Kilver Court Garden
Free RHS Member days
January–February and October–December, Thursday and Sunday; March–September, Wednesday–Thursday, when open
About the garden
Kilver Court is based on an award-winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden, designed by multi-Gold-medal winner George Whitelegg. The gardens were rebuilt in the late 1950s under the stewardship of Herbert Showering, and his grandchildren now own them. Set within 3.5 accres of grounds on the edge of the historic market town of Shepton Mallet, Kilver Court was originally a mill, with two large mill ponds once used to power the silk-making factory, now repurposed as ornamental ponds.
Surrounded by four herbaceous borders and enclosed by yew hedges, the magnificent view of the old Somerset and Dorset railway viaduct is what draws the eye. The structure – a Victorian masterpiece with 27 arches and 50ft tall – frames the garden, providing a perfect backdrop for the large rockery. Behind the viaduct lies a colourist-graduated border, incorporating many southern Hemisphere plants.
Facilities
- Assistance dogs only
- Parking
- Plant sales
- Refreshments
- Toilets
Key features
- Rock garden
- Herbaceous border
- Pond or lake
- Autumn colour
- Colour themed borders
- Water garden
Get involved
The RHS is the UK’s gardening charity, helping people and plants to grow - nurturing a healthier, happier world, one person and one plant at a time.