Stephen Cox Garden Trust

Welcome to the secret garden of rooms: a sanctuary for learning and harmony.

Introduction by the Founder: 

The horticulture and conservation charity is a place of wildlife,  education, peaceful repose and harmony. 

It is a symbol of 'Arcadia':  harmony with Nature and the landscape,  respecting wildlife where gardening can encourage high principles and values for living and society.

The garden helped inspire the ethos and mission of the charity and the ongoing garden maintenance and development now  triggers its programmes of education, conservation, and publishing.

Making it was an exhausting labour of love by its maker (who is retired and in seclusion), created 10 or so years single handed from a small field, including design and installation of all the features, walls, arches, waterfalls, pond, hedges, patios, plant collections. The result?  A garden of rooms to "delight the eye, gladden the heart, enrich the mind and uplift the soul".

He says:  "I am sometimes asked if this garden is finished- I reply "NO!"  taking the view  that if you think you have fnished your garden, then you are ready to die! There should always be more to do, new adventures, challenges. And that is a principle to which I daily try to adhere. To wake up each morning with excitement as to what one can achieve with a whole new day!

Garden and life should have purpose, goals and hopes but contributing elements or sections should not be carved in stone: be prepared to experiment, to re-arrange, or even start again. Give scope to your sense of curiosity and adventure.

And the future? That despite the restrictions of living on a state pension and contending with range of debilitating mental and physical afflictions, to try and keep gardening, writing and creating 'til my very last hour of life. And to find sponsorship so that the garden and the charity I have created can have its own base and live on after me for others to enjoy and learn from.

I am grateful to Lord and Lady Lansdowne who have always been sympathetic both of the garden and the charity.

If one is lucky enough to do, learn, create, or achieve something then it is only fully realised if it also enriches others. And that no matter how great or humble our station in life we all have the capacity -and indeed the duty- of 'noblesse oblige'."

 Stephen         Ego partum Arcadia

Volunteers Food Fund

Since 2017 the Trust has provided residential placements for volunteers world-wide,  enabling them to get out of their comfort zone, learn new skills, improve their careers, engage in international friendship, and explore Britain.

One of our past student volunteers, Davide Unland in Italy, has launched this gofundme campaign to raise donations for a goal of £1600 for 2025 to ensure that the programme can continue.

What The Trust Does

As a registered charity, the Trust fulfills its charitable mission and objectives in a variety of ways including, but not restricted to, the following:

●Education: horticulture and conservation.

●Maintain & develop its unusual conservation garden, plant collections and landscaping.

●Maintain & develop its unique library and research documents archive.
●Information sheets wildlife & conservation.
●Conservation research.
●E.U. residential placements.
●Websites
●Conservation remote posts UK universities.
●Videos: conservation, gardens, art history.
●Book publishing on: conservation, gardening, well-being.

Please Note:

(i) The Trust has no income other than donations. Trustees & staff work unpaid.

(ii) The garden is not open to the public.

(iii) Due to various physical ailments and mental health debilitation the Founder (who is retired) has had to cut back on all activities and is semi-reclusive. 

If you would like to apply for any of the Trust's opportunities or wish to support its work then please use the enquiry form below. (Only enquiries about the work of trust will receive a reply).

Enquiry Form

If you want to study/volunteer/link with the Trust or support/sponsor an aspect of it's work please fill in this form. Only enquiries dealing directly with the trust projects will receive a reply.