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England: South East & Central

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9796

Special places to stayEngland: South East & Central

BerkshireWhitehouse Farm Cottage

SurreyNurscombe Farmhouse

Isle of WightNorthcourt

SussexChurch GateLordington HouseQuay QuartersPindarsOcklynge ManorHailsham GrangeNetherwood LodgeKnellstone HouseBoarsney

KentLamberden CottageHornbeamsRock Farm HouseWickham Lodge

London24 Fox Hill

EssexMount Hall

SuffolkAbbey House

NorfolkBressingham HallSallowfield CottageLitcham Hall

BuckinghamshireSpindrift

OxfordshireTown Farm Cottage

WarwickshireBlackwell GrangeThe Old Manor HouseSalford Farm House

HerefordshireDippersmoor ManorThe Old RectoryBrobury House

WorcestershireWeobley Cross CottageBrook Farm

ShropshireThe Croft CottageActon PigotYew Tree House

StaffordshireManor House

LeicestershireBents Farmhouse

NorthamptonshireWestfield

RutlandHambleton Hall Hotel

LincolnshireKelling HouseBaumber Park

NottinghamshireAshdene

DerbyshireHorsleygate Hall

CheshireThe Croft

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Only a quarter of an acre, but Louise and Keir havepacked in so much interest with fabulous planting, itseems much larger. This enterprising couple took onan almost blank canvas in 1985 and have nowcreated four ‘rooms’: the courtyard, the pond garden,the terrace and a circular seating area, all linked bypretty brick paths. To boost the serenity levels thereare four water features: a natural pond, a circular‘pot’ pond, a D-shaped lily pond and a small waterfeature with decorative metal fountain. Apart fromthe mixed traditional hedge round the pond garden(maple, ash, oak, hawthorn and holly) all the treeshave been planted by Keir and Louise; a Magnolia

grandiflora ‘Maryland’ is their pride and joy. Plantingis gorgeously riotous: many climbing roses,honeysuckle, wisteria, solanum and plenty ofherbaceous cottage favourites give colour and scentat the front of the house. At the back, many varietiesof fern are happiest near the pond. Herbs alsoflourish and are used for cooking and tisanes. Anarmy of hedgehogs, toads, frogs, slow worms andbats keeps slugs and snails at bay, while flitting birdshappily redistribute seeds. A much-loved gardenwhich you are welcome to wander through – andcatch the seasonal surprises. NGS.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 suite,1 suite for 1.

• Price: £80-£100. Singles £70-£90.• Meals: Pubs/restaurants 1 mile.

On your doorstep• The Royal Landscape: 1,000 acres ofwoodland, lakes & gardens,meandering paths, plunging views& a superb ornamental garden

• Basildon Park: guided walks aroundhistoric parkland – & bluebellwoods

Top tipOrder top-quality bulbs & seeds,and order them early

Keir LusbyWhitehouse Farm Cottage,Murrell Hill Lane, Binfield,Bracknell RG42 4BY

01344 42368807711 948889 (mobile)[email protected]

Map: see page 96

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Berkshire

Whitehouse FarmCottage

Riotous cottage garden with aformal feel in a quarter of an acre

Garden Cottage – 18th century, timber framed andgorgeous. The Old Forge is equally lovely; both areself-contained farm buildings in which you havecomplete independence and glorious views. Andthere’s a lovely single room with its own sittingroom in the 17th-century main house where Louiseand Keir, film prop makers, live. The house and thecottages are filled with interesting objects and goodantiques, beds are comfy and cotton is crisp.Overlooking farmland, this is a surprising find sonear to bustling Bracknell – and a fabulous farmshop breakfast sets you up for exploring.

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Photographs©DerekStRomaine

Surrey

NurscombeFarmhouse

Semi-formal, part-walled gardenon several levels surroundedby hills

It is blissfully peaceful. You enter through an oldarchway, past irises, hollyhocks and wooden gates,to discover a 15th-century farmhouse. Beautifullyrestored barns and stables are scattered around;sheep munch in the fields below. You can slump infront of a fire in the drawing room, sleep quietly insimple, characterful bedrooms with well-worncarpets, striped wallpaper and long views; frill-freebathrooms are in traditional working order. A properfarmhouse breakfast sets you up for a visit to theNorman church at Compton or a country walk.Minimum stay two nights at weekends.

