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Itinerary:
Sat:
Train from London to
Taunton Rail Station (travel to Selworthy is not included in the
cost). Transfer by private bus to Holnicote House
Hotel at
4.00 pm from the Taunton Rail Station. The hotel is set in a National Trust Estate which borders
the Bristol Channel and has lovely views of the English countryside. On arrival we enjoy an afternoon cream tea and
meet the tour leaders after dinner to outline the
programme for the week.
Sun: We start by visiting Hestercombe, a stunning garden of mellow stonework with fringed
rills and pools and delightful mixed plantings. Hestercombe is
unique in having three complete period gardens. The Georgian
landscape, Victorian terrace and the formal Edwardian
gardens combine to create one of Britain's premier garden sites
widely recognized as being of international importance. The garden
on three levels with beautiful formal stonework, pergolas, pools and iris-fringed rills fed by high
water-spouting masks, is pure enchantment. Sets of stone steps
gradually descend through a series of terraces with gentle fountains
and pools and terminating at a final cross terrace with a
magnificent pergola. Planting is lavish with great drifts in
masterly groupings with an eye to colour, form and texture. There is
also a "landscape garden" with lovely woodland walks, lakes and
temples. To see more about Hestercombe visit their web-site:
www.hestercombegardens.com
In the afternoon we visit Cothay Manor, near Wellington,
which is said to be the finest surviving
example of a small medieval manor house in the country. Nowhere
evokes the magic of the past more than Cothay. Tucked away down country lanes, the lovely house remain virtually
untouched since it was built in 1480. The River Tone meanders
through the property. There are grey, white, purple and scarlet
rooms as well as wonderful trees under which bloom masses of
Camassias and Alliums. To see more about Cothay Manor visit
www.visitourgardens.co.uk/gardens/cothay.htm
Mon: We start by visiting Barrington Court, an Elizabethan E-shaped manor house
dating from 1522, has an enchanting formal
garden, influenced by Gertrude Jekyll and laid out in a series of
walled rooms, including the White Garden, the Rose and Iris Garden
and the Lily Garden. The magnificent working kitchen garden has espaliered
apple, pear and plum trees trained along high stone walls and still
produces fruit, vegetables and herbs. The Tudor
manor house was restored in the 1920s by the Lyle family (Tate and
Lyle sugar) Some of the original farm buildings have survived with
stone drinking troughs. To see more about Barrington visit the
National Trust website www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Later in the day we go to East Lambrook Manor . This Elizabethan manor house of Ham stone
stands amid a luxuriance of horticultural interest which spreads
across the ambling paths and natural gullies. Design seems
inconsequential but some structure is given by pollarded willows and
a curving avenue of Chamaecyparis lawsonia 'Fletcherii', clipped
into tall domes.
Tues: First comes Tintinhull House. This 1930's garden was developed
around a 17th century manor house. It is divided into 7
rooms by clipped yew hedges and walls with occasional vistas in
different directions. Each room has its own
character but together they form a complete harmony.
Features include pool garden, fountain garden, traditional garden,
inspirational mixed borders. To see more about Tintinhull visit
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
We continue to Montecute Manor.
This glittering Elizabethan
house (built in 1588 and one of the finest in the country) is adorned with elegant chimneys, carved parapets and other
Renaissance features, including contemporary plasterwork, chimney
pieces and heraldic glass. The magnificent state rooms, including a
long gallery which is the largest of its type in England, are full
of fine 17th- and 18th-century furniture and Elizabethan and
Jacobean portraits from the National Portrait Gallery. There are
also good quality textiles, including an exhibition of 17th-century
samplers. The formal garden is much as it was when the house was
built. It includes mixed borders and many old shrub roses and
is surrounded by a wonderful landscape park. There is also a
decorative kitchen garden. Montacute featured in the
award-winning film of Sense and Sensibility.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Wed - this is a rest day - perhaps to enjoy the grounds at
Holnicote House and stroll into the village of Selworthy. You can
explore historic Dunster Castle and Grabst Hill that inspired the
hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful",
Thurs: Knighthayes Court is a wonderful garden with unique topiary, arborteum and huge yew hedges.
Edward kemp designed this 50 acre garden which surrounds the house
built in 1870. The striking Victorian gothic house is noted for
its elaborate interiors. It is a rich combination of medieval
romanticism and lavish decoration. The front and sides of the house
are covered with magnificent climbers. The garden owes much to the
Amory family who devoted themselves to its development. There are
three distinct parts to the garden - the conservatory and house
borders, the terraces and the woodland. Imagine formal
terraces with summer flowering borders, a
topiary fox and hounds and a tranquil lily pool. This extends into
the ' garden of wood ' of rare trees and shade plants which is magical.
A paved garden is planted in pink, purple and grey.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Marwood Hill a bog
garden and a rose garden. At Marwood Hill there are over eighteen
acres of landscaped gardens with a large collection of trees,
shrubs, herbaceous and alpine plants. The gardens were started in
the 1950s by the present owner, Dr Smart. At that time they
consisted of a neglected walled garden and its immediate surround.
Over the years many new areas have been planted and new features
added such as the Folly and the Scented Arbour. Today, with many
genera planted in close association (Eucalyptus, Betula, Sorbus,
Malus etc.) and most plants clearly labeled, there is much of the
botanic garden about Marwood Hill.
www.marwoodhillgardens.co.uk
Fri: Greencombe is on the edge of Porlock Weir village with views
across Porlock Bay and the Bristol Channel. There are gently sloping
lawns, terraces and rockeries thickly planted with interesting
shrubs and flowers. Wonderful displays of climbers such as roses and
clematis have been carefully planted along the house and garden
walls. Cultivation is completely organic here and even the compost
heaps are on display!
Sat: After breakfast return to Taunton
Rail Station and from there to Paddington Station in London.
Entrance fees into the gardens are included but
if you wish to see the inside of the houses there is sometimes a
small additional charge paid locally.
The
above itinerary may be altered due to weather or blooming conditions
at the time. Sometimes other gardens will be even more spectacular.
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