EHS MINI HOLIDAY - SUMMER 2008
SOMERSET'S SECRET TREASURES
See
also the picture gallery
The county of Somerset epitomises the timeless and
restrained beauty of rural England and is home to a
fine selection of classic gardens in a variety
of different styles, from intimate cottage gardens
to medieval manor houses and large formal estates.
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East
Lambrook Manor is an informal cottage garden
designed by the late gardening icon Margery Fish,
while Barrington Court is more formal, and greatly
influenced by Gertrude Jekyll, whose unmistakeable
touch is also much in evidence at her and Lutyen's
masterpiece Hestercombe.
The medieval manor house of Lytes
Cary
is surrounded by an enchanting garden, and
Montacute House looks every inch the film location it
has been in the past, a fine Elizabethan house
surrounded by stately lawns.
At Cothay
Manor we find a magical, flower-filled garden
set around a classically proportioned house, and
another cottage-style garden with an informal air and
innovative features. Finally there is Gant's
Mill, a cleverly colour-themed garden packed
with flowers.
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The sun shone as we left Edgworth on Friday morning
on our journey to Somerset and it stayed shining for
most of the weekend.
Our first garden was Gants
Mill
and Gardens. The owner gave us an
interesting tour of the mill that he had
refurbished. His wife then showed us her small
but beautifully arranged garden that included water
feaures and rose arches.
We enjoyed afternoon tea and cakes in her garden
before travelling to our Taunton hotel.
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On Saturday we visited Lower
Severalls - a large garden which has a roofed
green pavilion and a living dogwood basket. We
stopped at Montecute
House for lunch and a tour of the herbaceous
borders. Some people took the opportunity to
look inside the Elizabethan house which was used in
the film Sense and Sensibility, some of us just
enjoyed basking in the sunshine smelling the scent of
the roses.
Our last visit of the day was to East
Lambroke Manor, once home of Marjory Fish who
had a passion for plants and created a traditional
English cottage garden. We were able to buy
plants from the nursery at a reasonable cost.
The evening was spent back at the hotel enjoying a
pleasant meal and convivial company.
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On Sunday we had an unscheduled visit recommended by
our tour guide - and what a gem Wayford
Manor proved to be. The head (and only)
gardener shared his love of this old garden whilst the
owner was at the nearby picturesque church.
The garden had been opened just for us. Designed
by Harold Peto, it proved to be a wonder of treasures
- something unexpected around every corner - including
topiary rabbits! Of all the gardens this was my
favourite - I didn't want to leave and gave it 10 out
of 10!
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Next to Hestercombe
- a National Trust property designed by Gertrude
Jekyll and Edward Lutyens. Whilst there we had
the only rain of the weekend - a short deluge that
drove us inside the courtyard for a nice lunch
accompanied by some young musicians.
Next to Cothay
Manor, a medieval manor with an unusual and
interesting garden designed in rooms. I walked
through an arch in the hedge to find a small white
garden; the next arch took me into a pink
garden. This garden was full of plants of all
types and colours. We were introduced to the
garden by the owner who gave us a talk whilst wielding
her secateurs and shouting instructions to her husband
on the walkie talkie! At the end of our visit an
outhouse was laid for afternoon tea with cream scones
- lovely. This garden received another 10 out of
10 from me.
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On Monday we visited Lytes
Carey Manor, another National Trust property
very different to the grand houses we had previously
seen. This Tudor manor had lovely garden rooms
being tended by volunteers. The herbaceous
borders were stunning and the hornbeam tunnel and
secret garden were very relaxing. The chapel was
open and some of us took a little time to reflect
before heading for the tea shop.
Our last visit before heading off for home was to Barrington
Court, another garden influenced by Gertrude
Jekyll. This had a white garden, a rose and lily
garden and a fantastic walled vegetable garden.
More plants were purchased and stowed on the coach as
we headed back up the motorway. We returned home
refreshed, inspired and ready for gardening.
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