Fairhaven is a beautiful garden founded by Major Henry Broughton. The estate, which covers an area of 130 acres, includes a hall, woodland, water garden, and inner broad. However, during World War II, the house and formal gardens were used as a convalescent home and training ground for the Home Guard. To prevent flying boat landings, pleasure boats were sunk in the inner broad, and it was also covered with barbed wire. Tanks were hidden in the garden, and some of the tank bays can still be seen today.
Major Broughton’s passion for gardening led him to design the garden himself. He had a team of seven gardeners and two woodmen to help him clear the dense jungle that had grown in what is now the main garden. He introduced a variety of shade and water-loving plants, including the breath taking Candelabra Primula, which blooms in May and early June. Other exotic plants were imported from around the world, such as the Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton Americanus) from North America and Camellias and Rhododendrons from the Himalayas.
With dedication and hard work, it took only 15 years to create this beautiful garden. A dedicated tree nursery was established to grow many of the trees with huge greenhouses to grow more than 90% of the plants from seed. Today, the garden is an award-winning woodland garden open to the public all year round. It is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts and features cultivated wild and natural plantings. The garden is a stunning testament to hard work.
