The IBTC Lowestoft: Broadland Boatbuilder’s Garden
A garden centred round a small jetty typical of the Norfolk Broads with wild, mostly Fenland and waterside planting and at its heart a replica of a 900 year old boat
Artisan Gardens
![Broadland Boatbuilder’s Garden](/getmedia/201fa65c-95fa-411a-8b1a-ed37d9a2441f/The-IBTC-Lowestoft-Broadland-Boatbuilders-Garden-06.jpg?width=1088&height=612&ext=.jpg)
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Broadland Boatbuilder’s Garden
![undefined](/getmedia/9efb0698-c7e1-4c42-bfaf-2c3261ae4b82/The-IBTC-Lowestoft-Broadland-Boatbuilders-Garden-01.jpg?width=1088&height=612&ext=.jpg)
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This garden captures a scene from the Norfolk Broads with a plant filled waterway and jetty on which stands a replica of a 900 year old boat.
![](/getmedia/11514508-7d1f-47e1-a6bc-08f67d7f5756/The-IBTC-Lowestoft-Broadland-Boatbuilders-Garden-03.jpg?width=1088&height=612&ext=.jpg)
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Included in the garden’s planting is Phragmites australis with its fluffy brown seed heads, a reed found all over the Norfolk Broads and an important part of the area’s eco-system.
![Broadland Boatbuilder’s Garden](/getmedia/201fa65c-95fa-411a-8b1a-ed37d9a2441f/The-IBTC-Lowestoft-Broadland-Boatbuilders-Garden-06.jpg?width=1088&height=612&ext=.jpg)
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Broadland Boatbuilder’s Garden
![undefined](/getmedia/9efb0698-c7e1-4c42-bfaf-2c3261ae4b82/The-IBTC-Lowestoft-Broadland-Boatbuilders-Garden-01.jpg?width=1088&height=612&ext=.jpg)
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This garden captures a scene from the Norfolk Broads with a plant filled waterway and jetty on which stands a replica of a 900 year old boat.
![](/getmedia/11514508-7d1f-47e1-a6bc-08f67d7f5756/The-IBTC-Lowestoft-Broadland-Boatbuilders-Garden-03.jpg?width=1088&height=612&ext=.jpg)
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Included in the garden’s planting is Phragmites australis with its fluffy brown seed heads, a reed found all over the Norfolk Broads and an important part of the area’s eco-system.
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From the garden
- Reclaimed timbers used to create the structure of the jetty
- Plantings of rare species including early marsh orchids and crested buckler fern
- Floating water soldiers and reeds growing in the water surrounding the jetty
- Replica a recently discovered 900 year old oak built boat at a three-quarter size scale
- Bench with the words engraved ‘From tree to Sea’ echoes the boats origins
At the garden
In July 2013, a 900-year old boat, skilfully built of oak, was discovered on the Norfolk Broads. The International Boat Building Training College in Lowestoft has created a threequarter size replica for this garden. It stands on a small jetty surrounded by plants and trees native to the dykes that crisscross the grazing marshes of this region. Common reed, meadowsweet and purple and yellow loosestrife grow on a bank. In an area of shorter fenland vegetation, southern and early marsh orchid, stately royal fern and the much rarer crested buckler fern provide a backdrop to flowering herbs and vegetables.The garden draws attention to the scenic waterways, rare flora and fauna and the boat-building skills that are such an important part of the Norfolk Broads.
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