Gnome Reserve

The Gnome Reserve is a garden and tourist attraction at West Putford, near Bradworthy, Devon, England, presented as a pastoral refuge for garden gnomes.[1]

The Gnome Reserve

Historic garden gnomes on display at the Reserve

The reserve was established in 1979 by Ann Atkin, a former art student. According to her own account:

".. while painting birds in landscapes I came to what was like a T Junction in my painting development. I did not know whether to turn left or right as different elements of what I liked in painting appeared irreconcilably in opposite directions. It was very disturbing! Until – one day – a gnome appeared in my mind and seemed to say: ‘Don’t go left; don’t go right; you must dig / build your own road straight across.’..

She established the reserve on a 4 acres (1.6 ha) site, and remains the owner of the tourist attraction that also sells the gnomes.[2] The reserve holds more than 2,000 gnomes, and is included in the Guinness Book of World Records.[3] The four acre Reserve is also home to model pixies. The area includes woodlands, a stream, pond, meadow and wildflower garden with "about 250 labelled species of wild flowers, herbs, grasses and ferns."[4] Photographs are encouraged; and gnome hats and fishing rods are loaned to visitors free of charge so they can blend in.[4] Gnomes sometimes go missing.[2] The Reserve has refused to sell gnomes with knives in their backs.[5]