Tower Wing
Woodlands Court
Woodlands surrounding Girton
College Gardens
The extensive gardens of Girton College were laid out as the building developed. Their purpose was to give recreation for the students and an environment in which they could study. Vegetables and fruit were soon added to supply the kitchens. As the College expanded fields became available for the College mare and larger kitchen gardens and walks around the grounds. Emily Davies had foreseen “gardens and grounds and everything good for the body, soul and spirit”. Her co-founder wrote of “love and study of nature for body and mind”.
Emily Davies Court
The College is built around courtyards developed as the phases of the building were added. Emily Davies Court was the first part of the gardens laid out. The old main entrance no longer has the approach road to it. A footpath surrounds the lawn, laid for tennis courts until recently. The large cedar trees were planted by the original drive. Gertrude Jekyll made a design for the border along Old Wing but it is not known if it was ever planted. The high level of care and fragility of the plants makes it unsuitable for the College today.
Tower Wing & Cloister Court
The purchase of the fields, on the death of Philadelphia Cotton in 1886, allowed the building of Tower Wing and the tower and the diversion of the drive to the new Lodge and to serve the old kitchens.The new Hall and kitchens enclosed another court: Cloister Court. The layout of this court was made in the 1980s when more car parking was needed and the court was in need of refurbishment; sheltered by the buildings and trees this is a favourite place for lunches and summer evenings.
Woodlands Court
Woodlands Court is bounded by Woodlands Wing, Chapel Wing, New Wing and the Hyphen. Surrounded by red brick it has a fine group of lime trees and a flourishing Arbutus unedo. Paeonia mlokosewitschii grow in the shaded border and flower freely there. This was the site of an extensive rose garden laid out in 1926. Part of this was lost when Hyphen was built in the 1930s but the smaller garden continued until the 1990s when poor soil and the prospect of a Library extension made it impractical to revive it. Woodlands Court is used for events. Summer Shakespeare, marquees for the Ball and some College events and informal gatherings all use it.
Campbell Court
Campbell Court is the newest of our courts. A paved area surrounded by borders is overlooked by the Library’s Duke Building. Mixed planting, including Clematis armandii and Convolvulus cneorum, is establishing well.
The Pond and the Fellows’ Garden
The Pond, made to supply water for fire-fighting, has become a haven for wildlife. The lawn, bank and pond edge were recently reconstructed with the help of the Friends of the Gardens and further work is being planned, including further bank stabilisation, planting and gaining control of the Phragmites. The Fellows’ Garden, designed by Penelope Hobhouse, was laid out in the early 1990s. Yew hedges form wings to a stage area with a sunken auditorium. It is divided into two distinct areas by a pergola and mixed border. Malus John Downie and roses grow over the pergola.
Around the grounds shelter-belts were planted, now mature woodlands around open grass meadows. This creates a diverse range of habitats for wild insects, birds and plants. Tree creepers, woodpeckers and many other species are to be seen here.
Old Orchard
Along with the need for vegetables, fruit was grown. Old Orchard was planted by 1893 and still survives. A range of varieties were planted and have been added to. It is now an important collection of trees, some from grafts early in their introduction. As a mature orchard it has developed a range of flora and insects. Work is continuing to conserve Old Orchard, with the help of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, replacing trees, pruning etc.
The Nursery
Not usually considered part of the gardens, the nursery has an important role. We propagate plants for the gardens and for use in rooms. As part of the Old Orchard work we are grafting apple trees from the old and vulnerable specimens in order to retain the clones found here.
Garden Walk Notes
Notes produced by the Gardens Standing Sub-Committee following walks around the College gardens and grounds each Term.