the walled garden

by Biruk Sahle
the walled garden

The listed 1-acre Walled Garden in Helen’s Bay was built by local linen and muslin merchant Thomas Workman in 1886 to supply fresh fruit and vegetables for his large household in nearby Craigdarragh House. The high, enclosing walls were constructed from handmade red brick internally and Belfast blue stone externally.   In common with many Walled Gardens, the garden declined after the World Wars through lack of labour. This neglect resulted in the overgrowth of invasive weeds and the rapid deterioration of the Bothies, the glasshouses and the old surrounding walls.    James and Lorraine Small started the restoration project in 2009 and since then, a steady programme of work has transformed the site into a productive, organic vegetable garden. 

Biruk Sahle, an Ethiopian ‘no-dig’ enthusiast and owner of hahu organics has leased the land to continue the now established Community Supported Agricultural box scheme, supplying a wide range of fruit, vegetables, herbs and cut flowers to the local community and some of Belfast’s top restaurants.

The garden is made up of fruit trees, 2 polytunnels, 8 plots composed of 18 to 20 beds. the beds are standardized to 10 m by 0.75 m.

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