surrey days out
SPOTLIGHT ON . ..
THE MEDICINE GARDEN
Paul Studholme, Director and Creator of The Medicine Garden has been passionate about plants and gardens since he was 15 and remembered spending a lot of time at the local garden centre just ‘being’ amongst plants. This led to him studying horticulture at college and then setting up his own award winning landscaping business Mimosa. With loads of help from family, friends and volunteers he and the team created The Medicine Garden.
The Medicine Garden – a place of beauty where people could come together in community to relax, to play and to take home a piece of ‘good medicine’ from every visit.
THEIR STORY SO FAR...
In 2006 Paul discovered this derelict and overgrown walled garden. Built around 1850, it was originally the kitchen garden for Cobham Park. Instantly he fell in love with and two weeks later had put together a proposal that won a 40-year lease.
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The seed of an idea was formed – a secret destination where people could be inspired, slow down and nurture themselves. It took Paul and his team four years to clear the site, repair the walls and rebuild the old back sheds. During this time the idea grew, took shape and became The Medicine Garden – a place of beauty where people could come together in community to relax, to play and to take home a piece of ‘good medicine’ from every visit.
This project has always been first and foremost a labour of love. They set up a trading company to support the growing community of small businesses in Cobham and beyond and a not-for-profit foundation. This means they are eligible for funding to maintain the underlying infrastructure of the garden. Part of their vision was to attract and support a community of small, like-minded businesses, housed in and around the courtyard. Renting out these spaces has hepled them to part- fund the ongoing renovations and import even more good medicine into the site.
For those of you who haven’t discovered the delights of The Medicine Garden in Cobham - you’re in for a treat…
In June 2010 they opened to the public with a simple garden design, a garden shop, a corner for garden artefacts, a small workshop and the Hothouse Café – named after the rebuilt, formerly derelict glass house in the historic courtyard. It was a really emotional day for us all. They also thought it would be fun to host different events in the garden. At the end of their first summer they held a Garden Party (now an annual occasion), followed by a Halloween celebration and Christmas fair. Special events, shows and fairs are now part of the garden’s rhythm.
2012. A BIG YEAR
In 2012 The Medicine Garden was honoured to win the Countryside Alliance Enterprise Award for the South East of England. On top of this they launched their own farm shop ‘The Larder’, the new Garden Shop, The Treatment Room, Art Shed and Zen Dome. They also opened the newly renovated Hothouse Café in its originally envisioned space.
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