Restoration of the ‘The Secret Garden’ walled garden began in January 2006,  after a long period of neglect.
A large part of the garden is reverting back to a working kitchen garden producing fruit, vegetables, herbs and cut flowers for the Restaurant.  We have existing espalier apple trees which provide a beautiful feature in the garden along side the network of box hedging.

Customers of the Restaurant will be able to enjoy the gardens and follow its progress as we breath life back in to ‘The Secret Garden’.

The Walled Garden at Mersham le Hatch was originally part of the Mersham Hatch Estate, owned and farmed by the Knatchbull Family since 1486, until the Manor House and part of the Estate were sold more recently.

The Manor House was built in the mid 1700’s, designed by Robert Adam, and is Grade I listed.  The outbuildings and stables were built in the mid 1800’s, which is where The Secret Garden Restaurant are now situated.

Walled kitchen gardens are an important part of our history, yet are now largely neglected.  In the last Century most of the large country houses had a walled kitchen garden.  They were highly productive places, providing food, herbs & flowers for the family, staff and guests of the big house.

These gardens were also beautiful places, with the diversity of plants and formal layout.

Walled kitchen gardens can become a part of a more local and sustainable agriculture.  They can be educational in terms of our history, the story of food and the people who produced it, as well as organic methods used.