The Victorian Kitchen Garden at Franklin House

The kitchen garden, attached to most country estates, was an essential part of the working garden. These gardens provided the family and it’s servants with fruit and vegetables, all year round, and flowers for the house. Hardy crops grew on the open grounds, fruit trees were trained up walls and heated glasshouses supplied tender or early delicacies.

A lot of research went in to establishing the Victorian Kitchen Garden at Franklin House, and thanks must go to the Head Gardener, Simon Tetlow of Tatton Park, in Cheshire, U.K. for his time and patience with my constant questions on the garden there and the management of volunteers.

The concept of kitchen gardens in the Victorian era, was that whilst producing for the household, they were quite formal and intricate in design, and vegetables, herbs and flowers were inter mixed.

The design at Franklin House was assisted by Brigitte Lyons, Horticultural consultant, (Diploma of Horticulture, Burnley, Victoria) and was specifically structured to be able to build another one or three squares, and keep the overall pattern. We wanted to start small and be able to manage the garden well, with the resources we have.

Two grants were instrumental in starting up the garden. The first was a community grant from Rio Tinto Aluminium , which enabled us to research designs, buy plants, seeds and equipment etc.

The second grant was from the Community Support levy, charitable organizations grant programme which enabled us to employ, one day a week, a person with an intellectual disability, for approximately 8 months.

Produce from the garden is used in the Tea room, in soups and frittata and as garnishes. Any extra is sold for funds to buy new seeds. All the plants and flowers grown in the garden are of the era of the house, and a lot of effort goes into sourcing authentic seeds and plants.

As the seasons change, so does this garden. New plantings happen after part of the garden is past producing. There is a garden board under the verandah at Franklin House with an up to date map of the Victorian Kitchen garden and the beautiful names of the vegetables, like, Drunken woman lettuce, violet Sicilian cauliflower and China Rose radish.

• A full listing of the vegetables and herbs may be found here
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We are always on the look out for garden equipment such as glass or terracotta closhes or bells as used in Victorian times to shelter seedlings or keep celery stems white.

*The above two photos from Susan Campbell's Walled Kitchen Gardens (2006) Shire Publications