Pink shrub roses at Hestercombe
Hestercombe’s celebrated Arts and Crafts style garden is a must-see for anyone interested in the history of garden design who finds themselves with time to spare in Somerset.
White standard roses (tree roses) grow in square holes in the lawn
The estate dates back at least to the 11th c. and has been furnished with a 16th c. manor house, and an 18th c. pleasure garden of woods, follies, pools and cascades running through hills and valleys, but the Edwardian garden is its crowning glory.
Of course, the true test of an English garden is whether its constituent parts have atmospheric names. Daisy Steps, Chinese Seat, Great Plat, Valley of Cascades, Gothic Alcove, Temple Arbour, Witch House, Mausoleum and Grey Walk all attest to Hestercombe Garden’s greatness.
If further supporting evidence was required (which it is not), Hestercombe could claim connections with members of the aristocracy, Glastonbury Abbey, Sir Edwin Luytens in partnership with Gertrude Jekyll, and Copelstone Warre Bampfylde. The latter was an amateur garden designer who had the pleasure of owning Hestercombe and was well-connected, numbering Henry Hoare of Stourhead amongst his chums.
Sunny, mediterranean-style paved garden with lavender, roses and stachys
On our visit early in July 2019, we found Hestercombe Gardens well tended and peaceful, almost frozen in time, were it not for the flowers and children playing on the lawn outside the Orangery.
The Orangery lawn has an oval centrepiece and is loosely edged with erigeron
Hestercombe’s Orangery is Grade 1 listed as the finest surviving Sir Edwin Lutyens building of its type, and is still used over the winter to shelter orange trees. I particularly liked the decorative lawn laid to the front of it, in the gaps between the paving stones.
The garden’s expansive vistas are of the type that linger in the mind.
Sir Edwin Luytens’ Arts and Crafts design is elegantly partnered by Gertrude Jekyll’s planting
The Lutyens/Jekyll garden seems highly formal today, although when it was originally planted, Jekyll’s painterly combinations of hardy flowers were as liberating and free spirited as one could be while remaining on the right side of accepted good taste.
Traditional handle, latch and bolt
As so often, the quality of a garden is seen in its details. Throughout Hestercombe, the visitor will find beautiful, classic touches – a statue, terracotta pot, wooden planter, water feature, bench, paving, pergola, scenic nook or balustrade.
The garden has many finely judged decorative features
What I’ll remember most is, strangely, the erigeron, whose dainty daisy flowers appeared to great effect along the pathways and stone steps.
You’ll find plenty of information on Hestercombe’s website and elsewhere on the internet, so I’m not going to go into too much detail here.
I was sorry not to get a decent shot of the arbour that runs the whole length of the Arts & Crafts garden, and we didn’t catch the climbing and rambling roses along it at their height of flowering, so I’ll rely on you to let them tumble in your imagination.
Hestercombe garden shop
As you see, it was a hot and sunny day with barely a cloud in the sky, so we ended our visit with ice cream from the tea room. Only a small cone each, honestly! There was just time for a lingering look back at the zig-zag topiary hedge before we set off on the next stage of our trip.
Those who love Arts and Crafts gardens might enjoy my post about York Gate Garden, near Leeds.
Fabulous to see your post on Hestercombe. We visited there in 2010 and loved it. Coming from NZ our list of places to visit had to be very selective but this was very high priority for my landscape architect OH!
I can imagine it would be!
What a charming spot! It’s been duly noted for the next time we venture into Somerset. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure.
I really like the latch photo.
It’s a classic design.
Apparently it did!
I was in awe, once again, at names. Copelstone Warre Bampfylde! Henry Hoare of Stourhead! Not to mention Daisy Steps. I have often wondered how Charles Dickens came up with the toothsome names in his stories, and now I know — such names are all around there, aren’t they? Everything about this post is a profound and most welcome contrast to the grey, drippy, cold Indiana world outside my windows. Thank you for it! I am now pretending to sip my morning coffee in the Orangery.
Sorry about your struggles, once again. The names are real, strange as it might seem. Mind you, I find the town names strange in America though: Midnight, Louise, Arm, Sledge, Egypt, Chunky…
Great idea about the Orangery – I’m going to be pretending to sip my morning coffee there too. One could never gulp there, no matter what the hurry.
I just love those names! Gertrude Jekyll, Copelstone Warre Bampfylde and Henry Hoare are almost too good to be real! Beautiful post. Again, you make me want to go to England solely to tour gardens.
It would be as good a reason as any. 🙂
Beautiful gardens and shots!
Thank you!
And of course a Lutyens bench 😁 I haven’t been here, though passed the signs to it often. On my list for our holiday in Somerset next year.
It would have to be, wouldn’t it? Does your list have Cothay Manor on it too?
What a romantic garden and with that view, what’s not to love? It’s nice to see this beautiful garden on a warm, summer day while I sit inside on this drizzly, cold November afternoon. ❤
I still have quite a few summer gardens in my to-do list… or rather, to-write list.
I look forward to seeing them!
That is lovely. And not so far from me.. 🙂
I discovered erigeron in a garden in Cornwall somewhere, bought one plant, was kindly given more seed, and in a matter of a couple of years now have it everywhere. And it’s still flowering away even in the second week of November.
It seems to be one of those plants where you have to be sure you really like it before introducing it. I was wondering if it would take well to Mum’s clay garden in Lancashire… and if she would take well to it. 🙂
Marvelous! If only I lived close enough to visit.
I have a similar feeling about that part of the country, although in my case it’s several hundreds of miles rather than several thousands.
What gorgeous gardens, I love the first shot 🙂
The roses were basking in the sunshine in that one.
Okay, I know the garden and its plants and flowers are the main characters here but what really caught my attention was the door or gate latch. I marveled at the simple functional design. I was also intrigued by the design on the bar that actually holds it shut. The X with the dimples in the open spaces of the X and the parallel, off-center, diagonal lines look like a die that had been struck poorly or a piece of abstract art. 🙂
It fascinates me too. Everything about it says craftsman made.
Wonderful gardens …just beautiful! And that handle and latch are super!
The latch is like a slice of history in our era of mass production.
Citrus was what I grew back in the early 1990s. Of course, there is no need for orangeries here. Citrus grow very well in home gardens.
That’s as well – you would need massive orangeries to house yours!
I would not grow them if I needed to do so inside. Orangeries are too excellent to clutter with citrus trees anyway. I would want to grow small plants and show off the architecture.