Cannock Mill Cohousing Gardens

About Cannock Mill Cohousing Gardens

Cannock Mill Cohousing is an intentional community of 26 households. We have self-contained, energy-efficient, private homes but together we manage and share the use of our grounds and communal spaces, including our common house, the Grade II listed Cannock Mill.

There are 17 small private terraced gardens behind the houses, all different but not fenced so they merge into one another. All the rest of the gardens are communal.

The focal point of the site is a large pond overlooked by the common house. The deck beside the pond is a favourite spot to socialise; there are also quieter spaces around the pond where we can sit and relax and enjoy the varied wildlife including moorhens, dragonflies, bats, frogs and the occasional heron – and even more occasional kingfisher. We keep bees and chickens on this side of the site too.

Behind the snaking terraces of houses, separated from the terraced gardens by espaliered fruit trees, is an open and rather steep grassy area, leading to raised beds for growing salad and vegetables for our community meals. The far corner of this area is home to our shed, water butt, and a row of well-used compost bins. There is also a paved circle – for meditation or mulled wine around the fire pit – surrounded by coppiced hazels, with naturalised bulbs and flowers at their feet.

The adjacent Bourne valley is a nature reserve and the whole site is surrounded by trees and wildlife – all just a 20 minute walk from Colchester city centre (or 5 minutes on the bus).

The site is steeply sloping in places, with steps and some uneven paths.
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