Areas of Interest

Student Hostels (Pepper Pots)

The new graduate student hostels were built in 2001 adjacent to the Wolfson Flats. The planting is mainly for foliage and there is a dry garden theme using Phormium, Sage and Lavender. There is also a pleached lime hedge (where trees have been trained into a raised hedge) and a cherry orchard (Prunus ‘Tai Haku’ Great White Cherry) which is spectacular when in flower.

Winter Border

This border is located next to the Herbaceous Border which overlooks the Hepworth sculpture. It is planted with winter and spring flowering plants, many of which have beautiful scent. Of particular note are Hellebores, different species of  Cornus and Salix, Viburnums and Chimonanthus praecox. The Winter Border comes into its own when the Herbaceous Border is at its barest.

Private Road (Churchill Road) Plantings

Don’t miss the beautiful Silver Birch half way down the Churchill Road. Their spectacular ghost-like stems look particularly stunning in the winter reflecting back in the black glass building opposite and also in the spring where over a thousand Narcissus ‘Thalia’ have been naturalised in the grass beneath. The borders along this road, which is over 500m long, were replanted in 2009 using grasses as a main feature.

Fruit Orchards (Storey’s Way)

Most of the fruit trees in these domestic gardens date from the 1920s and 1930s when the College-owned houses on Storey’s Way were built, some thirty or so years before the College was built.

Study Centre Plantings

These are mixed beds which overlook the College’s playing fields and enhance the seating area outside the Study Centre.  Of particular note is the Golden Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) which looks particularly effective reflecting in the black glass of the building.

Courtyards

The planting and design within each of the 11 courtyards differ throughout and alternate between sunken areas with grass and one or two trees, such as a Foxglove tree (Paulownia tomentosa), through to raised courtyards with sunken borders. Each planting is different and presents different challenges due to heavy shade from the buildings or because the area is next to a building with low windows. One courtyard is planted with tree ferns (Dicksonia antartica), bananas (Musa basjoo) (the College gets small bananas in hot summers) and grasses. Another courtyard is host to a display of clipped box (Buxus sempervirens).

Mini Arboretum

This area can be found just beyond the Chapel at Churchill College at the top end of the site and is home to stunning displays in the spring.  First to come into flower are thousands of snowdrops followed by some 20,000 daffodils which flower at the same time as a delightful Prunus x yedoensis. This area also contains collections of Acer palmatum and Cornus kousa amongst other trees which were kindly donated by Michael Lewis College undergraduate 1964. These plantings commemorated fifty years since Michael graduated.

Sports Field

The sports fields are set out over three different levels. The bottom field (closest to the main College buildings) houses the cricket pitch and three grass tennis courts and three hard tennis courts with netball and basketball markings. During winter this field is also used for Ultimate Frisbee and Lacrosse. The middle field is used for football while the top field is used for rugby, a second football pitch and for University Archery in the summer.

The grounds are also used by the University Spaceflight Programme and regular balloon launches are made.  In addition to this the grounds are used for many garden parties.

Sheppard Flat Borders

These borders are planted with a mix of herbaceous plants and shrubs and provide a pleasant environment in this residential area of the College.