We began building a Roman Garden in the summer of 2020. With some expert help and advice, along with the voluntary labour of our team and friends from the University of Kent. To help with the costs of construction materials for the project, we were able to get a small public engagement grant from the Institute of Classical studies .
To begin the project we collected some books on Roman and ancient gardens researched layouts and planting in different historic periods.
We developed a basic ground plan for the Hortus and a made a sketch that visualised the layout and the materials that we might need. We also created a measured drawing to work from, which showed in more exact detail how the space would be set out.
By the end of June 2020 we had the layout of the garden in place, ready to begin the work of landscaping and planting the Hortus site.
We started to collect plants that are likely to have been known and used by gardeners in the Roman period, and relocated any plants that were already in the garden that had not been discovered in the Roman period. After a lot of hard work the garden began to fill out and develop its own unique atmosphere. With temperatures in this sheltered area reaching up to 40 degrees, it is not hard to stand among the plants and imagine yourself as a Roman in Britain, yearning for a Mediterranean home and doing what they could to recreate it in their new home in provincial Britannia.
The garden is now used by the Trust as a learning space, for talks, practical demonstrations and other volunteer projects. The Hortus is a place to learn about the history of ancient gardens and the ideas behind them, as well as the plants that were grown in them.
We began building a Bread oven for the garden in 2023, inspired by images from classical sources.
The Hortus has become a place where we have tried out Roman bread recipes and explored ancient baking methods.
Help us build the Roman Garden
We would like to be able to make as authentic a Roman garden experience as possible in our little space. Our aim is to begin exploring the principles of design and layout of a small enclosed garden, as might have been found in a rural villa in Britain in the Roman period.
These are our firsts steps on the journey to explore Roman gardens and of course there are no limits to the detail we could add to the experience. However, our funds are limited and any contributions toward building the garden would be wisely invested in making our Roman Garden as rich a learning environment as possible.
You can even buy yourself a Hortus Romanus mug!
