Suzanne introduced us to Chatsworth House, which is set on the Derwent River, moved by Capability Brown and is home to the Duke of Derbyshire, built in 1687. The most stunning feature is the water cascade, built in 1696. The head gardener was Joseph Paxton, who built the Crystal Palace and became an MP. Gardens are gravity-fed, including the fountains and water features. They have a maze and restored parterres and garden beds, a beautiful copper tree and a crinkle-crankle hedge.
Scotney Castle in Kent, now owned by the National Trust, but previously owned by an architect. The garden is in the picturesque, or romantic style, with a moat, lawns and lakes, lots of rhododendrons and azaleas but no garden beds.
Studley Hall is a world heritage site with the finest water garden in England, offering beautiful reflections in the full and half-moon ponds, with lawns and statuary. Gardens are currently closed with the water features drained for dredging
Harewood House in Yorkshire is home to the Earl of Harewood and was built in the 1750’s with a 100-acre garden. The colourful parterre, built close to the house for viewing from the formal rooms, has been restored and the patterns are very intricate and fascinating. Features are beautiful water cascades and colourful primulas and azaleas.
The lost gardens of Heligan in Cornwall were established late in the 18th century and cover 200 acres. As most of the gardeners were killed in the Second World War, the gardens were neglected and fell into ruin, until discovered and restored 80 years later. It has a walled garden with flowerbeds, and Italian parterre and vegetable gardens.
Sudeley House has yew hedges and a parterre replicating the pattern on the skirt in a portrait of Elizabeth 1, which is in the house. The Tithe Barn was used to store the tithes – 10% of production – provided by the tenants to the lord. Some of the box hedges are being affected by disease and have to be replaced. Ivy topiary represents Catherine Parr and her servant, who lived there after Henry VIII died.
Nymans is West Sussex is one of Suzanne’s favourite gardens, although the main house burned down. It has lovely topiary with trimmed yews and box, as well as stunning wisteria in a range of colours. These gardens have been designed to provide a year-round show. The borders are built on a brushwood framework, which the herbaceous plants cover and provide support. The dovecote is beautiful and provided a home for the doves, which were a diet staple in the winter.
Stourhead in Wiltshire is a Palladian mansion built in the 1700’s. It comprises over 2000 acres at the source of the River Stour. It is a French Romantic-style garden, with lakes and bridges providing lovely views of the follies and temples.
Castle Howard in Yorkshire was designed at the beginning of the 1800’s for the Earls of Carlisle– this was where Brideshead Revisited was filmed, and has a museum with Brideshead memorabilia. The garden was designed to set off the house, and has statuary, bridges and buildings including a mausoleum to house over 2 000 bodies. The house burnt down in 1940, with the dome crashing into the house, which has since been rebuilt. The Atlas Fountain was built in the 1850’s and is surrounded by yew hedges and beautiful big trees – it is truly a heroic garden. The walled garden has been transformed into a rose garden, providing flowers for the house.
Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire is the home of the Duke of Marlborough and has 100 acres of garden, with beautiful water gardens and terraces, which were restored in the 1920’s and are located close to the house. Winston Churchill was born here. There are formal sunken gardens with green and golden yews making a lovely pattern. The rose gardens are stunning.
Robert Adams, built Bowood House in Wiltshire in 1725 with exquisite interiors, although part of the house has been demolished. The yew trees have been trimmed into leaning shapes.
Sizergh Castle in Cumbria is 14-century fortified castle, with alpine plants and maples, and creeping vines covering the old tower.
Buscot Park is a National Trust house in Oxfordshire on the banks of the River Thames. An Australian man, Robert Campbell, had the foresight to develop the drainage for the gardens, and he turned it into a model estate.
Buckland Abbey in Devon has a parterre with herbs, which was their original purpose.
Coleton Fishacre in Devon was the home of the D’Oyley Carte family, with an Arts and Crafts house built in the 1920s. The area down to the sea is filled with natural wildflowers which self-seed and look beautiful.
Hever Castle in Kent is a moated castle, with a maze, topiary chess set and parterre. The adjacent village was built to house the servants. It was the home of Anne Boleyn, and was then owned by Anne of Cleves. An American millionaire then purchased and restored the property, using a thousand men to dig out the lake and moat.
Osborne House is on the Isle of Wight and was Queen Victoria’s house built by Thomas Cubit, who also worked on Buckingham Palace. It has beautiful Victorian terraces with views to Portsmouth and is surrounded by a large park. Prince Albert designed the walled garden and hothouses. There is a Swiss cottage, dismantled from Switzerland and rebuilt for use by children of the royal family, learning how to cook and look after the cottage. They also had to grow vegetables to teach them economy. There is a bathing box owned by Queen Victoria, which went down to the sea for her to bathe.
