In 2003, The Old Barn had no gardens at all, the house being surrounded by featureless grass. This is the adjoining water-logged field full of lank grasses and reeds that we eventually turned into the main gardens.

In 2004 the first trees were planted: pencil thin saplings of Betula Papyrifera, the 'canoe birch', in the waterlogged field.

A very elderly Yanmar 3.5 tonne excavator was rescued from extinction to help with the job - and to provide some fun!

This is the view that encouraged us to take on the house and garden, looking across neighbouring fields over the Solway Firth to Scotland. It also started my wife's painting career.

Remember those pencil thin 'canoe birch' saplings standing in flood water in the photo above? A couple of years later......

In front of the house, the soil was a few inches over rock. All the planting holes were chiselled out by hand.

Seating areas were created around the house and throughout the garden to follow the sun and provide protection from the winds

Looking across the lower part of the main garden from the beck towards the bog garden.

With 'Gardeners' Garter' grass in foreground looking towards the evergreen bed and tree lined beck beyond.

The Fountain Pool - flooding washed out all of the original ponds, so all were rebuilt as raised ones 

A free recycled static caravan from an Ullswater camp site. Became the home of our son for a period before becoming the base for our wildlife cameras around the garden.

In front of the caravan, a fence provides protection for the vegetable garden from both wind and hares and badgers! The latter removed all new plantings we made to get at the worms.

As well as exposed to winds, snow often provided beauty and challenge for a period most years. It's those 'canoe birches' again....

With its own beach hut, this is the largest of the ponds. Constant fish loss was blamed on herons, until our wildlife camera trap caught an otter having a goldfish supper!

With plenty of grass to mow, some areas were left to grow, others mowed with a pattern. The metal birds now reside in our present garden, as does the milk churn. All the rocks and stones were found in the garden and reused as features. 

The volley ball pitch at the lower end of the garden. To the right, steps led down to a hidden 'dell' through which the beck gently flowed.

The back of the house was close to the steep bank down to the beck that marked the eastern boundary. We built a sheltered deck to fill that space, and it was a regular feeding place for red squirrels.

The final bed at the far end of the field that became the main garden, sheltered by a willow walk to the south, and the tree-lined beck to the north. This viewpoint was overlooking the town of Wigton, some 750 feet below on the Solway Plain

Stone found on site was used to build low dry-stone walls to provide shelter to new plants. This picture: 2009

Red squirrels were regular visitors to The Old Barn gardens, as were badgers from their sett in the neighbouring field. Foxes, hares, curlews, barn & tawny owls, were all regular visitors to the garden.