garden
Reverend William Wilks - Creator of the garden, 1904
17 Shirley Church Rd, Croydon, CR9 5AL
MHA The Wilderness is a unique and reformed garden created by Rev William Wilks, breeder of the Shirley poppy and former secretary of the Royal Horticulture Society between 1904 and 1923. Having been lost for many years it was reclaimed in 2019, and now offers access to a hidden heritage garden in South London with an accessible, engaging and nature-based programme of activities.
East Croydon
130, 466
The garden is based in the grounds of MHA Hall Grange Care Home, accessed via a green gate in the right-hand corner of the carpark.
The garden is sited on a site incline. The main circular path is fully accessible, though there are woodland paths that are not.
There is plenty of seating sited around the main path circling the garden. Being a wildlife garden there is an array of insect/bird life.
The Wilderness is a wonderful haven for wildlife and a hidden gem in Croydon, South London.
Its creator, Rev. William Wilks (1843-1923), vicar of St Johns Church in Shirley was a keen horticulturist, and secretary general of Royal Horticultural Society for thirty-two years. One of his main achievements was the selective breeding of the 'Shirley' poppy, from a poppy he found in a local field with white banding on the edges of the petals.
Wilks was also an enthusiastic botanist and a disciple of William Robinson, a prominent wildlife gardener and writer.
After purchasing land adjacent to the vicarage in 1904, and on retirement in 1912, he built a house naming it The Wilderness. He set about creating the garden, details of which were regularly published in the Gardener's chronicle.
(1920 article) - 'True to our expectations we found a most beautiful pleasaunce laid out and planted on unorthodox lines, but embodying the true features of a natural garden'.
After Wilks' death, the garden remained in existence and was bequeathed to MHA in 1958, when it became Hall Grange care home.
Unfortunately, from the late 1980's onwards, the garden became overgrown and invasive species such as Rhododendron ponticum became a problem.
A local librarian and eventual resident to Hall Grange, Lucy Rogers, long championed the garden, drawing attention to the significant ecological value of the garden, including the rare bog habitat. This is now a Site of Metropolitan Interest, given the rare species and it being one of very few such habitats in the greater London area.
In 2018, with National Heritage Lottery funding the garden began its conservation journey to continue Wilks' legacy of enhancing and encouraging native species and wildlife and promoting sustainable gardening practices. This is being realised with a team of dedicated volunteers working alongside the Head Gardener, Lucy James.
The garden's design is fully accessible to residents in MHA Hall Grange and South London Collaborative Community members, especially those living with dementia. It is also utilised by the local community, with ongoing and developing partnerships with local organisations such as CALAT, Mencap, St Christopher's Hospice and Active Lives.
The Wilderness is open to the public during the week and is registered on the Dementia Friendly Venue Charter.
