Cressing Temple takes its unusual name from the medieval monks
of the Knights Templar who founded the two vast 13th century timber
barns, which form the centrepiece of this delightful rural
estate.
The Tudor Walled Garden is inspired by an age when gardens
combined beauty and functionality, it is the result of painstaking
research and archaeological excavation, and is filled with species
widely cultivated at the time.
As you step within the Tudor walls, you step back in time.
Here plants have been carefully grouped according to medicinal,
culinary and dyers' plants, a potager and a small orchard and
nuttery. The nosegay garden is a fragrant delight with a wealth of
sweetly scented plants that were grown for their perfume, whilst
the arbour is planted to recall Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's
Dream with its profusion of roses, woodbine and oxlips. At the
centre of the garden is the fount, on which four spouts take the
form of the green man, the spirit of vegetation frequently found in
medieval carvings.
Set in peaceful surroundings, the gardens also make a
perfect escape on a clear winter's day. The barns are open
throughout the main season, and visitors can enjoy a full programme
of cultural events.
Admission is Free Except on Special Event
Days
Opening Times:
April - September 10:30am - 4:30pm
October & March 10:30 - 4:00pm
* On some occasions the site is closed for a private
function and 2013 dates are:
Sat 1st June, Sat 8th June, Sat 15th June,Sat 29th
June, Sat 3rd August, Sat 24th August, Sat 7th September.
Telephone: 01376
584903