Grounds and gardens
Our grounds and gardens are truly exceptional, and make the most of the openness and space our 50 acres provides.
As well as sports fields, floral borders and mature trees, our grounds include a mini arboretum, fruit orchards, an orchid collection, allotments, meadows, copses, herb gardens and mores. Biodiversity is a prime consideration on our site, so as well as beautifully tended borders, we also make space for wilder areas, to allow many kinds of wildlife and plant life to thrive.
About our grounds
You’re welcome to walk on and use our lawns, and our sports fields can be booked by College members. The perimeter path around our grounds is a popular walk, or route to run. The path is tree-lined producing flowers, fruit and autumn colour. The meadow grass alongside is home to wildflowers and over 80,000 bulbs including the Tetbury daffodil, bluebells, snowdrops, wood anemones and snakes head fritilleries.
There are almost 1000 trees on site with 65 different genera. Many host mistletoe, which shows that the air is clean as mistletoe won’t grow in areas of pollution. Trees planted around the site range from spreading oak trees to flowering cherries and avenues of flowering crab apples containing 17 different cultivars.
The arboretum next to the Chapel is a peaceful woodland area to walk through especially in spring with stunning shows of snowdrops and 20,000 daffodils.
Churchill College Grounds & Gardens team have worked hard to develop the biodiversity on site. “Nature friendly policies” such as including beehives, bumble bee houses, and solitary bee hotel on site to support pollinators, not using total weedkillers and not spraying the lawns has encouraged more biodiversity. A recent survey of plants on site found almost 300 different species, excluding planted borders. Around 15 species are on the county Register of Plants of Conservation Concern.
For further information please see the Garden Guide, available from the Porter’s Lodge. This includes a ‘tree map’ of those planted by famous or important College people.
Outdoor study spaces
The College provides tables and benches where students can work outside. In addition, the Xiaotian Fu Garden is located near 72 Storey’s Way, part of the College’s postgraduate accommodation.
A secluded, private space, it provides a tranquil and beautiful area for students and Fellows to work outside whilst still being close to the main College buildings. It is named after Ms Xiaotian Fu (PG06) who, in 2016 pledged a series of generous gifts.
Orchid House
In 2013, Native Bee Orchids were spotted growing in the College for the first time and they have flowered annually ever since. Dr Frank Maine (G60) (1937–2018) was visiting the College when the Bee Orchids were first spotted and due to his life-long passion for orchids set up an orchid fund to grow orchids under glass. The College currently has approximately 250 different orchids growing in its glasshouse and the collection is still expanding. The orchid house opening hours vary; contact Grounds & Gardens e-mail if you would like to visit. In addition to the bee orchids, since leaving areas of grass unmown we have also recorded pyramidal and spotted orchids around the site and hope to find others growing naturally.
Student ‘Grow your Own’
The Wellbeing Seed Library provides free seeds for students and families to use in the student garden. Seeds available in the library are seasonal vegetable and flowers.
You can find the Seed Library in the College Library, in the entrance foyer of the Bracken reading room. (You do not need a University Card to access this area.)
Student and families can plant them in the student gardening club greenhouse or the raised beds, located near the postgraduate accommodation at 70 Storey’s Way, across from Churchill Road. Compost, pots, tools a watering can and plant labels are kept in the greenhouse for student use, and the College garden team is on hand for help and advice.
Wildlife
The College has had various wildlife surveys carried out from small mammals to beetles and weevils. We have resident muntijac deer, foxes, badgers, bats, owls and herons on site. Plus of course our resident ducks! The grounds & gardens team along with the students participate in the annual RSPB Big Birdwatch and Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count. The College has planted wildflowers and allowed about 5 acres of grass to rewild. Bird and bat boxes have been installed along with wood piles and bug hotels.
National Plant Collection
In 2021, The College’s Winston Churchill Border was accredited as a National Collection through Plant Heritage.
In 2010 the College arranged for a special rose to be bred as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. Named Rosa ‘The Churchill Rose’, it is a lovely rose with apricot flowers and a delicate scent. The rose can be found in the gardens of 10 Downing Street, Chartwell House and Cambridge Botanic Garden but the College wanted to find a place to grow it on site so that its story could be retained. This led to the creation of the Sir Winston Churchill border in the Master’s and Fellows’ garden, which provided an opportunity to research and grow all of the plants named after Sir Winston Churchill. There are 27 named varieties and the College aims to collect all of them. The original Rosa ‘Sir Winston Churchill’ was sourced from Australia and in 2022 we entered it into the Plant Heritage Threatened Plant of the Year Competition held at Hampton Court Flower Festival and it was winner of the public vote. Current plants in the collection include:
- Amarylis ‘Churchill Red’
- Rosa ‘The Churchill Rose’ (Bred 2010)
- Rosa ‘Sir Winston Churchill’ (Bred 1955)
- Dahlia ‘Winston Churchill’
- Fuchsia ‘Winston Churchill’
- Hermerocallis ‘Winston Churchill’
- Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Churchill’
- Iris ‘Winston Churchill’
- Malus ‘Winston’
- Pelargonium ‘Winston Churchill’
- Saxifraga ‘Winston Churchill’
- Saxifraga ‘Winston Churchill Variegata’
- Symphyotrichum novi-belgii ‘Winston Churchill’
- Narcissus ‘Winston Churchill’
- Lathyrus odoratus Winston Churchill (sweet pea)
- Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Winston Churchill’
- Rhododendron ‘Winston Churchill’ Azalea mollis
Publications and Guides
If you want to know more about our gardens, Paula Laycock (former Registrar) and John Moore (Head of Grounds & Gardens) have written a Garden Guide which includes a potted history, a garden map and a guided tour of the grounds and gardens. In A5 format with 35 pages, it is on sale at the Porter’s Lodge for £3 or you can buy a copy online.
The grounds were designed in 1959 by the modernist landscape architect, Sheila Haywood (1911-1993). For further information about her work, you can read her biography, written by Paula, online. For those who would like to know more about the history, Portrait of a Landscape is a 200 page fully illustrated book with 205 photos which chronicles the development of the grounds and gardens since 1959 to the present day. In landscape format, it is on sale for £20, also available at the Porter’s Lodge and to buy online.
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