Welle Manor

 

 

Address:  New Road, Upwell, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

 

Client: Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm S

 

Status: Restoration completed 2009

 

Project Description:

 

Welle Manor is a Medieval Manor House is believed to have been built in 1360 and contains 12 bedrooms and a pair of fortified towers. This is where Benedict monks first produced the renowned "Norfolk Punch" (Upwell was in Norfolk then). The Benedicte monks first took over the Welle Estate in year 974 and planted a herb garden so they could care for the physical as well as spiritual needs of the local people. 

 

The famous 700-year-old recipe for the waters from an underground well that gives the village of Upwell its name. a non-alcoholic drink containing 30 herbs, spices and berries remained hidden for almost 450 years until the then owners of Welle Manor Hall discovered it in 1980. The drink is said to be "nature's answer to tenseness, tiredness and lowness of spirits”, was found by Sir Eric St John Foti during the buildings the first phase of renovations. Norfolk Punch includes Thyme, Poppy, Peppermint, Nutmeg, Liquorice, Elderberry, Fennel, Ginger, Cinnamon, Clove and Dandelion, the recipe uses

 

There have been various additions to the property, most significantly in Tudor and Victorian times, and today the Hall has been restored and refurbished to a very high standard.

 

The design brief required formal garden additions near the towers alongside St Peters Church, a new planting design to the front garden with various formal garden areas and planting including hedging topiary and tree planting in the rear garden and at the side of the house.