Visiting the Walled Garden at Mells — Notes From A Country Girl

Save for a inconspicuous wooden sign, it’s easy to miss the Walled Garden at Mells - and that’s half the beauty of it.

When you visit, you feel like you’ve discovered a hidden gem that no-one knows about, yet it’s just a half hour drive from Bath. Surrounded by a high stone wall, the only way in is through a rose covered wooden gate accessed up a side pathway. Inside, you’ll find a rambling garden, community nursery, outdoor cafe and …. a pizza oven.

It’s a quiet place where everyone can find a nook to sit and enjoy a coffee or catch up with friends among the flowers. There’s a bench by the dovecote, tables by the garden sculptures and umbrella covered tables. Towards the back, the garden opens up to provide a view of the fields beyond.

The cafe is a casual affair, with food and drink served out of a wooden shed. A pizza oven is fired up throughout the summer months making pizzas fresh to order to devour among the flower beds. There’s also a selection of Little Jack Horner’s sausage rolls available, which are made just down the road and served with a salad.

The garden was the original setting for the Mells Rectory in the fifteenth century when the village was part of the estate of Glastonbury Abbey. At that time it was likely a monastic garden growing herbs for medicine and study. Today there’s a nursery in the garden that offers learning and social support for people through horticultural therapy. Funds raised from the nursery go toward reaching out to people who many not have regular access to gardens and helping tackle issues like social isolation.

Exploring Mells Village

Once you’ve bought a plant or two and had your fill of pizza, it’s worth venturing out into the village itself. You could easily spend the day or even the weekend wandering Mells and surrounding countryside. Within a short stroll of the walled garden you’ll find cottages with plenty of curb appeal, a pretty post-office with community cafe, a stunning church and the beautiful Talbot Inn.

The Post Office can be found a couple of minutes walk down the hill when you turn right out of the walled garden. The pub is in the opposite direction, just in front of the church. The Talbot Inn is perfect come rain or shine, with roaring fires in the winter and a beautiful sun drenched garden and courtyard in the summer.

The Talbot is named after the medieval hunting dog, which also features on the coat of arms and crest of the Horner family, who were a prominent family in the village. You’ll see their coat of arms dotted around the village. There’s one up New Street which runs alongside the edge of the pub and leads up to the church. This street is worth a look anyway. Around 1470, the Abbot of Glastonbury planned to design a settlement in the shape of a cross. The plan was never completed and only New Street was built.

Be sure not to miss St Andrew’s Church at the top of the street, beautifully positioned in front of open pasture. Venture in to the church itself and you’ll find a striking bronze sculpture of Edward Horner on horseback which was designed by renowned horse painter, Alfred Munnings in memory of Edward who died of wounds in the First World War. The sculpture sits on top of a plinth by Sir Edward Lutyens who designed the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

The church is a great spot to start or finish a walk around the village or surrounding countryside, safe in the knowledge that a pint, coffee or slice of pizza is just a short stroll away.

Country Girl Ratings

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Walled Garden at Mells is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am-5pm for the cafe and plant sales.

The pizza oven is on from 12pm to 4pm.

5 Rectory Cottages, Mells, Frome, BA11 3PN.

MUST SEE

Mells River and Collier’s Ways

There’s a lovely walk that takes you through the woods, along the Mells river and past the old mines. I haven’t walked the route recently, but I remember the woods being full of Bluebells in the spring. Here’s an example walking route:

https://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MzE1NjY4Ng==

The Somerset Lavender Farm

The Somerset Lavender Farm is just a 15 minute drive from Mells. They also sell their products in the Malls Post Office. See my post about the lavender farm here.