On Friday 29 November, we all knew Storm Arwen was coming and were prepared for the impact of strong winds, but the devastation in the woodland gardens at Paxton House was still a shock  when the winds abated.

We have lost several mature trees, including the magnificent Cedar of Lebanon by the Well Garden which may have been planted quite soon after the house was built. These magnificent trees were first introduced into Britain in the 17^th century and became really popular with landowners in the 1730s when it was first possible to propagate them in Britain.  If it was planted in the 1750s or 1760s, as we believe, it was more than 250 years old. We mourn its loss.

Another mature giant that fell is the huge oak tree down by the bridge which may have been one of the oldest trees in the woodland gardens. Visitors will particularly miss the line of full grown cherry trees that edged the car park at the entrance to the house which seem to have taken the full force of the gale, going down like ninepins. Along the banks of the river Tweed, the poplars planted a generation ago by John Home-Robertson’s mother have taken a beating, several have fallen or been snapped by the power of the winds.

We immediately closed the grounds for safety reasons until we could assess the damage not least because many of the paths are blocked by fallen trees and broken branches. It is heartbreaking to see the destruction.

It will take a while to assess the damage properly and to clear the grounds.  Meanwhile, only the house is open to visitors for our Christmas events, and  you won’t be able to use the paths through the woodland garden down to the river Tweed for the time being.  We take comfort from the fact that the historic gardens in the South of England that were damaged in the Great Storm of 1987 have recovered eventually – perhaps we will find that we have opened up some new views and unexpected vistas.  Paxton House is a living place which has seen constant change over the centuries, so we will recover from the storm of 2021 as well.

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