Clearly visible as you re-join the driveway are the ancient walls of the Walled Garden – the core of the garden created by the Fortescues. Descending the driveway slope, you may notice the former entrance to the Bottom Terrace, bricked up by Lionel who decided to make an entrance lower down to allow space for the iconic pair of borders either side of a long straight grass path. He also moved the granite archway from its original location to where it stands today at the far end of the Bottom Terrace, framing the vista across the Jubilee Arboretum.

Brooding over this area is the a medieval tower, the last remains of a once much larger three-storied building. Stone built with a slate roof, it had a oak-panelled parlour on the ground floor, a hall, buttery, beerhouse and cellar. On the first floor were four bedrooms and a study with fir timbered floor and ceilings; above were three more bedrooms and another room, again fir timbered. Today the tower acts as a means of moving between The Bottom Terrace and Tennis Court Lawn as well as affording fantastic view of the walled garden itself from its uppermost level.

 

 

Across from the tower is a thatched barn which, in medieval times served as kitchen to the main house – separated due to the risk of fire.

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