The Kings Arms Garden: A Community Woodland Garden in the Heart of Ampthill
Kings Arms Garden: Resplendent in Bloom (Photo: Vaughan Dean)
The Kings Arms Garden, located only 300m to the south of Ampthill’s Town Centre and accessible by a public footpath, is a fine and rare example of an urban community garden providing a range of benefits for people and wildlife. Its 1.5 acre woodland habitat contains a range of indigenous and exotic species of trees, bushes, and perennials. Snowdrops, camellia and rhododendron are particular seasonal features. A pond, fed mainly by groundwater, together with a network of surface ditches, supports a thriving freshwater environment. There is a small allotment area with soft fruit and raised beds containing traditional herbs and medicinal plants. The Garden provides a welcoming, tranquil space for all ages of visitors and a rewarding place for volunteer helpers. It is an important part of Ampthill’s heritage and identity. The Garden’s Facebook page contains a weekly record of things happening in the Garden: https://www.facebook.com/kingsarmsgardenampthill/
Over the years, the Garden site has been used for different purposes: as a hop field, a horse paddock, an animal holding area for local butchers, and a vegetable garden for the adjacent hotel. Following a period of abandonment, and with consent of the Ampthill Town Council that had acquired the property, the site was transformed into a woodland garden by Mr William. H. Nourish who had recently retired as Regional Horticultural Officer. William planted specimen trees, along with shrubs, spring bulbs, and ground cover plants. He maintained the Garden until his death in 1987 when an informal group of volunteer Friends of the Kings Arms Garden took over the ongoing maintenance and stewardship of the Garden with the support of Ampthill Town Council. This arrangement continues to this day.
In recent years, the Friends have made further improvements to the Garden, consciously conserving its special ‘secret nature’ while simultaneously enhancing public access and use. Financial support from Central Bedfordshire Council’s Green Improvement Programme and other donations have enabled significant improvements in facilities that benefit visitors and volunteers, including pathways suitable for wheelchairs and prams, a visitor gazebo, a work-shed, new fencing, benches, and information boards.
The Garden is open to the public free of charge every Monday and Thursday morning between 10 am and 12 noon, weather permitting, when volunteers are present, and on the last Sunday of the month between 2 pm and 4 pm during January to October inclusive. Plants are available for sale at very reasonable prices during openings. The Garden is available for pre-arranged visits by community groups, caring organisations, specific interest groups (including gardeners) and school parties, as well as for local civic purposes. A Garden Membership option (annual fee £12) gives access to the Garden at all times for members and accompanied family. The Garden participates in the National Garden Open Scheme.
The Kings Arms Garden has received the Green Flag Community Award for four years in succession since the first application in 2021, recognizing the Garden as an ‘accessible, welcoming, healthy and safe place to visit’. The Friends were delighted to receive the King’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2024, the highest honour given to local volunteering groups in the UK. The Award is a prestigious recognition of the Garden’s contribution to the community supported by voluntary effort.
The Kings Arms Garden is very dependent on the commitment of its volunteers. The Friends are constantly seeking new recruits to secure the Garden for future generations. Call to see us if you’re interested in helping out in any way.
Contacts
Friends of the Kings Arms Garden
Secretary: for correspondence Mrs Kate Denton-Cardew: k32dc@me.com
Treasurer and membership contact Mrs Gwen Halsey: gwen.halsey@me.com
Garden Steward Mrs Elaine Barrett: elainebarrett06@gmail.com
Ampthill Town Council:
Parks and Amenities: Mr Phil Nicholson: parkmanager@ampthill-tc.gov.uk
Facebook Page :
https://www.facebook.com/kingsarmsgardenampthill
Management Plan 2024