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We are affiliated to the Quiet Garden Trust which welcomes everyone to enjoy and rest in the presence of God - whichever spiritual path they follow. All are welcome regardless of faith or spirituality. The Quiet Garden Movement is a network of outdoor spaces and gardens spread across both rural and urban locations worldwide. These outdoor spaces are used for prayer, contemplation, stillness and rest for the spiritual, mental and physical well-being of individuals, groups and communities.
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The Quiet Garden leaflet can be downloaded below
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Vision
We’d love a world where anybody living anywhere could retreat to a quiet outdoor space close by, any time they needed. Over the coming years our objective is to grow awareness of our work and create even more opportunities for many more people globally to experience the well-being effects of silence, stillness, prayer, contemplation and the natural environment.
With this in mind, we are developing a number of collaborations with compatible organisations, such as the National Estate Churches Network and the Small Pilgrims Places Network, to develop new projects in new areas.
The core values of Quiet Gardens include:
Hospitality
Quiet Gardens are places of hospitality, which is offered to all who wish to visit from any faith background or none. Such hospitality draws on the deep wells of Christian spirituality and the monastic past as well as the gifts of the host team. In a home setting this may begin with listening to guests, as Jesus listened to those he encountered, before responding to individual needs whether those needs are a cup of coffee, a warm corner or a niche in the garden just to be.
Contemplative prayer
Quiet Gardens are rooted in the Christian contemplative tradition as expressed in the Scriptures and the wisdom of the desert tradition, as well as the Christian mystical tradition and Celtic spirituality. Quiet Gardens provide a context for learning about these sources and resources, and enjoying silence, attentiveness and contemplative prayer.
Nature (re)connection
Time in a Quiet Garden can be helpful for our health and wellbeing, as well as our spiritual journey. Deep restfulness and refreshment within the beauty of creation can often take place, and there will be many opportunities for attentiveness and moments of wonder and transcendence to occur. All these restore body, mind and soul. Our care for the environment creates balance for daily life and inspiration for compassionate activism. Time in a Quiet Garden enhances our relationship with the earth and encourages care for creation.
We’d love a world where anybody living anywhere could retreat to a quiet outdoor space close by, any time they needed. Over the coming years our objective is to grow awareness of our work and create even more opportunities for many more people globally to experience the well-being effects of silence, stillness, prayer, contemplation and the natural environment.
With this in mind, we are developing a number of collaborations with compatible organisations, such as the National Estate Churches Network and the Small Pilgrims Places Network, to develop new projects in new areas.
The core values of Quiet Gardens include:
Hospitality
Quiet Gardens are places of hospitality, which is offered to all who wish to visit from any faith background or none. Such hospitality draws on the deep wells of Christian spirituality and the monastic past as well as the gifts of the host team. In a home setting this may begin with listening to guests, as Jesus listened to those he encountered, before responding to individual needs whether those needs are a cup of coffee, a warm corner or a niche in the garden just to be.
Contemplative prayer
Quiet Gardens are rooted in the Christian contemplative tradition as expressed in the Scriptures and the wisdom of the desert tradition, as well as the Christian mystical tradition and Celtic spirituality. Quiet Gardens provide a context for learning about these sources and resources, and enjoying silence, attentiveness and contemplative prayer.
Nature (re)connection
Time in a Quiet Garden can be helpful for our health and wellbeing, as well as our spiritual journey. Deep restfulness and refreshment within the beauty of creation can often take place, and there will be many opportunities for attentiveness and moments of wonder and transcendence to occur. All these restore body, mind and soul. Our care for the environment creates balance for daily life and inspiration for compassionate activism. Time in a Quiet Garden enhances our relationship with the earth and encourages care for creation.
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