The Japanese Garden at Cowden

The Japanese Garden at Cowden 🌸 Historic Japanese Garden in Clackmannanshire
🎫 Limited Daily Visitors, Online Ticket Booking Advised
🐕Service-Dogs Only in the Traditional Gardens
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Restoration of Japanese Garden, Clackmannanshire. This page is constantly updated by The Staff at Cowden. The Japanese Garden at Cowden is situated in the beautiful county of Clackmannanshire, thirty miles north-west of Edinburgh and nine miles south of the renowned Gleneagles Golf Course. One of the few surviving sites of its kind in the United Kingdom, the Japanese Garden was created by my great, great aunt, Ella Christie (1861–1949). Known for her ambitious solo expeditions in the early 1900s (she was the first western woman to visit Samarkand and Khiva in Uzbekistan), Ella was inspired to create a Japanese garden at her home, Cowden Castle, during a visit to Kyoto in 1907. At that time the British cultural love-affair with Japan was approaching its height, but while many other Japanese-style gardens in Britain were a pastiche or mismatch of elements, Cowden was distinguished from the start by the involvement of Japanese practitioners familiar with the complexity of Japanese garden design. Ella’s seven acre garden was designed by Taki Handa, overseen by Professor Jijo Suzuki and maintained by Shinzaburo Matsuo. Centred on a long artificial lake, the garden incorporated elements of three traditional Japanese garden forms: a pond and island garden; a stroll garden; and a tea-house garden. Ella Christie died in 1949 and Cowden was inherited by her great nephew, Robert Stewart. Although the castle was demolished, the garden continued to be the favoured destination of many ‘garden tours’, until one night in 1963 when the tea houses, bridges and lanterns were vandalised beyond repair. During this time my father was occupied with county politics, his farm and raising five children. As much as he loved Cowden, he didn’t have the time, or the resources, to invest in full restoration. In addition, schemes suggested by various companies focussed on novelty theme parks; none of the designs saw the value of the garden as the primary destination. In 2008, when my father was 82, Cowden was handed over to me. It has been my intention for some years to seek sponsorship to restore the historic garden and sensitively incorporate Imperial style Japanese architecture. The surrounding park still contains many of the trees planted by Ella’s father John Christie, a keen arborist. In 2013 Professor Masao Fukuhara of Osaka University of Arts was giving a lecture in Scotland and asked to visit Cowden. Instantly enthusiastic, and with credentials that included restoring the Japanese Gardens at Tatton Park in Cheshire and Kew in London as well as winning the Gold Medal at Chelsea Flower Show, we knew instantly that the Professor was the man to oversee the project. Restoration of this important site is a monumental task, but I feel passionately for its success; not just for those with an interest in historic gardens, but for the people of Japan who will be able to visit and enjoy another shared interest in Scotland. Sara Stewart

www.cowdengarden.com

October is so dreamy 🍂
03/10/2026

October is so dreamy 🍂

Are you as excited as us for Little Peru to come back?! 😁Book garden entry on our webpage now and pay £4.00 on the day t...
02/10/2026

Are you as excited as us for Little Peru to come back?! 😁

Book garden entry on our webpage now and pay £4.00 on the day to pet, feed and photograph them! 🦙

📅 Friday 16th October
⏰ 11am - 1:30pm
📍The Japanese Garden at Cowden

It's the first day of our Cowden Book Trade! 📚✨Running every Thursday in October, we have a small selection of non ficti...
01/10/2026

It's the first day of our Cowden Book Trade! 📚✨

Running every Thursday in October, we have a small selection of non fiction, fiction and children's books available in our Garden Pavilion for everyone to enjoy. Pop along, trade a book, have a cuppa and soak up the peace and tranquility 🍂

We look forward to seeing you there! 😍

Its cinnamon, pumpkin and all things cosy season 🍂
30/09/2026

Its cinnamon, pumpkin and all things cosy season 🍂

Fancy some 'crafty' fun for your little one this holiday? Come join our friendly Education Team as we make the most of o...
29/09/2026

Fancy some 'crafty' fun for your little one this holiday? Come join our friendly Education Team as we make the most of our autumn colours and natural materials.
We'll get busy with glue, paint and our imaginations to create some wonderful works of art to take home.
Sessions are aimed at 5 yrs+ and aim to be as open to all as possible.
All materials supplied....no experience necessary!
Please pre-book at www.cowdengarden.com - children's classes. Garden Entry not required but an adult must accompany young children.

29/09/2026
To all our bookworms! Running every Thursday in October 📚📖Grab a new book, leave an old one behind, enjoy a cuppa and a ...
28/09/2026

To all our bookworms! Running every Thursday in October 📚📖

Grab a new book, leave an old one behind, enjoy a cuppa and a slice of cake and soak up the tranquility ✨

Throwback to when Javier decided he was going to explore the tranquil gardens by himself! 🤣🦙 Maybe Javier should be rena...
27/09/2026

Throwback to when Javier decided he was going to explore the tranquil gardens by himself! 🤣🦙 Maybe Javier should be renamed Houdini 😋

Little Peru and the gang will be back on Friday 16th October, bookings can be made on our webpage!

Autumn is here! 🍂
26/09/2026

Autumn is here! 🍂

Kitsune & Kites - Storytelling & Craft SessionThe Japanese Garden is home to magical creatures like the Kitsune (fox), T...
25/09/2026

Kitsune & Kites - Storytelling & Craft Session
The Japanese Garden is home to magical creatures like the Kitsune (fox), Tanuki (raccoon bear) and more. Our wonderful storytellers, Lindsey Gibb and Mio Shudo, will fascinate you with their stories, and then you can make a koinobori fish kite to take home.
Sessions start at 11 and 12.30 (each will last approx 1 hr)
Free with Garden Entry Tickets.
Please pre-book at www.cowdengarden.com - Children's Classes - Kitsune & Kites
Suitable for everyone from 5+ (an adult must join us too!)

Address

The Japanese Garden At Cowden
Dollar
FK147PL

Telephone

+447876117703

Website

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