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No fewer than 36 leylandii trees had to be banishedwhen Jane took over. Once they had gone, a garden,walled on three sides, was revealed. Since then shehas worked steadily to achieve a true cottage-gardeneffect. Working on sandy soil, her aim is for it to look“casually cared for, not too formal”. She has achievedthis – brilliantly. A rose and vine-covered pergola isjust outside the front door – a grand place to sit andgaze over the fields. A mixed herbaceous borderbehind the house has random repeat planting ateither end. ‘Iceberg’ roses on a bargate wall provide abackdrop for a sloping border with a blue, pink andmagenta colour scheme; at the back are Crambe

cordifolia and pretty cranesbill. In the vegetablegarden, where there’s a fine old wooden greenhouse,a tayberry flourishes against the back wall and herbs,root vegetables, beans, courgettes and sugar snapsgrow. Fruit from the old apple and plum treessometimes appear on the breakfast menu, along withwild mushrooms and nuts. The garden, set in 40 acresof gentle hills (bluebell woods, a trout-filled lake, arowing boat), is visited by birds and the occasionalhedgehog, fox or badger.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin.• Price: From £80. Singles from £45.• Meals: Pub/restaurant 1 mile.

On your doorstep• Loseley Park House: ancientwisteria, vine walks, roses & walledrooms; a delight in June/July

• Wisley: beautiful & practical RHSflagship garden; a vast greenhouseencloses rare delicate plants fromwarmer climes

Top tipCut back perennials hard afterflowering & water when necessary

Jane FairbankNurscombe Farmhouse,Snowdenham Lane,Bramley GU5 0DB

01483 [email protected]

Map: see page 96

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Photographs©Alison

Fairbank

Northcourt’s astonishing 15 acres have developedover the last four centuries into a garden of historicalinterest and a paradise for plantsmen. The Isle ofWight remains warm well into the autumn, and in itsdownland-sheltered position the garden exploits itsmicroclimate to the full. Able to specialise in suchexotics as bananas and echiums, the Harrisons havedeveloped a sub-tropical garden; higher up the slopebehind are Mediterranean terraces. There’s extensivevariety: the chalk stream surrounded with bog plants,the knot garden planted with herbs, the walled rosegarden, the sunken garden, the one-acre kitchengarden, a Himalayan glade and a maritime area. All

this represents a collection of 10,000 plants, someoccasionally for sale – how do they do it? ModestJohn, the plantsman, says it is the good soil andatmosphere that allows everything to grow naturallyand in profusion. But that is only half the story – hehas left out the back-breakingly hard work andcommitment that have gone into it. They areknowledgeable too – he is a leading light in the Isle ofWight Gardens Trust, Christine was once the NGScounty organiser for the island. Between them theyhave done a huge amount to encourage horticulturalexcellence in the area. NGS, RHS, Good Gardens Guide,Isle of Wight Gardens Trust.

• Rooms: 6 twins/doubles.• Price: £65-£105.Singles £45-£57.50.

• Meals: Pub 3-minute walk throughgardens.

• Travel Club offer: 15% off stays of4 or more nights.

On your doorstep• The Needles: take a wonderful walkto the island’s famous landmark –& a bus back!

• Osbourne House: Queen Victoria’swalled gardens & exotic hothouses,plus regal Solent views

Top tipGrow plants that do not needstaking or watering, & mulch well

John & Christine HarrisonNorthcourt,Shorwell PO30 3JG


Map: see page 96

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Isle of Wight

Northcourt

Natural garden with 10,000 plants,from herbs to maritime to exotics

Think big and think Jacobean. Built in 1615 bythe deputy governor of the Isle of Wight, Northcourtwas once the manor house of a 2,000-acre estate.Extensively modified in the 18th century, thehouse has 80 rooms including a library housing afull-sized snooker table (yes, you may use it), and a32-foot music room (you may play the piano, too).Bedrooms are large, in two separate wings, andbathrooms great, but this is still a warm andinformal family home – and your hosts more thanlikely to be found in gardening clothes. Autumn isan excellent and less busy time to visit.

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Janie is a whizz in her one-acre plot, often to be seentoiling away in her boiler suit! She particularly loveshighly scented flowers, interesting foliage andarchitectural plants for arranging in the house. Themain jobs when they moved in were to take out thenon-productive fruit trees and put in a few more, toplant trees and hedges (such as photinia ‘Red Robin’)for structure, and to create separate areas, all ofwhich has softened some rather hard edges andhidden a somewhat peculiar earlier design to thefront of the house. They are lucky in that theManhood Peninsula seems to have its own verygentle microclimate, so losses of more tender plant

varieties are rare. A new south-facing terrace outsidethe kitchen has a narrow rill which circulates from asmall pond: a table here is lovely for outdoor eating,while an oak pergola covered with Vitis vinifera‘Phoenix’ and Wisteria sinensis ‘Caroline’ providesshade. From here there are two large beds leadingaway from the house, planted up with featheryStipa gigantea and elegant Verbena bonariensis.Janie has also planted some unusual trees includingEucalyptus debeuzevillei, Podocarpus salignus andCercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’.

