Warley Place Nature Reserve — Attraction in Brentwood

Warley Place, was formerly the home of one of the most famous gardeners of her time, Miss Ellen Willmott, who died in 1934. A keen horticulturist, she introduced many exotic plants to Warley, and indeed to Britain generally.

South Pond which was the Medieval water supply for Great Warley will be the first eye catching stop point as you go through the gates after little car park on your left. You can walk around the pond and come to the little watch point with the bench where you can sit and enjoy the view and listen to birds.

There are variety of ruins spatted across the farm land and other human kind features there such as:

The remains of Cold Frames, where Ellen Willmott raised many new varieties and hybrids of plants for which she was awarded numerous RHS medals. In 1897, Ellen Willmott and Gertrude Jekyll were the first women to receive the Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal of Honour. Similarly, in 1905, she was one of the first women to be elected to the Linnean (plant classification) Society.

The remaining of the Coach House, built in 1882 and damaged by stick of bombs in II World War, where Ellen Willmott kept her carriages.

The Conservatory, which was built onto the house as part of the Victorian extension in 1875/6 and stabilised in 2006.

4.The Walled Garden probably dates from around 1700 when it would have been used for growing kitchen produce.

The rockery with very uneven path. Pay attention to sharp rocks!

And much more you can find out about Ellen Willmott when you visit this place.

Place is not so big. You can't go to either of meadows, but there are plenty of benches everywhere, so if you get tired at any point, you can sit and relax there.

There is also Thatchers Arms pub next door with nice meals and drinks and of course, toilets you can use.

Warley Place car park is not so big, for about 15 cars and free of charge. To get there, you will need to open the gates yourself, as they are usually shut and drive through.

When you are standing in front of the Thatchers Arms pub, the gates to the Warley Place will be on the right hand side.

Luckily , the weather was great , so, we have really enjoyed this hidden little gem.

Sadly though, for people who have dogs, they can't...

This place is a real gem for those who likes to walk and explore, stop and look. It’s not a huge one but there is so much to see. Going around I had the feeling, that if this place would be in London, it would been treated as the Kew Gardens and would have been looked after better earlier. There are ruins of buildings, cold beds and nurseries, also a pool. You only can imagine their greatness. The garden is well looked after as a walking path and all, but I suppose maintenance has started when the decline of the buildings has happened already. There are mini huts available for bird watching and info about the wild life too. There is parking available, no toilets, no designated picnic area and no playground. Please don’t leave without donation. I left the qr code...

Beautiful, peaceful and kinda rugged in spots, Essex Wildlife Trust have surpassed themselves looking after this magical place! Winding paths with lots of steps, look out its steep!

One highlight was learning about a resilient Lime tree that had been blown down in the 1987 gales. A nearby sign explained the area’s history and how seasonal displays of snowdrops and rhododendrons bring even more life to the landscape.

The paths are flanked with bluebells and wild garlic - it’s April - it felt like an enchanted garden!

Steeped in history, you can read all about the Willmott family, and how Ellen enjoyed...