Halgabron Mill is a privately owned property comprising mixed woodland, a stream [part of the old mill works] and cottages set in a very steep-sided valley near Tintagel in Cornwall. The soil is extremely acidic so is ideal for the cultivation of Rhododendrons and related plants - the private passion of the owners. The cottages are let out as holiday residences so the garden, initially pretty wild and untamed, had to be made safe and accessible to the guests staying in the cottages as well as easy for the owners to get close to their plants.
Initial work consisted of clearing some of the woodland near the main cottage to provide a large planting area for the owner's collection of Rhododendrons, Camellias and Japanese maples. We then had to rebuild the old collapsed traditional slate walling of the steam and install bridges to access the different parts of the garden. A gently meandering and wide set of steps [log edged and filled with crushed slate] were finally installed on the main slope of the garden to provide easy access.The entire project took several years and we worked closely with the owners, liaising with the local workforce and the local tree officer to ensure a successful opening of the garden to the cottage residents.