• Rooms: Cottage: 1 double,1 twin with sitting room.

• Price: From £85. Singles from £65.• Meals: Pub 4 miles.• Travel Club offer: Bottle of wine inyour room. Local food/produce inyour room.

• Ethical Collection: Food.See page 10.

On your doorstep• Pagham Harbour: tidal mudflatsattract thousands of birds for thekeen twitcher

• West Wittering Beach: walk fromhere to East Head Spit – a rarepiece of untouched coastline

Top tipHedgehogs love slugs & insects:encourage by leaving a pile of twigs& leaves in a corner

Janie ImpeyChurch Gate,Itchenor,Chichester PO20 7DL


Map: see page 96

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Sussex

Church Gate

Lounge lizards enjoy this one-acreplot – as do wildlife & weeds!

Janie has added a conservatory and a huge sunnyAga kitchen to her 1930s house; she greets withafternoon tea, rustles up tasty home eggs atbreakfast, and may even treat you to home-bakedbread or croissants, served on the terrace insummer. The house is adorned with Nigerian musicalinstruments and Janie’s photographs; the bedroomsare fresh with low windows looking onto thegarden. There are lovely soaps in the bathrooms anddriftwood lamps in the flagstoned sitting room. Setoff for nearby Chichester with its theatre and shops– or pretty Itchenor, a mecca for sailors.

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The arrival is dramatic, a gentle rise, with – in spring– a sea of daffodils to either side; you slip betweentwo stone pillars that appear to lean slightlyoutwards to allow you in. Emerge onto pea gravel infront of this truly beautiful house. The firstimpression of the garden is – bizarrely given its age –one of modernity; the crisp green wall of neatlysculpted golden yew and tall pines strike acontemporary note. Hedges and lawn live at the rear,rubbing shoulders with huge old stone walls andanother pair of splendid gateposts which lead to thelime avenue, through which you may spot horses –bucolic bliss. A cherub waves from one wall and the

view stretches effortlessly away. Long borders rompwith low-growing aromatic shrubs, interspersed withpelargoniums, lilies, anemones and osteospermum. Inthe spring, the beds are bright with tulips; there aresome old and interesting trees including a blackmulberry and a paperbark maple. Well-behavedvegetables sit in their rows, hundreds of cuttings arereared annually in the greenhouses, there are lovelyplaces to sit with a glass of wine and a good book,and – for real gardeners – Audrey will be a treat totalk to. Overhead, buzzards wheel and mew. NGS.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 twin/double,1 single.

• Price: From £95.Singles from £47.50.

• Meals: Dinner £25. Packed lunchfrom £5. Pub 1 mile.

• Travel Club offer: Free pick-up fromlocal pubs or stations.

On your doorstep• West Dean: a husband & wife teamcare for these 90 acres; plus gardencourses, chilli fiesta, restaurant& shop

• Kingley Vale: ancient twisted yews,superb chalk grassland, birds &butterflies galore

Top tipConkers make excellent mothballs;spiders hate them too

Mr & Mrs HamiltonLordington House,Lordington,Chichester PO18 9DX


Map: see page 96

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Sussex

Lordington House

“What wondrous life is this I lead!”– Andrew Marvell

On a sunny slope of the Ems valley, life ticks bypeacefully as it has always done... apart from atouch of turbulence in the 16th century. The houseis vast and impressive, with majestic views pastclipped yew and pillared gates to the AONB beyond.Inside is engagingly old-fashioned with a few quirkyflare-ups like a hand-painted harlequin design inthe hall. Find Edwardian beds with properbedspreads, Sixties-style bathrooms, shepherdesswallpapers up and over wardrobe doors. Tea cosiesat breakfast, big log fires and a panelled drawingroom. Bring your woolly jumper! Over fives welcome.

