Play.Eat.Laugh.Sleep..Pickwell: Broomhill Sculpture Garden

Friday, 17 August 2012

Broomhill Sculpture Garden

One of my favourite places in North Devon is the sculpture gardens at Broomhill. Just 20 minutes drive from Pickwell, the gardens provide a magical and enchanting couple of hours with the children (and probably a lot longer if you get to go on your own!).

Amazing that in this sleepy corner of North Devon is not only an exhibition of amazing sculptures but also a wonderful ‘slow food’ restaurant as well as a great venue for art exhibitions, jazz nights and a whole host of other activities. If you are on holiday at Pickwell you really must check out what's on at Broomhill.

The gardens take you down from the house and snake through beautiful woodland to the river below. The garden is packed with sculptures, some very prominent whilst others are gems that need a little more searching to find.

There is a stunning range of sculptures including the bright and bold.

From those as small as your hand....

To those as big as your house.....

There are even those that help you take a rest along the way.

Molly and Millie-grace particularly enjoy the opportunity to blend in with the sculptures ....

The next Tom Daly....

Feeling a little bit weary now

Maybe time for a little lie down

My absolute favourites are a series of bronze sculptures by Carol Pearce

There is plenty both to entertain, amuse, stir, as well as provoke. Perhaps the most unsettling is this futuristic landscape called 'Welcome to the Third Millenium' by Mike Roles.

In addition to the gardens, Broomhill also has two wonderful inside galleries, some great dining spaces and a sumptuous lunch and dinner menu.

The day on which we went this week was somewhat overcast and Broomhill provides a great outing when the weather is less accommodating for the beach. One great advantage is that the gardens never take you too far away from the house. So if the weather becomes unsettled (as it did) you can easily get back to the house for a spot of cake!!

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Our Story

Many people have asked what the story is, how did the Bakers and Elliotts come to be at Pickwell?

Are you sitting comfortably?

Tracey and Susannah became friends at 6th form college. Steve and Tracey lived in the same village in Sussex. Steve's dad was the vicar and Tracey's dad was Steve's scout leader. Even more wierd, Susannah's dad (also a church minister) and Steve's dad were friends, but Steve and Sus never met.

One summer Tracey took Susannah along to a youth summer camp. Steve was one of the leaders (read : heightened attraction) and a little later Steve and Sus got together. During their 6 on/off years they met Richard, a blue eyed boy from Guildford.

At a club night run by Steve, somehow through the dark and crowded room, Tracey and Richard bumped into eachother (if you have seen the shapes they pull on the dancefloor you would know how easily this happened)..

In the year 2000 they all got married. Tracey and Susannah were eachother's bridesmaids. They have remained firm friends ever since.

When Steve and Susannah came across Pickwell Manor, they knew they couldn't manage such a project on their own. They asked the Elliotts if they would give up their house, their jobs and their community to come and live and work with them and own the project together. They knew there weren't many people they could ask to do such a thing knowing they would still love each other by the end. So they all left everything in Sussex and came to Devon.

They moved on the same day in August 2008. It has been a crazy, wonderful, scary, emotional and beautiful experience so far. All of them would say they feel very ALIVE!

Since they moved they have run 51 successful and wonderful weddings (with more to come), many, many holidays, built or totally refurbished 6 apartments from scratch, updated carpets, painted white throughout, put in quite a few kitchens and bathrooms (including 2 baths on concrete plinths), changed much of the furniture, converted a laundry and have started to convert the chapel. Every year they also have a bonfire gathering in October, an Easter Eggstravaganza fundraising event, and anything else that is not-for-profit that they can fit in. Tracey has completed a dissertation and gone back to nursing for 2 days a week, Steve has started up a new company in London, Richard has mastered a lot of the running of the house as well as training as a coach, specialising in stress management, Sus has taken on the interiors and Tracey and Susannah have learnt weddings in at the deep end! All with 4 young Pickwellians by their sides.

"Our passion is for making life count. Our values lie in
friendship, celebration, valuing others, and social justice. We see Pickwell as a reflection of these things but also a place for rest, recouperation, laughter and conversation. We want to support charities and social enterprises to fufil their dreams and make a difference."

"We love Devon, we love the community here, we love seeing our children grow with nature and discovering the great outdoors. We have to pinch ourselves sometimes when we think about our life here, it is amazing".