Gardens & Grounds

The Stable House Gardens & Grounds

Welcome

When visiting The Stable House property, you are very welcome to walk and enjoy the gardens and grounds. There are around 22 acres altogether. The one thing we ask is that you respect the areas signed ‘Private’ around the conservatory and inner courtyard, and do not go into any paddocks containing animals unless we have given permission.

Please note, visits are by arrangement only, but feel free to drop us a line to arrange.

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Outside The Stable House

The Trees

We are blessed to enjoy the most amazing trees all around the gardens and grounds. When the Kilworth House Estate was developed in the late 1880s, it was decided that there should be a specimen of every tree that could grow in England at that time, planted within the whole estate. Obviously many of these are now a part of the Kilworth House Hotel and Theatre grounds, and some have fallen through storm and disease damage, but we do benefit hugely from some beautiful mature trees. See how many different varieties you can spot, including the different varieties of Oak.

Take time, to rest and relax.

You will find benches in different parts of the property, feel free to take a pause and enjoy what you can see, whether it be the view over the surrounding Leicestershire countryside with church spires in the distance, or the tree above your head and the grass at your feet. Take time, to rest and relax.

Are you an Animal lover?

See below to meet all the furry friends at The Stable House

Stable house Wildlife

The Kitchen Garden & Woodland

Find the Victorian Kitchen Garden

Walking down the concrete drive and turning right after crossing over the cattlegrid, points you towards the horse menage and treehouse, and then the Victorian Kitchen Garden. Please take care in the horse menage which is where we are storing our supplies for the building works. If you have a good head for heights, walk across the menage to the far end and climb carefully up the ladder to the treehouse (taking extra care with any little people that may be with you) and enjoy spying down on all around you.

Into the Woodland

From here there is a hand gate into the woodland. There are paths meandering their way around the trees; beech, oak, horse chestnut - what else can you spot? Keep walking down to the bottom and cross the bridges over the little stream and there is more wood to explore.

Meet the Pigs!

You can then walk back up the hill and into the former Victorian Kitchen Garden. If you are in luck, there may be some piggies rootling away in one of the paddocks, or you can see where we have planted potatoes after the pig’s last year’s work.

Safety warning

Please do not go into the old greenhouse - as you will see it is not a safe place at the moment although we did manage to grow some vegetables for the first time this year. Now, we need to do some repair work on the glass.

Please do not touch any machinery that might be stored anywhere on the property - we are sometimes busy splitting logs for the fires and log burners, or turning the ground ready for next year’s crop of vegetables.

Take a seat

There are more places to sit here, maybe under the old Apple tree sheltered from the wind, or if it rains, head back out through the small gate in the wall, into the old stable and bothy where we are told the under gardener used to live, ready to rise early to stoke the boilers to heat the greenhouse.

Greet the Alpacas

Greet the Alpacas on your way back towards the house. Meet Mati, Ginger & Tinker. Check in with us, and maybe feed them a snack too.

The Prayer Shed

The shed we are sitting in front of here was the old “summer house” built by Eleanor’s father in the 1970’s as a nice place to sit to enjoy both the view and the afternoon sun. It has been enjoyed by many generations over the years as not only a place to sit and relax, but also a place to get away from the adults - or vice versa!

One of our daughters spent much of one Summer holidays decorating the walls with old sheet music and making it a comfortable space with beanbags and old chairs. Over the recent years it was hit quite harshly by the storms and we decided we would build a new shed in its place - this is an ongoing project not yet completed; we will update you when it is. The old shed was going to be knocked down and used as firewood, or maybe given to the pony as a field shelter. However, when we came to move it we thought it would sit really well in the middle of one of the fields so it can still be a place to sit and admire the view. There are a few repairs needed to the roof but once done, we will endeavour to make sure there are always some chairs in the Prayer Shed so anyone can take a pause and sit for a minute, or two, or three, or four!

“You’re only here for a short visit; Don’t hurry, don’t worry and be sure to smell the flowers along the way” (attributed to Walter Hagen)

UPDATE! - The shed is now fully repaired and much enjoyed! Come and see for yourself

And Explore!

If you would like a longer walk, ask us to explain how you can walk out from the wood onto the public footpath network; but be aware that sometimes you have to face the cows that share the field on the way.

Anyone who visits with us for either a day retreat, a coffee break or an overnight stay is welcome to explore our gardens and grounds. Please note, however, that we are not open without prior arrangement.