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Lorraine’s mother-in-law began Apuldram RosesNursery years ago, from the old stable block that isnow Rose Cottage: they continue to trade and attendall the large flower shows. The old orchard wasformally planted with all the rose varieties that weresold bare root or in pots, and a 50-foot pergola wasadded to showcase the climbers and ramblers –‘Albertine’, ‘Dorothy Perkins’, ‘Paul’s Scarlet’, ‘DublinBay’. To add colour in spring, daffodils have beennaturalised in the grass, the pergola is underplantedwith lavender and clematis, and an early flowering‘Canary Bird’ sits among the standard roses. Many ofthe borders are surrounded with box hedging and

bay, and there’s also a 30-foot high flint wall –a glory when the climbers come into bloom.A thuja hedge separates all this from Lorraine’sprivate garden, which you are also welcome towander: a series of elegant ‘rooms’ including atopiary garden, box balls, a formal vegetable plot,a winter-flowering clematis-covered arch, and gravelpaths leading to an orchard. A 50-foot herbaceousborder runs the length of the garden and is protectedby a mixed hedge: a riot of chocolate cosmos,hollyhocks, lupins, penstemons and many othercottage favourites. Delightful.

• Rooms: Self-catered cottages:2 for 2, 1 for 4, 1 for 6.

• Price: £370-£1,000 per week.• Meals: Pub half a mile.

On your doorstep• West Dean: vast house, restoredwalled garden, 300-foot-longEdwardian pergola, spring garden &arboretum, open all year

• Denmans Gardens: a tamedwilderness of foliage & form,designed by John Brookes

Top tipUse evergreen box & bay to givestructure during the winter months

Lorraine SawdayQuay Quarters,Apuldram Manor Farm,Dell Quay, Chichester PO20 7EF


Map: see page 96

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Sussex

Quay Quarters,Apuldram ManorFarm

A formal half-acre rose garden witha wonderful 50-foot pergola

A working farm a short stroll from Chichester withfour spotlessly converted cottages – all together butprivate. Old oak spans the ceilings, new oak thefloors. Bedrooms are light and airy with deeplycomfortable beds; all-white bathrooms have mosaictiles and one has a corner bath and luxuriousshower. In each cottage the space is uncluttered,the lighting subtle, the colours ‘cool’ and theheating underfloor. There are DVDs, books, games,stereo, too. Some have their own little terraces, allis utterly peaceful in this AONB. Great beaches atWest Wittering are a few miles away.

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The weeds towered above the children when Jocelyneand Clive bought the field 42 years ago. Once thehouse was built, they had £5 left for creating thegarden – from scratch! Over the years, they havesoftened and transformed the square lines of thefield into a magical place of curves and corners, openvistas and secret places. Everything – terraces,swimming pool, flint wall with fountain – has beendesigned and built by them. They have also plantedabout 100 trees, including poplars, birches,eucalyptus, oaks and cherries, some of which arefelled as necessary. Jocelyne’s particular love is theAcer platanoides, fully grown and superb; another

special tree is a big chestnut, reared from a conkerand nursed back to life by Clive after it was split inhalf by the 1987 gale. The borders are a mix of shrubsand perennials with some summer bedding (thoughshe also fills pots with annuals, which she can thenmove around). She plants for foliage colour, shapeand height in large, naturally shaped splodges. Ifplants seed themselves, they are often allowed tostay, giving a relaxed, unstudied effect. Ask aboutDoris, Constance and frigid Freida and Jocelyne willbe happy to introduce you. NGS, RHS. Open gardenfor various charities.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 twin.• Price: From £75. Singles from £45.• Meals: Dinner (when possible) from£22. Pub/restaurant 0.5 miles.

• Travel Club offer: Glass of wine andselection of canapés at 6pm eachevening of visit.

• Ethical Collection: Community;Food. See page 10.

On your doorstep• Arundel Castle: the peach houseshelters a cornucopia of exoticproduce

• Parham House & Park: seven acres ofPleasure Grounds & four of walledgardens, a profusion of lilies & roses

Top tipPlant alliums along with heucheraor geraniums to hide the alliums’dead leaves

Jocelyne & Clive NewmanPindars,Lyminster,Arundel BN17 7QF


Map: see page 96

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Sussex

Pindars

Almost an acre which, Topsylike,“just growed”. Atmospheric &imaginative

Jocelyne and Clive are excellent company and their1960s house is warm, well-loved and lived-in. Theroad is there but the guest sitting room faces thebeautiful gardens, as do two of the bedrooms; theother has distant views of Arundel Castle. Bedroomsare light and comfortable, cosy and compact;bathrooms are not state of the art, but white andpristine. Books, magazines, watercolours and twoBurmese cats complete the happy picture.Jocelyne’s cooking is imaginative, vegetables arehome-grown, breakfast and dinner are delightful.Close to Goodwood. Two nights preferred.

