This garden was created in 1999 by a team of village gardeners to commemorate the Millennium. Over a period of several months its construction was filmed by BBC2 for their programme ‘Charlie’s Garden Army’- the presenter was Charlie Dimmock who spent a good deal of time working with everyone.
Its key features included a large sundial, a maze and an engraved commemorative stone seat. The sundial is quite unusual and fun for children. It consists of a circle 5 metres in diameter around which are laid slabs for every hour of the day. Providing the sun is out, someone standing in the centre can see the time by looking where their shadow is pointing. The Eastern end leads into a cider apple orchard. These trees, old Somerset and Dorset varieties were donated by Tom Denny the artist who lived in the village at that time. There is also a Normandy pear tree donated by the town of Montebourg in Northern France. It was planted at a special ceremony attended by various dignitaries from there to mark the 10th anniversary of the Twinning Association with Sturminster Newton District. Several residents of Hinton St Mary have been very active in this Association
Over the years the garden has been maintained by a team of volunteers but more are urgently required to each work for just 3 hours per month on a rota system. Very recently the hedge alongside the road has been professionally laid by a local tree surgeon Steve Reeves. For photograph please see Gallery.
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