History of the Garden
This short video was created back in 2012 and is about the art of (and in) the garden. It was produced by Emma Goude for the Leechwell Garden Association and the Totnes Development Trust.
The present garden was once part of an old orchard, the property of Leechwell Cottage (to the west, above the current garden). The orchard was divided in the 1930’s and a bungalow built on the bottom half. This was demolished in order to make the garden you now see.
The orchard is first recorded in deeds relating to the
area surrounding the Magdalene Leper Hospital (to the south in Maudlin Road) built around 1150 and pulled down in 1719. While this had a ‘herb garden, grove and apple garden’ there is no record of the Leechwell orchard itself being part of the hospital grounds.
The Leechwell orchard was owned (or leased) by many different people, one of whom was William Bogan of Bowden House in 1656. Earlier still, the orchard may have been in the ownership of the Church or one of the chantry chapels in Totnes.
In 1864, the land that now forms the garden of Leechwell Cottage, the Leechwell Garden and the land on which the new houses on Heathway West have been built, was sold at auction. When it was auctioned one of the selling points was that “a perpetual Stream of the celebrated Leechwell Water runs through the Premises”.
Recent History
Leechwell Bungalow was built around 1930 and the garden and bungalow it contains were bought by South Hams District Council (SHDC) in 1995. SHDC, having acquired most of the land, built a road linking the top of the town with the Plains and began planning how to develop the area. Over the next twenty years several plans were produced but none were taken further.
The Leechwell Water feeds a stone immersion basin lying at the top of the garden. In 2005 the immersion basin was listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument attached to the Leechwell Holy Well. More details can be found in XXXX on this site.
The Leechwell Garden Association was formed in January 2009 with the primary purpose of managing, in association with the landowner (currently SHDC), the public open space in Totnes known as the ‘Leechwell Garden‘ for the benefit of the people of Totnes.
Funding for the initial development of the garden (some £150,000) was provided by SHDC and Midas. In addition, DOS transferred the bulk of its remaining funds (£400 approx) to the LGA. The LGA applied for and was granted a £50,000 grant from Community Spaces.
From 2010 onwards, the Garden underwent a full redesign by the Rathbone Partnership as part of the public small parks project in key locations in the town at The Rotherfold, Leechwell and Heath’s Gardens, all designed closely with the community and charitable trusts, incorporating water features (inspired by Dartmoor), public sculpture and play areas.
Old Documents