Situated just off the main thoroughfare of the northern end of Bridport’s famous South street market, Beach cottage lies hidden at the end of a well worn 16th century ancient passageway that regularly bewitches and halts people in their tracks.
It is common, sometimes several times a day, for folk to just stop and gaze down the alley and comment on its unique demeanour as they view the juxtoposition of the dark passage revealing the bright and colourful explosion of flowers I’ve, purposely, presented in hanging baskets at its far end.
And beyond the pastel colours of said hanging baskets, an inquisitive observer is then seduced and drawn in by the vision and promise of the 150ft 1940’s style garden that lies beyond.
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I live smack bang in the centre of my little thriving communal town in a modest little cottage that is part 16th – 17th century. It has an original bedroom with great view of garden and hills beyond, a big bathroom and WC with office one end, a quirky shaped kitchen and hall and a part modern ground floor extension with additional wooden conservatory. A newly laid flagstone patio lies beyond.
The place is just magical, starting with an enclosed ancient alleyway or rope walk that feeds off from the main street. You have to walk down that alley to even begin to enter my realm and it is, in some ways, like stepping back in time or like emerging out into some parallel universe.
In the summer, holidaymakers stop and look or take photos of that alleyway because … well … because the contrast and restrained limited light of the alley itself is juxtaposed by the glorious colourful image of flowers, sunshine and promise of the 150 garden that tantalisingly reveals itself to the eye at the far end of the ancient and well worn flag stoned passage.
Edit the following … Put it this way, in the summer, from the high street, you can look down my passageway and see, first a glimpse of light, then focusing, see the explosion of flowers revealed through an open door … (Hanging baskets suspended from my outhouses and then a 4ft high Meadowland Mix of flowers exploding from the rockery on the left) … then your eye gets just a glimpse of the Georgian red brick and natural stone enclosed ‘end wall’ a further 160 ft away at the far, far bottom of the garden. (That is where I built / created my Zen garden).
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