Bennetts Water Gardens

Bennetts Water Gardens is an eight-acre garden in Chickerell, a village near Weymouth in Dorset. It holds national and international collections of water lilies that bloom from late May until September. The plants grow in a series of ponds and lakes spread across the site. A blue Japanese bridge built in 1999 marks the centenary of Monet’s Water Lily Pond painting. The garden was created by the Bennett family, who still run it today. The garden began as a clay pit in 1859 when local people dug Oxford Clay by hand for brickmaking. A small museum on the site tells the story of this industry and its links to Chickerell village, mentioned in the Domesday Book. Exhibits also cover Chesil Beach and The Fleet lagoon nearby. The water lily collection is recognised by Plant Heritage as a National Plant Collection. Visitors walk along paths beside the ponds to see the water lilies at close range. The blue Japanese bridge offers views across the largest lake. Labels beside each plant give the names and origins of the lilies. The museum displays tools and photographs from the clay-pit years. The garden’s quiet setting makes it a peaceful place to spend time among the flowers.