The Grounds

Surrounding the house are 12 acres of grounds, maintained to a high standard. These include all the main ornamental features of the estate, as well as buildings used both for accommodation and for utilitarian purposes.

Front Lawn

Immediately in front of the House is the Front Lawn, edged with a stone wall ha-ha which separates it from the largest of the two pastures. Just as with the House, all the Chisholme grounds had suffered from the period of neglect prior to 1973. The Front Lawn was rutted by tractor tracks and very uneven. In the autumn of 1987 it was ploughed up, left fallow over the winter, levelled during the following summer, and re-seeded in the autumn of 1988.
Between the Lawn and the track leading to the front of the House is the Herbaceous Border.

Walled Garden

Beyond the Lawn to the east is the 1-acre Walled Garden which is intensively and organically cultivated to produce as much fruit, vegetables and flowers for the House as possible. It contains a Greenhouse and three polytunnels and is divided by a hedge of Beech. Only one section of its wall is still good, again having suffered before 1973, and the repair of this wall is one of the major projects facing the Estate.

The Lake

Beyond the Walled Garden and visible through a Gazebo built into this one good wall, is the Lake. Fed by a natural, spring-fed stream, the lake is artificial and was constructed at some time in Chisholme's history both for ornamental purposes and to provide power, via a sluice gate and underwater channel, to a Mill with a Water Wheel. Although these are now in a state of disrepair, it is a long term project to restore them in order to generate hydro-electric power. The Lake attracts numerous visitors, including a pair of Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks, the occasional European Pochard, and many wild Mallard. It is also the home of Chisholme's domestic ducks and geese.