Film director Guy Ritchie has submitted proposals to make Ashcombe House in Wiltshire “more self-sufficient”. 40 year old Ritchie received the home as part of the settlement following his split with Queen of pop Madonna and is looking to put plans into place that will make the 18th Century estate, worth £9 million, a greener, more sustainable place to live.
The plans submitted to Wiltshire County Council include proposals to reinstate vegetable gardens in the partially walled garden located between the staff building and the rear entrance to the House, and to build three large greenhouses, costing £250,000. The glasshouses will be specifically designed to ‘carefully match the style and colour mix of the house’.
Eco friendly heating for the greenhouses will be provided by a woodchip boiler to warm the low level soil in the buildings that will be used to grow vines and fruit, raise seedlings and extend the growing season by producing early vegetables, increasing the overall productivity of the garden across the year. In addition, water butts will be installed around the greenhouses to collect rainwater further reducing the environmental impact of the garden.
The majority of the gardens that would previously have been used for vegetable production ‘have been lost’ according to the planning proposal, with remaining garden areas being mainly formal gardens or flower gardens. If approved, the plans to renovate the gardens should enable Ashcombe to achieve a high level of self-sufficiency in fruit and vegetables to feed the estate.
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Tags: ashcombe house, Eco Home, greenhouses, guy ritchie, Self-Sufficiency, vegetables, woodchip boiler