The Monk’s Garden Revisited

At Mount Grace Priory (Yorkshire) English Heritage have recreated a cell and garden unit to reveal to the public the daily life of the medieval Carthusian monk. The Carthusians led a very different existence to that of the Benedictine or Cistercians orders, for it was primarily a solitary life. The cell and garden unit allowed the Carthusian monk to pray, work, read and eat alone. It was unsurprising therefore that the cell and garden often reflected the personal choice and taste of the resident monk.

The recreated garden is based upon the archaeological evidence gleaned from the excavations of Cell 8, which revealed some clues as to the garden plan. In the fifteenth century the garden was possibly ornamental, with a feature tree and wide paths. In the sixteenth century the garden perhaps became a vegetable garden with straight beds.

English Heritage have constructed three main areas within the recreated garden. There is a wooden pentice running along the outer wall, leading to the latrine. Against this a bed has been planted with strawberries and other fruits. The central space is paved and divided into smaller beds by hedging. Here herbs such as sage, rosemary and thyme have been planted. On the opposite side to the pentice is a bed with a single ornamental tree.

Recreations of the monastic garden are of course becoming ever more commonplace at heritage sites, but it is here at Mount Grace Priory where you really gain the best insight to the character of the monk gardener.