The Whichford Pottery

About The Whichford Pottery

Jim and Dominique Keeling’s private garden is not normally open to the public – it lies behind and to the right of the Pottery. There are two delightful small gardens – the walled Paradise garden and the Memorial Garden.
The Paradise Garden is enclosed with cob walls built by Jim and the Pottery staff several years ago. Although small, it is full of plants, many of which are huge including Acer ‘Senkaki’, rheums, dogwoods and kolkwitzia. There is a raised pond and a summerhouse complete with old sofa, and on a warm day it is a great place to sit and soak up the perfumes. A tunnel of roses, clematis and honeysuckle leads into the main family garden, past a loggia, decorated with frescos by Christopher Barrett.
Immediately outside the house is the Round Garden, with a circular lawn and, like the Paradise Garden, is spectacularly planted. Plants include roses, giant thistles, viburnum, tree peony and yucca. There is also an interesting vegetable garden large enough to feed a family of seven!
A gate in the wall leads to the Pottery and eventually to the courtyard garden. Designed to be a haven for visitors and pottery staff, the planting is gentle but striking with a strong Mediterranean feel. Pieces of old pots, tiles children’s pottery, stones, brick and gravel make even the ground worth looking at!