Janet Muter, owner of Brundall Gardens, dies aged 93

Brundall Gardens was a beautifully curated landscape by the river Yare, popular with daytrippers arriving first by river and later - once a railway station was created nearby - by train.

But by the last years of the 20th century, the site had become overgrown, ravaged by fire, and abandoned.

Then along came Janet Muter, who restored this small Norfolk Eden to its former glory.

The Lake House garden - Picture: Janet Muter (Image: Submitted)

Mrs Muter, who has died at the age of 93, and her family bought the property in the 1980s, where she was able to fulfil a lifelong love of gardening.

Born on May 28, 1929 into a professional family in North London, her passion had blossomed as a child in her grandparents' garden.

Later, when she was a teacher in Manchester, she would carry armfuls of flowers and foliage in to work on the bus.

In 1950 she married Gary Muter, a director of Ross Food Westwick that later became part of the Imperial Food Group.

Together they had four children; Diana (b.1951), Benny (b.1952), Rosalind (b.1954) and Roderick (b. 1958). Mr Muter died in 2012. Rosalind died three years ago. 
Gary and Janet Muter in their Lake House garden - Picture: Newsquest (Image: Newsquest)

Mrs Muter's first opportunity to really indulge her love of gardening came when the couple bought a large country house in Great Plumstead, which came with four acres of property to manage.

Here she grew fruit and vegetables and started to exhibit her produce in local shows, while maintaining her formal garden with its manicured hedges and lawns.

But the scale of that undertaking was dwarfed by what was to come after she and her husband moved to Brundall.

The gardens there had been created by Dr Michael Beverley, a pioneer in preventive medicine, after he bought 76 acres of riverside farmland in 1881.

He designed and built a series of ponds and rockeries from which water flowed down to a lake, and filled the landscaped grounds with rare trees, shrubs and a collection of exotic birds.

Janet Muter with her husband and their children - Picture: Muter family (Image: Courtesy of family)

Some of the land had since been sold off for housing and a marina, but the Muters' property included several acres of the former gardens, which Mrs Muter set about restoring.

Many of the shrubs and trees planted by the doctor survive today, with specimen trees towering above the lake and garden, where the Lake House - where the couple lived - was built.

The gardens have been regularly opened to the public and more than 60,000 people have visited, raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity.

The Lake House garden - Picture: Newsquest (Image: Newsquest)

The Lake House garden - Picture: Newsquest (Image: Newsquest)

In fact, Mrs Muter’s dedication to helping others became even more evident after her death, as her daughter, Benny Harston, explained.

She said: “The real legacy she left was her generous donations to helping others. 

“She raised more than £100,000 for charity, mostly for Water Aid, but also for Gurkhas and the British Red Cross. 

The Lake House garden - Picture: James Bass (Image: Newsquest)

The Lake House garden and Janet Muter stands in front of her home - Picture: Simon Finlay (Image: Newsquest)

“She was involved in the National Garden Scheme too and did a lot of volunteering including with Citizens Advice, hospitals, St John’s Ambulance, Sprowston youth club, and she fostered. 

“She showed off her flowers in the Royal Norfolk Show every year and was an active member of a local flower club. 

“Really, she was a generous person and a wonderful mother.”

The Lake House garden - Picture: Simon Finlay (Image: Newsquest)

The Lake House garden - Picture: James Bass (Image: Newsquest)

Mrs Harston described her parenting as “very hands on” and added: "Especially when we were teenagers, she was so great and understanding with us all.

“She also knew how to entertain all of dad’s customers and clients, somehow managing to organise and host dinner parties even with us children under her feet." 

Janet Catherine Muter died on January 21 at Broadacres Care Home in Barton Turf, between Wroxham and Stalham, aged 93.  

Her funeral took place on February 14 where donations were collected for Water Aid. She leaves behind her children, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Janet and Gary Muter - Picture: Amanda Sandland-Taylor (Image: Supplied)

Janet Muter - Picture: Muter family (Image: Courtesy of family)

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