Foxhill Arboretum
Overview
The Japanese-style garden at Foxhill Arboretum is an ornamental Japanese-style garden area within the woodland and arboretum grounds of Foxhill House near Frodsham, Cheshire, England. It is documented by Cheshire Gardens Trust as part of the wider Foxhill Arboretum landscape, close to a former sandstone quarry cave. The garden appears to be a Japanese-inspired ornamental feature within a Victorian estate woodland rather than a fully traditional Japanese garden.
History
Foxhill House was completed in 1870, after the earlier Woodland estate was renamed Foxhill Hall in 1874. The property later passed through several owners before becoming the Chester Diocesan Retreat and Conference Centre in March 1968. Cheshire Gardens Trust records that the Japanese-style garden was developed in an area created by quarrying near a cave, but states that it is not known whether James Reynolds or the later owner Speakman was responsible for this work.
Design features
The garden is described as an ornamental Japanese-style garden developed in a quarried woodland area near a sandstone cave. The available source does not provide a detailed planting list or layout description, but places the garden within a wider arboretum and woodland trail that also includes a folly, woodland viewpoints, unusual trees, restored plantings, a maze and a water garden.
Current status
Foxhill House and Woodlands currently operates as a Christian retreat, training and conference centre of the Diocese of Chester. Current Foxhill sources describe the site as set within woodlands and lawns and used for retreats, study days, training and residential or day visits. The Japanese-style garden is documented historically within the arboretum, but current public visitor access to that specific garden area is not clearly documented.