ‘The swans are back nesting, there is usually a heron or two, and rainbow trout can be seen jumping in the evening,’ she says. ‘There are also tadpoles and ducklings in the spring and summer.’
For Richard, his offer to resuscitate
the walled garden has been richly vindicated – Preston Hall is a happy place to spend his retirement and the project has been immensely beneficial for his general wellbeing.
Will and Henrietta have been amazed by Richard’s work. At the helm of a new journey with weddings and corporate events high on the agenda, their shared vision has brought the gardens back to life. ‘When you walk through the peaceful gardens you would never know that you are only 25 minutes from the centre of Edinburgh,’ says Henrietta.
“I wanted the garden to reveal itself as you walk around