A real understanding of 19th century English domestic architecture calls for an appreciation of the unique alliance between house and garden, but you hardly need an excuse to visit England’s glorious gardens. We selected the very best examples of that collaboration for this luscious tour.
It began in Surrey and Sussex with their wealth of truly spectacular gardens, including Standen designed by Philip Webb, and Gravetye Manor, William Robinson’s home and garden. Here too are many examples of the work which resulted from the extraordinary collaboration between Gertrude Jekyll and Sir Edwin Lutyens – Goddards, Orchards, Tigbourne Court – as well as the garden at Great Dixter and Jekyll’s own home and garden Munstead Wood. Here is the full range of their vocabulary – use of topiary, stonework, herbaceous borders, wild gardens, and pergolas. We also include Charleston Farmhouse, where the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant lived and worked. A visit to Vann, designed by W.D.Caroe, is a captivating way to conclude the first part of this trip.
In Hampshire and the Cotswolds there are homes and gardens by Ernest Newton, Robert Weir Schultz, and Harold Peto, as well as examples of the work of landscape architect Thomas Mawson. Among the select private gardens included is Rodmarton Manor, the quintessential Arts & Crafts garden noted for its topiary and garden architecture. The intimate character of these villages has attracted artists and lovers of the country for years.
And finally to London, where there are a number of small exquisite private urban gardens and the opportunity to savor the Museum of Garden History in Lambeth Palace.