Top 12 English gardens – Gardens in England Worth a Visit
1). Hidcote is one of Britain’s most popular gardens, located in the Cotswolds, and notable for its miles of sculptured hedges, as well as its formal outdoor “rooms”. Created in the early 20th century by the American Lawrence Johnston, it is in an area full of great gardens – including one just across the road, Kiftsgate.
2). The Eden Project in Cornwall is one of Britain’s most visited attractions, located in a disused china clay pit, and famous for its distinctive biomes with different environments, including “the world’s largest rainforest in captivity with steamy jungles and waterfalls”. It aims to educate and inspire as well as offer an enjoyable day out. In the summer it hosts major concerts. For those looking for a more “traditional” garden, Cornwall is full of them, including the Lost Gardens of Heligan, restored by the same team as The Eden Project; Trebah and Glendurgan, across the road from each other; and Trelissick.
3). Trentham in Staffordshire was once a famous garden, designed by Capability Brown and Charles Barry, but fell into disrepair. Now it has been restored in a major project with leading contemporary gardeners including Chelsea medal winners Tom Stuart-Smith and Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf. The restored Italian Gardens, Rivers of Grass and Floral Labyrinth are highlights at the gardens located close to the Wedgwood factory in Stoke on Trent and which now offer a great day out for a family, as well as for garden fans
4). Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent, the county known as “The Garden of England” is one of the most celebrated gardens in the world, particularly the White Garden, all set against the remains of an Elizabethan house, and created by writer and gardener Vita Sackville-West and her husband, diplomat Harold Nicolson.
5). Alnwick Garden in Northumbria is located next to Alnwick Castle, famous as a location for the Harry Potter films, and the Duchess of Northumberland has conjured up a magical garden over the last decade since it opened, from a derelict and forgotten site. It aims to be both a garden for gardeners, with many different planting styles and unusual plants found in the Poison Garden, but also a garden for families, with lots of chances to play and get wet under the jets of the Grand Cascade. The Treehouse is one of Britain’s more unusual restaurants!
6). The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew offer 250 years of history, and 300 acres to explore, including the Victorian Palm and Temperate glasshouses and the modern Princess of Wales Conservatory. Easily reached by District line train from central London, it is a garden for all seasons – and all can be viewed from the high level treetop walk.
7). Castle Howard in Yorkshire has been named the Historic Houses Association/Christie’s Garden of the Year 2011. Surrounding the house, famous as the film location for Brideshead Revisited, are hundreds of acres of grounds including temples, lakes, statues, fountains and an 18th century walled garden with roses and delphiniums, and an ornamental vegetable garden.
8). Chatsworth in Derbyshire has gardens which have evolved over 450 years, and are most famous for the 300 year old Cascade and gravity fed Empire fountain. The gardens also feature a maze, rockery and kitchen garden.
9). The National Arboretum, Westonbirt in Gloucestershire: many gardens look their best in the Spring or summer whereas Westonbirt really comes into its own when the trees show off their autumn colour and leading up to Christmas are illuminated, as part of the special “Enchanted Christmas” event, which runs from 25 November to 18 December this year. There are over 16,000 trees and 17 miles of paths at Westonbirt, which also looks its best in spring with displays of rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias.
10). Hampton Court Palace: visitors can get lost in the gardens surrounding Henry VIII’s famous palace – literally. There is a maze dating back to about 1700, commissioned by William III. Originally planted using hornbeam and later replanted using yew, the Hampton Court maze covers a third of an acre, is trapezoid in shape and is the UK’s oldest surviving hedge maze. There is also a Privy Garden based on 18th century designs, a 20th century garden and the Great Vine, planted in 1769. Hampton Court is also the setting for a very popular annual flower show, run by the Royal Horticultural Society, in July.
11). Stourhead in Wiltshire is an outstanding example of an 18th century English landscaped garden – not so much rows of flower beds and herbaceous borders, as sweeping lawns, a picturesque lake and temples and a grotto. One of the temples was the location of a rain-soaked (and unsuccessful!) marriage proposal scene in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice.
12). Wrest Park: English Heritage has been reviving one of Britain’s largest and most important ‘secret gardens’. Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, north of London is a 90-acre historic landscape and French-style mansion and the Italian and Rose Gardens have been recently restored. The Telegraph has just described Wrest Park gardens as “one of England’s finest yet least-known gardens”.
http://www.anglotopia.net/anglophilia/
No comments:
Post a Comment