meadowcopse
Hidden away, yet close to the centre of Nantwich, there is an ancient walled garden dating back to the early 17th century. The garden consists of about half an acre of land surrounded on three sides by Grade II listed walls. It was part of the site of Townsend House (now demolished), built in 1580 by the local Wilbraham family, who lived there for 200 years. After the family moved out, the house, surrounding buildings and land had many uses, but the garden remained largely untouched, being used for grazing
The walled garden, which at the time of writing is neglected and overgrown, is unusual because of its age (most walled gardens are Victorian) and its proximity to a town centre (most are attached to stately homes in the countryside). Historic England (formerly English Heritage) considers it to be a rare surviving example of a walled garden of its time period.
However, in 2001, the land between the north wall and Waterlode became the new Kingsley Fields development and the walled garden became subject to several planning applications to build houses on this historic site. In 2004 the Nantwich Walled Garden Society (NWGS) was formed to fight these planning applications and protect the garden and its historic walls.
meadowcopse