Outside of Dollar in Clackmannanshire there’s a Japanese garden that is over one hundred years old. It’s open to the public and is amazingly tranquil and beautiful.
Referred to as “the most important Japanese garden in the Western world” (Prof. Suzuki) She Raku En, or the place of pleasure and delight, was the original idea of Ella Christie back in 1908. She was an unusual woman for her time as she travelled extensively throughout Asia during her life. She brought in Taki Handa, another fabulous woman ahead of her time, to design the garden. It was a complicated history after that as it was destroyed in 1963 and the main home of the Christies was demolished, however the garden has been re-established since then. If you want to see more of the history and how the garden has developed I suggest you have a look at their website – https://cowden-garden.myshopify.com
Each of the elements in the garden have meaning and it’s a genuinely fascinating place to spend a day. They also have a lovely cafe onsite too (because we know that’s important after shooting).
Selkie’s Photography 