The Doncaster 2024
1 Park Lane, Braidwood
Gates open 10am – 4pm
Entry to the garden is on Wilson Street
Street parking is available on Wilson Street and Wallace Street
Locally grown fresh flowers and dahlia tubers from Braidwood Blooms for sale Saturday 10am-2pm
Cake stall with home baked treats for sale on Saturday from 10am
The Doncaster Hotel was the first hotel built in Braidwood around 1840. It was a grand Inn built ‘on top of the hill’ to house new residents to the town while they waited for their houses to be completed. The Inn was the centre of social life in the town for gossip, dancing and ‘the overindulgence in spiritous liquors’. A change came in 1886 when the property was purchased by The Catholic archdiocese for the Sisters of Good Samaritan Order and became a convent. The original hotel was demolished after a fire and the current building erected. The convent was sold in 1976 and converted to a guest house, reviving the former name The Doncaster Hotel. Current owner Gabriele Borscz purchased the property in 2006 and has extensively renovated the house interior and established a beautiful formal garden.
As Gabriele explains, “The garden has evolved over the past 18 years. We felt that it needed structure and created multiple garden rooms. All the old roses were saved and relocated to the rose garden which was built in commemoration of my mother – a quiet place to reflect on her memory.”
“We wanted the garden to be an extension of the interiors of the house. To discover elements and objects of interest that create conversation, calm spaces that relax the senses. A timeless garden that did not reflect new trends.”
The extensive stone walls and formal structure give the garden a classic, timeless appeal that fits perfectly with the historic building. Gabriele agrees; “People are generally surprised that the garden is in fact new” she says. “The planting is a work in progress. I’m learning as I go… it’s been trial and error.”
Her favourite part of the garden is the rose garden. “It’s an outdoor room pretty in any weather or climate. I would ideally like to recreate more rose gardens on the front lawns.”