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photographs©LouiseAdams

The ancient walled garden was once wanderedthrough by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem; youare just as welcome. Wendy has battled with poortopsoil on top of solid chalk rock, but, ten years on,has designed everything in her two thirds of an acreto be as easy to manage as possible. There is apergola down the centre of the garden withrhododendrons and azaleas at the end, a small pondsurrounded by bonsai trees, a little turret that used tobe the look-out tower for the Eastbourne post and a200-year-old rockery. The garden year starts withwild garlic bulbs, daffodils, bluebells and primulas;next come forget-me-nots and Clematis montana

‘Rubra’. A Kiftsgate rose dominates an arch and hasescaped up an ash tree, acid-lovers grow in oak tubsor terracotta pots. Mature trees include a very oldmanna ash, and a holm oak. The borders are filledwith contrasting evergreen shapes and climbersgrowing into trees. The orchard contains apples, apear, a fig and a small yellow cherry plum; a raisedbank at the back is filled with the prettiest violets andcow parsley in the spring, and there are lots ofbenches at suitable spots from which to take it all in.NGS.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin,1 suite for 3.

• Price: £90. Singles from £50.• Meals: Pub 5-minute walk.

On your doorstep• Pashley Manor: 11 acres ofquintessentially English landscaping,imaginative planting & fine old trees

• Great Dixter: amazing bursts ofexotic colours from the late, greatChristopher Lloyd

Top tipPinch out the centre candle ofpines when new growth appears

Wendy DugdillOcklynge Manor,Mill Road, Eastbourne BN21 2PG


Map: see page 96

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Sussex

Ocklynge Manor

Two thirds of an acre ofall-year-round interest &ancient walled garden

On top of a peaceful hill, a short stroll fromEastbourne, is a tip-top B&B in an 18th-centuryhouse with an interesting history – ask Wendy! Hereyou are treated to home-baked bread and delicioustea time cakes and jams; on fine days you can takeit all outside. Cream-carpeted, bright sunnybedrooms, all with views over the garden, create amood of relaxed indulgence and are full ofthoughtful touches: dressing gowns, DVDs, minifridges. Breakfasts are superb and there’s a chintzy,comfy sitting room just for guests. This is a veryspoiling, very nurturing place.

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There is a quiet element of the unexpected in Noel’sgarden (featured in Country Life in 2010), which is asstunning as the house. Perhaps it’s because of hisupbringing in New Zealand, at a time when manygardens still clung to traditional English patterns butwere enlivened by native exotics. Here, within aformal framework of box, yew and hornbeamhedging, Noel has created a whole series of gardens,yet within the formality, has mixed and juxtaposedhis plants in an informal and original way. The effectis relaxed, romantic and subtly different. Separateareas are themed for colour – of foliage or flower –with plants chosen for scent and grouped in swathes

so they blend into each other. All this has beenachieved in the years since Noel took over HailshamGrange. When he arrived, in 1988, he was presentedwith the challenge of a completely blank, one-acrecanvas and is still constantly experimenting (thespring garden is where any plants that are doingbadly are given their last chance – it’s flourish ordie!). There are several enticing spots to sit with anevening drink and contemplate all this beauty: abench in the daffodil-filled spinney, a chair in the dell,and a seat in the enchanting gothic summerhouse.Look out for the unusual plectranthus! NGS, GoodGardens Guide.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 2 suites.• Price: £95-£120. Singles from £70.• Meals: Pub/restaurant 300 yards.• Use your Sawday’s Gift Card here.

On your doorstep• Pashley Manor: exquisite Englishgardens with Tulip Festivalshowcasing 90 varieties & 20,000blooms end April/May

• Arlington Bluebell Walk & FarmTrails: dog-friendly too

Top tipWater sparingly to help plants copebetter with a dry spell

Noel ThompsonHailsham Grange,Hailsham BN27 1BL


Map: see page 96

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Sussex

HailshamGrange

An informally formal havenbeside the parish church

Come for elegance and ease. Noel welcomes youinto his lovely Queen ‘Mary Anne’ home (a vicaragebuilt in 1701), back from the road next to thechurch. No standing on ceremony here, despite thedécor: classic English touched with chinoiserie inkeeping with the house. Busts on pillars, swathes ofdelicious chintz, books galore and bedrooms a treat;the four-poster and the double overlooking thegarden share a sitting room. Summery breakfastsare served on the flagged terrace, marmalades andjams on a silver salver. The town garden with its boxparterre and flowers is an equal joy.

