Inverewe

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Location and Setting

Inverewe is situated on the A832 in Wester Ross some half a mile (1km) north of Poolewe and some 5 miles (8km) north-east of Gairloch. It lies on a red sandstone promontory at the south eastern end of Loch Ewe. The A832 runs along the eastern boundary of the site. In the Woodland Garden, the soil consists of shallow layers of acid peat over-lying red sandstone or Lewisian gneiss. In the Walled Garden much of the soil was imported by Osgood Mackenzie and, after many years of mulching with seaweed, has formed a good loam. The climate is affected by the Gulf Stream and the maritime conditions. The annual rainfall is high about 46.5". The strong winds, particularly the prevailing south westerlies regularly blast the garden (and three severe gales, one in 1983 and two more in 1984, have devastated the shelterbelts). The surrounding land is mainly heather moorland with many rocky outcrops protruding through it. The sea lies to the west and the foothills of the North-West Highlands rise to the east. There are views west across the Loch, south to Flowerdale Forest and beyond to the Torridon Hills, and south-east towards Ben Airigh Charr and Slioch 3,215' (980m). The woodland canopy of conifers along the peninsula contributes greatly to the surrounding moorland scenery, especially from the south of the loch.

The house lies in the centre of the southern part of the garden. The garden is bordered on two sides by the sea, on the third by dense plantations of conifers and by the A832 on the fourth. The extent of the woodland shelterbelts planted in 1862 has remained the same, but the Woodland Garden under the trees has gradually increased in size over the years and now extends to an area of about 62 acres (25 ha).

Landscape Components

Architectural Features

Inverewe House was rebuilt in 1936. The original house was built around 1864 and was badly burnt in 1914. It was partially restored before being demolished when the new house was constructed in 1936. The Lodge was probably built at the same time as the original house. The Visitor Centre was designed by Schomberg Scott and built in 1963. It was enlarged with the restaurant in 1978. The Walls of the Kitchen Garden and high retaining wall on the north side were built by Osgood Mackenzie before 1864. Various other ancillary buildings, such as the gardener's office, and the ticket office have been erected by the Trust. Within the Woodland Garden, there are two Log Shelters copied from examples seen in Norway. They are simple rustic buildings made from logs with their roofs covered with sods of turf.

Woodland

When the property belonged to Sir John Hay, it was covered with Scots pine which were felled in the late 18th century for charcoal. In 1864, Osgood Mackenzie planted conifers over the peninsula. Recently, two blocks of conifers, mainly Scots pine, Douglas fir and larch, outside the garden on the north side, have been leased to the Forestry Commission. Today the Trust manages over 460 acres of commercial conifer forest and the Forestry Commission runs another 200 acres. Near the Gardens, there are about 83 acres of woodland.

Woodland Garden

The Woodland Garden lies to the west and north of the house. From about 1880, Osgood Mackenzie began clearing the shelterbelt and he started to the north of the house. He planted ornamental trees and shrubs and many of the old hybrid Rhododendrons came, as gift, from Muncaster in Cumbria. In the Bambooselem, tall Eucalyptus tower over the exotic trees; they were probably part of the first planting in the late 19th century. More Eucalyptus trees were planted along the drive and near the garage.

Gradually Osgood Mackenzie moved the garden westward into the peninsula and laid out all the paths of which there are over 10 km (7.5 miles). The guidebook describes 14 different areas and observes that there are many more. Today, the Woodland Garden is filled with rare, tender exotics, many of which only grow elsewhere in the south-west of England.

One of the areas to the west of the house is known as the Millstone or 'Japan', called after a Japanese cherry which has since gone. It is now heavily shaded but plants like the tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica), the Chusan palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), and the tender Chiliean Lomatia ferruginea grow well here.

From the Millstone, the path rises to the top of the knoll and passes through many rare species Rhododendrons including a group of triflorum species and the small williamsianum. On the banks of the two small ponds grow moisture-loving plants, particularly Primulas, the Himalayan blue poppies (Meconopsisspp.), and the enormous leaved Gunnera manicata. Some of the Rhododendrons have self- seeded, including R. thomsonii, with its bronze peeling bark. At the highest point, there is a viewing area, where the shelterbelt has been opened out to expose the spectacular views south across the loch to the Torridon Hills.

The western side of the knoll is far more exposed to the salt-laden strong winds and their strength can be seen on the sculptured windblown shape of the trees. Under them, Osgood Mackenzie had planted Rhododendron ponticum, but his daughter found that Griselinia littoralis was much more satisfactory. A winding path, and steps called Devil's Elbow are carved out of a sandstone outcrop; from them there is a good view to the small bay, known as Camas Glas, where most of the cruise ships anchor. From the bottom of the steps the path leads west towards the end of the peninsula and the jetty.

On the lower path, which runs along the bay, the self-clinging Schizophragma hydrangeoides scrambles over an outcrop of stone. This path leads to the northern area. It was here at Pender's Walk in 1953, that Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation was commemorated when many of the tall trees were thinned and planting took place including some seedling Rhododendrons raised at Inverewe. Under the shelter of these trees many Rhododendrons of the tender Maddenii series are flourishing. The large delicate white flowers of these Rhododendrons are very fragrant. To the north east, further clearing and planting was undertaken to commemorate the Queen's jubilee. The Peace Plot was planted in 1919 to celebrate the signing of the armistice and now contains many of the most tender and delicate shrubs. Both 'America' and 'Bambooselem' lie just to the north of the house. They contain several of the oldest ornamental trees and also a huge Magnolia campbellii and several white flowered Eucryphias.

The Gardens

The garden around the house and along the drive includes some of the most colourful areas at Inverewe. Recent planting, especially along the drive, has concentrated on extending the flowering period and providing more colour during the summer months. To the south of the house under a small retaining wall, the herbaceous border is filled with plants flowering in July and August. Beyond the lawn towards the beach is the rockery made by Mrs Sawyer with the materials from the old house. Even though the wind has damaged many plants, some alpines have managed to survive and the Trust extended the rockery in 1970 to provide space for a collection of alpines from New Zealand.

In 1981, the entrance, Visitor Centre and car park planting was redesigned by Elisabeth Beazley following the road improvements.

Walled Garden

The Walled Garden was the first area to be made into a garden by Osgood Mackenzie and its formation is described in his book. The stone built northern retaining wall, curving along the edge of the drive was cut into the bank and is over 12m (36 ft) high. All the soil was imported and the pebbles from the raised beach were thrown over the lower wall onto the seashore. The garden is oblong in shape and crossed by several paths. Mackenzie created a typical Scottish garden where vegetables, flowers and fruit are mixed together. This character remains much the same today although a greater area is used for plant propagation. Gnarled old fruit trees are still trained to the wall and tender climbers such as Clianthus puniceus, the lobster claw, grow up amongst them. Under the wall, runs a long herbaceous border which is planned to be most colourful in June and early July. In 1976 the Trust built an additional greenhouse to serve as a propagating and stock house. Most of the ancillary buildings are sited at the eastern end adjacent to the Visitor's Centre.