Otterly delightful surprise as new residents make a splash at Kilver Court

There are signs of new life everywhere at Kilver Court and Gardens, the historic 3.5-acre oasis situated outside the market town of Shepton Mallet in Somerset.

New luxury retail, a café, yoga, pilates studios and a coworking space are all now open, but new life has also appeared in the RHS garden's ponds: otters!

Herbert Showering, a keen gardener, designed the gardens with the help of Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner George Whitelegg in the late 1950s.

A large rockery, ornamental ponds and herbaceous borders are all set against the dramatic backdrop of the Victorian Charlton railway viaduct. Now the ponds have become home to one - or possibly a pair - of otters; we are waiting and watching to find out just how many of these wonderful creatures have made the ponds their home.

The 19^th century Kilver Court mill originally powered a silk-making factory, when it was purchased in 1854 by the Showering family, the makers of Brothers Cider as well as the iconic drink of the 50s, Babycham. The Babycham Gardens, as they became known, acquired RHS partner status around 2010 and have been managed by Head Gardener Chris Inchley for 42 years.

"We haven't seen an otter in all the time I have been at Kilver," says Chris. "This year we dredged the ponds for the first time since they were built in the 1950s, so perhaps that has refreshed and improved the habitat for them!"

The Showerings re-acquired their ancestral site in 2020, buying it back from Roger Saul, founder of fashion brand Mulberry, who had expanded and developed Kilver during a 25-year custodianship. Meantime, the Showerings have been busy taking Kilver to the next level as a luxury retail destination with a café, coworking space and exercise studios all now open for business.

Kilver Court is home to luxury brands Mulberry, TOAST, TOAST Home, Makers & Merchants and Courthouse Interiors, as well as an on-site Reformer Pilates Studio and Distil Coworking space.