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When Margaret moved into the house in 1986,this quarter acre of garden was totally overgrown.The planting, the rockery, the fruit trees, the Yorkstone paths and the herbaceous beds have allbeen created since. Now she has a very privatesouth-facing plot, surrounded by hedges andbacking onto farmland and a wood where birdlifeabounds. There are plenty of seating areas andbenches for maximising time in the sun – orheading for cool shade; there’s a rustic arch with aKiftsgate rose, seasonal pots and large woodenbarrels filled with shrubs and small trees. Planting istraditional and well thought out. Margaret is very

house proud about her garden, takes lots of cuttingsand buys only local plants; over 300 tulips burstinto life in March and go all the way through toMay. Scent is important – honeysuckles, lavenders –while roses and clematis provide height, structureand plenty of heavenly whiffs. Violas tumble out ofwindow boxes, sweet peas out of baskets;geraniums, begonias and roses bloom throughoutthe summer in the exceptionally good soil here. Inautumn the tints from the woodland are stunning.All year round it is deeply peaceful. NGS.

• Rooms: 1 twin, 1 double.• Price: From £100. Singles from £80.• Meals: Pub/restaurant 1 mile.• Travel Club offer: Localfood/produce on your departure.


On your doorstep• Bateman’s: former home ofRudyard Kipling, with beautifulgardens & wildflower river meadow

• Sheffield Park: magnificent spring& autumn colours

Top tipBe bold with colour (eg. pink &orange together) & avoid straightlines

Margaret ClarkeNetherwood Lodge,Muddles Green, Chiddingly,Lewes BN8 6HS


Map: see page 96

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Sussex

NetherwoodLodge

English planting for colour,shape & surprise

The whiff of log fire, the scent of fresh flowers anda smattering of chintz over calm unclutteredinteriors will please you in this single-storey,L-shaped coach house. Engaging Margaret may giveyou homemade cake or scones in an elegant sittingroom with views over the garden, and cosybedrooms are beautifully dressed and chic: woolcarpets, silk and linen curtains, oak furniture – andgloriously comfortable beds. You eat well, too: muchis locally sourced and breakfasts are flexible. This isa quiet part of East Sussex, ideal for walking,National Trust properties and Glyndebourne.

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The house is an attractive mix of old and new; so toois the garden. Linda and Stuart inherited some lovelyold trees, a wood once frequented by smugglers, apond and a happy wisteria, then added their ownpersonality. The garden is in different sections: formalat the front, terraced and bowl-shaped at the back,with fabulous views to the sea. A parterre providescut flowers and some fruit and vegetables; Linda hasa love of grasses, shaped beds and striking plants,many in dark reds, oranges and whites. Everythingcurves here – gateways and steps – to match thebowl shape. For height there are vertical railwaysleepers, and a minimalist courtyard with a reflection

pool, steel girders and climbers. At the front, a formalgarden is developing. Wildlife is abundant: kestrelslurk in the bowl, badgers bumble at night (and eat theHarlands’ figs, mischievous things). The terracearound the house has good seating areas and there isa glass-covered veranda so you can admire the viewsall year round. Great Dixter, Sissinghurst and PashleyManor are close, should you need further inspiration.NGS, RHS.

• Rooms: 2 doubles.• Price: £110-£140.• Meals: Pub 600 yards.Restaurants in Rye, 3 miles.

• Ethical Collection: Community.See page 10.

On your doorstep• Bateman’s: Kipling’s formal EnglishArts & Crafts garden, free entry inNov/Dec

• Smallhythe Place: former home ofthe Victorian actress Ellen Terry,with rose garden, orchard & nuttery

Top tipLet plants seed themselves:they’ll develop healthily wherethey settle

Linda & Stuart HarlandKnellstone House,Udimore, Rye TN31 6AR


Map: see page 96

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Sussex

KnellstoneHouse

Exuberance within boundaries- and a veranda for views

The Harlands have a stunning old house, built as ahall in 1490, with sloping, solid oak floors,mullioned windows and rare dragon beams. Gloriousviews reach across the Brede valley to sheep andthen the sea. No old style interiors but a refreshinglymodern and bright feel with buttermilk walls,contemporary furniture, good lighting – and anelegant collection of simple carved heads from allover the world. Bedrooms are crisp, bathroomsmodern with luxurious accessories; wallow and gazedown to the sea. Birdlife abounds, soft fruits areserved, Rye is a very short drive.

