No secret any more

TUCKED between a forge and a farm cottage, among the hilly countryside which leads to the slopes of the Pennines, and just a short drive off the A66 in Ravensworth, is the “secret blacksmith’s garden” belonging to Enid and Peter Wilson.

The house and gardens at The Forge

This private paradise, with its two water features, a greenhouse, a summerhouse, dozens of trees and shrubs, a wildflower meadow and metalwork made by Peter in his forge, is opening its doors to visitors for the first time, under the National Gardens Scheme (NGS) to raise money for charity.

If it wasn’t for the Land Rover with its bright yellow NGS sign sitting in the driveway, it would be very easy to miss. Walking up the drive and into a concrete courtyard surrounded on all four sides by outbuildings and Peter’s workshop, you can still see nothing of the garden.

It is only when you round the corner of the main house that you get your first glimpse – through an archway, along a gravel path and up to the summerhouse. Crunching along the path you pass some mushrooms carved by a family friend out of a living eucalyptus tree, and still fragrant in the warm June air. Behind the summerhouse is the first of the water features, a small waterfall splashing into a wildlife pond, where frogs are left in peace to spawn.

Against the house is a sunken patio area with a table andchairs, leading onto an immaculately kept lawn, in the middle of which is another table set bracketed by two yin and yanginspired flowerbeds, and set back into the surrounding trees which divide the garden in two.

“It’s evolved out of trial and error,” says Enid as she takes me on a tour of the garden. “I get a little thought bubble in my head and then we end up trying it out just to see if it will work.

“What we do is look for unusual plants and then just place them wherever. We’ve had no expert advice. It’s been made with a lot of luck and a little knowledge.”

Peter says: “There are times when it has been hard work. We laid the foundation for the greenhouse while it was snowing. I held a sheet while she tamped down the concrete.”

Peter and Enid Wilson

The greenhouse is in the back half of the garden with another water feature and spawning pond, backed by a brick archway. It is far more open, with a scattering of trees, both exotic varieties and local specimens, such as the Katsuma tree, which was bred by a nearby gardener. To the right there is a gravel planting bed with stepping stones leading back down to the patio.

Away from the house, an old stone wall separates the precision-trimmed perfection of the main garden from the untamed wildflower meadow beyond.

At the very back, past waist-high grass stems, a river trickles by just out of sight.

“The changes started in 1994 when we got married and took over the garden,” Enid says. “It was all lawn when we took over, all the way from the house to the wall. It’s been a work in progress ever since.”

A cockerel created by Peter Wilson

The Wilson family have been tending the garden down the generations since 1915 when they first bought the house and adjoining blacksmith’s shop.

It used to be much smaller until, during the Second World War, the wall was moved back in order to turn the area closest to the house into a vegetable patch to grow food for the local soldiers and villagers.

As it has evolved down the years, the garden has gathered admirers. Peter and Enid’s grandchildren are always excited to come and play in the meadow.

Clients to Peter’s shop are often tempted to have a look around, and it has been opened twice before for charity, when the couple raised £2,750.

A sculpture set in an archway

A chance visit from a customer who was involved with the NGS led them to put their garden forward and they have been working hard ever since to get the place ready.

“Normally, we just do whatever we can, the odd bit of weeding here, a day or so at the weekend. This year it’s been constant every weekend to get it all ready in time. We’re a bit nervous, a bit excited, and looking forward to helping raise money.

“Obviously it would be nice to raise a lot of money, but even if we only raise £10 it’ll be more than they had. We can’t raise money running marathons, but we can raise it with our garden.”

Having kept generations of the Wilson family occupied, fed soldiers and entertained grandchildren the garden will turn its various talents to charity once again. And for those who can find it, it will be a treat indeed.

Eucalyptus ‘mushrooms’

• The Forge at Ravensworth, Richmond, DL11 7EU, opens today, from 4pm to 7pm, tomorrow, from 2pm to 5pm, and Sunday, July 7, from 2pm to 7pm. Admission £2.50, children free.