Ideas Ofr Small Memorial Gardens For Small Church

Until the construction of the Memorial gardens in the 1920s, this area was used as stabling and did not provide an access to the Meadow.

The War Memorial Fund was established in commemoration of the Great War dead of the college, with the initial intention of constructing a building, but plans for a garden were developed in 1926-7, with a central path from ornamental gates and screen on St Aldate's, with a border and raised lawn to north and pleached limes in a lawn to the south.

View of part of the south-east Memorial Garden These two small gardens were the subject of several designs. Initially the architects' design was for a rectangular 'Dutch Garden' to the south east with a pool and a geometric rose garden to the north east. The south garden was eventually redesigned as a circular iris garden, and the north rose garden was laid out with a circular bed.

The overall garden survives as designed in the 1920s. It retains the character of an Arts and Crafts style garden with its Yorkstone path, stone walls, and herbaceous borders.

The two small enclosed gardens have changed the most: the south garden known as the Rose Garden was designed as an iris garden and now has changing seasonal bedding, replanted twice a year. The north east garden is roughly trapezoidal, and bounded by walls on all sides. It is known as the 'Circle Garden', the name derived from a former round bed. It now has a lawn surrounded with mature shrubs including Wisteria, Magnolia, Photinia, Viburnum, Abelia and some lower herbaceous planting

This garden, as the main visitor entrance to Christ Church and the Meadow, is heavily used and the lawns along the main path are protected with chains and a lavender border (Lavandula 'Sawyers'). The long herbaceous border is planted to provide winter structure as well as restful, calm colours in the spring and summer.

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