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A delightful three-acre garden with a lake, twoislands, a jetty housing geese and ducks, and a largefish-filled pond patrolled by a gloomy heron. Loisinherited this just two years ago but it all lookseffortlessly mature and as much as possible is grownfrom seed. Outside the house is a large south-facingterrace overlooking smooth lawns and flower-filledborders. A formal garden with hedging, paths andtopiary leads down to the walled kitchen garden, itsmellow walls matching those of the house; here Loisgrows her organic vegetables, peaches, flowers andsoft fruits for the table. Further beds are filled withher favourite old roses for delicious scents, alongside

old-fashioned perennials planted in swathes ofcolour. Established trees include contorted willows,Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ and a monkeypuzzle; throughout are benches and hidden places –lovely spots for watching very fat birds, or just tounwind. Wander through the knot garden fromwhich there are heavenly views across farmland. Takea rowing boat on the lake, sizzle by the outdoor poolon sunny days. Lois calls herself a novice but she hasdone a magnificent job so far, and has oodles of plansfor the future.

• Rooms: 2 doubles.• Price: £90. Singles £60.• Meals: Pubs/restaurants 0.5 miles.

On your doorstep• Sissinghurst Castle: the mostfamous 20th-century garden inEngland; based on garden rooms,including the exquisite WhiteGarden

• Bedgebury Pinetum: collection ofconifers open all year

Top tipLearn to sow seeds: it saves afortune in a large garden

Lois DenningBoarsney,Boadiam Road,Saleshurst,Robertsbridge TN32 5SR


Map: see page 96

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121

Sussex

Boarsney

Three acres of topiary, gardenrooms, kitchen garden & a lakeyou can row

You are met by smiley Lois and her three lovely dogs.Walk straight in to the main front hall with itssquashy sofas and a wood-burning stove – perfectfor roosting with a book on a chilly day. Quietbedrooms have sloping ceilings, are criss-crossedwith ancient beams and painted in soft colours;beds are worth sinking into and bathrooms areimmaculate. Wake to soft fruits from the garden,hot smoked salmon, bread from the local bakers, fullEnglish; timings are flexible and you can eat on theterrace with the birds on sunny days. No standingon ceremony here, all is serene.

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Lily of the valley perfumes the air, Millie and Millicent(the statues) peek out, ducks waddle happily and thesecret garden beckons. Here is a truly English gardenwhirling with Beverley’s old favourites: crocosmia,epimedium, euphorbias and day lilies. Wander thewalled garden with its pretty borders; swathes of softand a sprinkling of hot colours explode across thetwo neat acres; a border bursts with hellebores,another spills over with apricot, dark blue and night-blue bearded irises. Snoozy seating areas are dottedaround, one has a grape vine clambering the wall, theother is shaded beneath a tumbling rose arbour; treesswish and sway in the paddock – copper beech,

walnut, elder, a group of silver birch: all have beenplanted for family and friends in the many years theScreetons have lived here; the latest edition is amulberry tree for their youngest grandson. Six fruittrees – two plum, two apple, a pear and a damson –along with veg from the raised brick beds are forguests to enjoy and if you’re lucky you may spot afamily of greater-spotted woodpeckers; the birdtables, nut-holders and nesting boxes make a happyhome for all sorts. The family get infinite pleasurefrom their garden and ask only that you do too.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 twin.• Price: From £70. Singles from £55.• Meals: Dinner £22.

On your doorstep• Great Dixter: long grasses spangledwith flowers & wonderful colourcombinations

• Marle Place: walled scentedgardens & orchid collection

Top tipTo beat sawfly, add mulch inautumn & remove with their larvaein spring

Beverley & Branton ScreetonLamberden Cottage, Rye Road,Sandhurst, Cranbrook TN18 5PH


Map: see page 96

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Kent

LamberdenCottage

Lovely informal garden withdiffering borders, corners& wildlife

Down a farm track find two 1780 cottages knockedinto one, with flagstone floors, a cheery wood-burnerin the guest sitting room and welcoming Beverleyand Branton. There’s a traditional country cottagefeel with pale walls, thick oak beams, soft carpetingand very comfortable bedrooms (the twin has achild’s bedroom adjoining); views from all are acrossthe Weald of Kent. Trip down to the lovely gardensto find your own private spot, sip a sundowner onthe terrace, eat well in the restful family diningroom. Near to Sissinghurst, Great Dixter and manyhistoric places.

