Ian Willis (1951 – 2020)

Ian Willis was a well-known and much-loved local character. He was a kind and intelligent, if eccentric, man with a lifelong love of gardening and the decorative arts.

Ian’s home, Serles House, and particularly its garden, became famous for their quirky and creative design and ‘interesting’ artefacts.

From 2003, Ian opened ‘The Secret Garden’ up to the public, to raise money for organisations including the Wimborne Civic Society and the National Gardens Scheme. The garden with its eclectic mixture of objects, sculptures and grottos was described as ‘the masterpiece of an eccentric’.

Ian was born and bred in Wimborne and proud of the fact. He died in 2020. He was a keen supporter of this museum and donated many items to our collection.

This film celebrates Ian: https://youtu.be/8fwD1lYoD-k