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Scampston Hall
This is very much a garden of two distinct halves; separated by over 200 years and the work of designers that, though different in style, reflect their time. The first was Charles Bridgeman followed shortly afterwards by Lancelot (Capability) Brown and then much later Piet Oudolf.This is a garden that has benefited from remaining in…
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Tatton Park
Owned by National trust but leased to Cheshire East Council which is responsible for the entire financial and operational management of the site. Strong desire to monetize estate. Many excellent features but a bit of a mish-mash. The Japanese Garden is to the west of the southern end of the Broad Walk and is considered…
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The Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park
This is a relatively new garden, dating from 1996, but is already showing great potential. When Peter and Caroline Roberts purchased the house and grounds there was little in the way of a garden; what is more they had little experience of gardening, Peter’s background was in the leisure industry. They were though heavily influenced…
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Cragside
Baron William Armstrong and his wife Margaret purchased the land at Cragside in 1863 and spent the reminder of their lives, until his death in 1900, developing the gardens. William Armstrong seems to have chosen the location as a result of his childhood holidays spent in the area and by the time of the purchase…
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Lindisfarne Castle Garden
This is a rather unusual garden; under 600 m² in area, about 160 m due north of the castle and a considerable walk from the castle entrance on the south side of the building. It’s not a garden you nip out too! What makes it stand out is the quality of its design. At the…
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Lyme Park
Lyme Park was originally an area of the peak district moorland gifted to the Legh family in 1398 by Richard II in recognition of his service and it remained in the family for over five centuries. It was not until 1946 that the third Lord Newton gave the hall and approximately 550 hectares to the…
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Stourhead
Stourhead is probably one of the most attractive gardens in England and comes as close to the idea of the Elysian Fields as any garden I have visited. The garden was in the main part created between 1719 and 1772, but some work on its development continued until 1840. There is in practice two areas…
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Stowe
Of all the landscape parks of England, Stowe is perhaps the most typical of the tradition which it represents –Dame Sylvia Crowe, Garden Design Stowe is rightly regarded as a defining example of an English Landscape Garden. Though not as beautiful as Stourhead; it is better than any other garden at capturing the spirit of…
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St. Nicholas Gardens
This is the garden created by The Honourable Robert James and Lady Serena James at Richmond in North Yorkshire. Bobbie James was an avid plant collector and member of The Garden Society, an exclusive group of Fellows of The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). He was in the same social circle as Lawrence Johnson, of Hidcote…
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Biddulph Grange
The gardens at Biddulph Grange were the creation of James Bateman (1811- 1897), though what you see today is the product of one of the greatest garden restoration programmes undertaken. James Bateman moved into the property in 1840, two years after his marriage to Maria Egerton Warburton, and was in the fortunate position of starting…
