The gardens at Ramster lie south of Chiddingfold, a village in the southwest corner of Surrey near the border with West Sussex. The famous woodland gardens at Ramster cover 8ha and were laid out in the early years of the 20th century by Gauntlett Nurseries, of Chiddingfold. Now a mature flowering shrub garden, it is…
Situated on the south coast of Cornwall Minack is the most dramatic setting of any of the gardens covered in this regional study. Minack is Cornish for ‘rocky place’ and until 100 years ago it was just another headland cliff. The arrival of Rowena Cade transformed this cliff into a remarkable working theatre, a stage…
Greenway in Devon is a beautiful woodland garden set on the banks of the River Dart. It is most famous for being the summer home of Torquay born Mrs. Mallowan, better known as the author Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime. She certainly is one of the most popular novelists in history. The gardens are…
Wellington Park, with its pleasing contrasts of formal bedding set against the informal rockeries and winding pathways, is well worth a visit. Wellington Park, a short walk from the town centre, dates from 1902 and still is a compact site of 4.5 acres. The borders are planted with shrubs but each year the ornamental beds…
Titsey is one of the largest surviving historic estates in Surrey. It dates back to the mid 16th century, though the first impression now is of a comfortable early 19th century house in a picturesque park, lying under the North Downs which hereabout rise to over 270ms. The surroundings of Titsey, as they are today,…
The Savill Garden, located in the southeast corner of the estate of Windsor Great Park, is managed by the Crown Estate and encourages visitors to experience its wealth of plants. It is an oasis of beauty and tranquillity acclaimed as one of the finest gardens in England. The breathtaking diversity of plants that can be…
Claremont Landscape Garden, owned by the National Trust, it is one of the earliest and finest gardens of the English Landscape style and provides a tranquil oasis in urban Surrey. The pleasure grounds and parkland was created by some of the great names in garden history: Sir John Vanbrugh, Charles Bridgeman. William Kent and Lancelot…
The picturesque village of Port Sunlight has been engulfed over the past century by the surrounding urban sprawl. The development of the village owed much to Victorian philosophies of philanthropy and in particular the work of William Hesketh Lever. Lever was a successful entrepreneur, with his wealth built on the soap industry. He believed strongly…
The spectacular twelfth century ruins of Norton Priory are complemented by the beautiful 1ha Georgian (18th century) walled garden. The medieval monastic herb garden captures an essence of the site’s past use. The monastery became disused and derelict during the reformation, and it was the purchase of the grounds in 1545 by the Brooke family,…
St Ives is one of Cornwall’s most famous tourist venues with its fishing port, beaches and a warm climate. It has a long association with well-known British artists from Turner through to Ben Nicholson, Patrick Heron and Terry Frost. It was in 1939 that Nicholson returned to St Ives with Barbara Hepworth and they established…