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About Claridges Barn
We moved to Claridges Barn an agriculturally redundant, derelict and collapsing 17th Century stone building, within a curtilage of 3½ acres, about 35 years ago. The land contained a barley crop which somehow managed to grow in the very coarse limestone brash with a meagre covering of topsoil. Gradually we started dividing up the field into woodland, meadow and garden. The site, being on top of the Cotswolds, was very exposed to the elements but provided wonderful rural views. Native trees were planted together with Norway spruce. The latter to act as fast growing ‘nurse’ trees in order to protect the slower growing trees, some relatively short lived such as birches and bird cherries, through the medium ‘tough doers’ ash, aspen, limes and willows and then eventually oaks that future generations will enjoy. This happened (together with native hedging) soon after we arrived as a nearby tree nursery held an auction of ‘maidens’ at which I got rather carried away with bidding! Recently we have planted some more ornamental specimens in order to introduce variety and interest throughout the year.
We then set about dividing the garden into rooms in order to give variety and protection against the winds. Instead of dumping builder’s rubble into landfill sites we formed mounds with ‘combes’ which gave a little variation in height on what was otherwise a completely flat site. With our local farmer’s permission we also gathered pieces of limestone, with an ‘edge’, brought up after ploughing whilst out with the dog in order to build dry stone walls. Smaller stone raked off the thin topsoil was used to form the drive…..to begin with we couldn’t’t even get a border fork into the earth due to the volume of limestone brash. As the years went by we bought parcels of old flagstones, some as big as 6 x 3 feet and 5 inches thick. Our stonemason, working on the house, kept his eye open for odd pallets of second-hand brick and floor tiles to build paths, a pergola, and a length of wall on the north boundary. The cedar greenhouses are all second hand, parts of them are modified and rebuilt and were acquired from various sources. They grow a range of fruit, vegetables, specimen plants and importantly raise plants for garden use and for sale for charities. The borders contain a range of roses, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. They have tended to evolve over time rather than having an exact planting scheme.
We try to grow much fruit, soft fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers for the house ourselves and try to grow in an ‘organic’ manner. This includes green manuring, soil improvement, judicious watering and avoiding chemical sprays wherever possible. However, we do have a major problem with two- and four legged vermin which requires cunning growing techniques and trying to prevent their access to the vegetable garden. It is frustrating when a mature apple tree is killed or a row of peas uprooted by small and large animals.
Lockdown during COVID-19 enabled some family members to refashion and enlarge our pond, now enjoyed by a profusion of wildlife, including newts and several species of dragonfly.
Bringing up 4 children and both of us working in the medical profession full time meant that the garden ‘got away’ from time to time but now that we have reinvented ourselves workwise, it means that we can focus more time and attention to the garden. It provides a source of food, exercise, entertaining friends, a place for family to grow up in and a peaceful sanctuary.
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