Often described as Watford's best
kept secret Cheslyn House and Gardens is another of Watford’s Green Flag Award
winner. The house and gardens were originally owned by Henry and Daisy Colbeck
who created the gardens. Watford Borough Council started managing the site in
1965 and it is open to the public all year round. The gardens comprise 3.5
acres of formal, open area to the front and a semi-natural woodland area which
features an aviary, a pond, a rock garden with a large herbaceous borders and
semi-formal woodland.
There are some interesting mature
shrubs on the approach to the house, especially the standard trained
wisteria sinensis, which is draped with lilac flowers in the summer; and a
subtropical planting scheme featuring dahlias, palms and canna
lilies creates a riot of colour in front of the house during the
summer. The acer in the centre of the lawn is a beautiful sight in the
autumn.
There are budgerigars, quail,
assorted finches and other varieties of small birds in the aviary.
Dragonflies and damselflies come to the pond in the summer, and there are
frogs, newts, fish and water insects.
The brick arch leading to the
woodland area is all that remains of the original boundary of the
gardens. The woodland is full of colour in spring, with the azaleas
and rhododendrons in full bloom; and snowdrops, daffodils, bluebells and
woodland flowers add to the spectacle.
Some of the trees in the gardens
are: tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipfera), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Indian
bean tree (Catalpa bignonioides), maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba), various acer
species
You can also see wildlife in the
gardens: birds, squirrels, foxes, badgers and the occasional Muntjac deer.
For more information on Cheslyn House and
Gardens, including opening times, please click here