Copyhold Hollow is like a garden from a fairy tale; nestled halfway along a country lane on a wooded hillside at the edge of the Borde Hill Estate in West Sussex. A copyhold is an old form of tenure dating back to medieval times, when a tenant held land from the lord of the manor based on an entry in the court roll, of which they were given a copy. The house dates from at least the 16th century if not earlier. In the mid-18th century, it was used as an alehouse for navvies working on the nearby Ouse Valley Viaduct. At some point it was a forge, and greyhounds were bred here between the wars. But the land shows evidence of an even deeper history, including a bank that may have been constructed by the Romans, hammer ponds from the iron industry, and a behemoth of a box hedge that could be as much as 1,000 years old.
The current owner, Frances Druce, bought the property in 1993 from the Border Hill Estate, whose land agent had lived there. Her original plan was to do it up and sell it on, but she soon fell for the magic of the place. “I had only been here a night before I thought I wanted to stay here,” she says.
- A tiny woodland garden in London transformed by Stefano Marinaz
- The glorious 60-acre woodland you need to visit
At the time Frances was in her forties, and full of energy. It took her three years to renovate the house, adding an extra room at the back with only minimal assistance from a builder, before turning her attention to the garden. Aside from hiring a JCB to take out 28 lorryloads of dirt and rubble, as well as a bank of ash saplings, and putting a friend to work with a chainsaw, she created the garden herself, clearing thickets by hand with a machete, making paths from crushed sandstone following the desire lines of where she walked, and building steps from sawn timber, giving an organic, almost dream-like feel.
She took inspiration from Himalayan glades, following in the footsteps of nearby Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden, and planted rhododendrons, azaleas, witch hazels, magnolias and camellias into the garden’s ericaceous soil, all overlooked by a stately dawn redwood.
Springs rise throughout the hollow, and Frances channelled the water into a rill and pond, forming a semi-moat between the driveway, and a paved seating area beside the house, accessed by a bridge. The water, together with moss-covered stones, bring a serenity reminiscent of Japanese gardens, which have also been a huge inspiration.
When she first arrived, there was no garden to speak of, and the soil was thick clay. “You could have blue clay or yellow clay or both,” recalls Frances. “To start off with, I had no success at all, then one day I plonked a rhododendron down and I couldn’t be bothered to dig a hole, so I just put some compost on top, and it survived. I now know that is mound planting.”
Her secret weapon is leaf mould. She makes mountains of the stuff every year and has added loads of manure brought to her by a local farmer to her beds to improve the soil. “I can now just pull a weed out. It’s quite lovely.”
Her first gardening attempts were less than successful. She managed to kill the only three plants that were already in the garden, including a red rhododendron and a Rosa ‘Excelsa’, so, while also setting up a bed and breakfast business, she decided to enrol on an RHS course to teach herself the basics. She also began visiting other gardens for inspiration. “Even if it’s a big garden there might be some little bit of it, a partnering of a couple of plants, or a particularly boggy area, you can take inspiration from,” she says. Nearby Gravetye Manor is a particular favourite, as is Pashley Manor Gardens, two gardens that are dictated by the house they are attached to, something Frances believes is important.
Copyhold Hollow’s garden is north facing, which its owner insists is an advantage rather than a drawback. “It’s a north-facing hollow,” she says. “It’s wonderful; I wouldn’t be without it. You can always find sun, you can always find shade. It gives you a terrific range for planting and for sitting.” Seating areas are dotted throughout, with hand-made wooden furniture from Wilderness Wood in Hadlow Down, aged so that it has almost become part of the landscape. An oak and chestnut viewing platform at the top of the garden is currently unsafe to use, but still looks worthy of something out of a Girl’s Own Adventure book.
The terrace next to the house gets the morning sun and in late spring is lit up by a white Wisteria sinensis f. alba ‘Jako’, one of four bought from Chris Lane at Witch Hazel Nursery in Kent. Here Frances has planted ferns and bog-loving species, such Solomon’s seal and epimediums, as well as Primula pulverulenta, Chrysosplenium macrophyllum and the unusual Bergenia emeiensis – “I do love having plants that other people haven’t got,” she says.
It is truly a garden for all seasons; the first rhododendrons start flowering in winter, including the vivid pink Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’, which can be seen from the house. The last to bloom is R. ‘Polar Bear’, frequently coming into flower on 1 August, Frances’s birthday.
A keen propagator, Frances used to sell plants raised from cuttings at the gate, but stopped last year. Now in her seventies, and only having help in the garden one day a month, she has decided the time has come to pass this magical house and garden to a new owner. One can only hope whoever takes it on has the vision to continue the work of its remarkable creator.
9 spring woodland garden plants
Primula japonica ‘Postford White’
A clump-forming hardy perennial bearing up to six whorls of white flowers with golden yellow eyes on an erect stem. Prefers a moist, fertile, acidic soil in dappled shade. Height and spread: 60cm x 30cm. AGM*. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b†
Rhododendron ‘Doc’
A compact evergreen shrub with rose-pink flowers that turn deeper pink and wavy at the margins. Ideal for a north-facing garden. 1m x 1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 3a-8b.
Convallaria majalis
In spring, lily-of-the-valley covers woodland floors with racemes of bell-like, fragranced white flowers emerging from lush green elliptic foliage. 25cm x 25cm. AGM. RHS H7.
Meconopsis betonicifolia
Grows best in a sheltered, shady site in moist, humus-rich, neutral to slightly acidic soil enriched with leaf mould. 90cm x 80cm. RHS H4, USDA 6a-9b.
Rhododendron ‘Persil’
Deciduous azalea with large white funnel shaped flowers with a distinctive yellow splash in the centre. Prefers a sheltered spot in moist, but well-drained soil. 2m x 1.5m. AGM. RHS H6.
Rhododendron periclymenoides
Native to North America, this azalea produces showy, sweetly scented flowers with prominent stamens. 1.8m x 2m. RHS H7, USDA 4a-9b.
Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Mariesii’
A deciduous viburnum with an attractive spreading habit, and lace-cap clusters of white flowers on dark-green ovate leaves. 3m x 4m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b.
Rhododendron ‘Percy Wiseman’
The flowers of this award-winning evergreen shrub are a lovely multi-faceted blend of blush pink, peach and cream, with trusses fading to white. 2m x 2m. AGM. RHS H5.
Primula pulverulenta
Herbaceous perennial with whorls of deep reddish-purple flowers (here growing alongside forget-me-nots, Welsh poppies and Primula japonica ‘Postford White’) loves poorly drained, neutral to acidic soil in dappled shade. 1m x 60cm. AGM. RHS H6.