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Perfectly designed, brilliantly executed – Alison hascome a long way since this garden was a field. Sheused to picnic here as a child, admire the view anddream about living here... Now the garden surroundsthe house and is bursting with plants. At the front areroses, camellias, lavender and acers in pots; ablackthorn and hawthorn hedge is grown throughwith golden hop, vines and more roses. By the frontgate is a spring bed, then a purple bed leading to awhite-scented border of winter flowering clematisand magnolias. An immaculate herb garden is spikedwith tall fennel, the vegetable garden has raised bedsand a morello cherry tree, and the orchard hums with

fecundity. Winter and autumn beds are filled withinterest and colour: snake-bark maple, dusky pinkchrysanthemums, witch hazel and red-stemmedcornus. The herbaceous border is a triumph – coloursmove from pinks, purples and blues through apricots,creams and whites to the ‘hot’ end, and self-seededintruders are swiftly dealt with. A little waterfallsurrounded by lilies sits in the pond garden androckery where hostas, ferns, astilbes, gunnera,bamboo and lilac compete for space. Rejoice in theknowledge that someone who has achieved theirdream is so happy to share it with others. RHS,Barham Horticultural Society.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin, 1 single.• Price: £75-£85. Singles £50.• Meals: Occasional dinner £20.Pubs 1 mile.

• Travel Club offer: 10% off stays of2 or more nights.

On your doorstep• Goodnestone Park Gardens: comefor Feb’s snowdrop Sundays, springblossom in the arboretum,foxgloves in the woodland garden

• Local woodland: at its finest withswathes of bluebells in April/May

Top tipDon’t fight against the odds:only grow plants that like your soil& aspect

Alison CrawleyHornbeams, Jesses Hill,Kingston, Canterbury CT4 6JD


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Kent

Hornbeams

Relaxing informal garden dominatedby sweeping Kentish views

Rolling hills and woodland, long views over lusciousKent, and a lovely garden that Alison has createdentirely herself. This is a modern bungalow, a rarephenomenon in this book, a Scandia housebrick-built from a Swedish kit. It is brilliant forwheelchair users and altogether easy andcomfortable to be in, with floral-covered sofas andchairs and plain reproduction furniture. Alison, abeauty therapist and masseuse, is friendly andgracious. The house is so close to Dover that it isworth staying here for the night before embarkingon the ferry fray.

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photographs©FrancesWebster

Plantsmen will be happy here. In the seventies, whenher children were young, Sue ran a nursery at RockFarm that built up a considerable reputation. It closedin 2000, but her collection of interesting plantscontinues to be celebrated in her own garden. Sheknows from experience what plants grow best inthese alkaline conditions, and they perform for her.The evergreen Berberis stenophylla provides a strikingbackdrop to the large herbaceous border – 90-footlong and, in places, 35-foot wide. Bulbs grown alongthe hedge are superceded by herbaceous plants; asthese grow, the dying bulb foliage behind is neatlyhidden from view. The oriental poppies in May herald

the outburst of colour that lasts from June toSeptember, and, to encourage wildlife, cutting downis delayed until January. The bog garden that liesbelow the house is filled with candelabra primulas,trollius, astilbes, day lilies, gunnera, lythrum,filipendulas and arum lilies: a continuous floweringfrom April to July. In a further area – around twonatural ponds – contrasting conifer foliageinterplanted with herbaceous perennials is setagainst a backdrop of Kentish woodland; superbgroupings of hostas and ferns grow in shady areas.A delightful spot. NGS, Good Gardens Guide, RHSGarden Finder.

• Rooms: 1 double, 2 twins.• Price: £75. Singles £50.• Meals: Restaurant within 1 mile.

On your doorstep• Ightham Mote: hidden valleygarden of 14th-century manor:long cottage borders, vegetablesinterplanted with herbs, wilderareas of rhododendrons &Grade I-listed dog kennel

Top tipA good mulch feeds plants & stopsweeds

Sue CorfeRock Farm House,Gibbs Hill,Nettlestead,Maidstone ME18 5HT

01622 812244www.rockfarmhousebandb.co.uk

Map: see page 96

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Kent

Rock FarmHouse

A two-acre cottage gardenbursting with flowers allthrough the year

This is a charming Kentish farmhouse, its beamsfashioned from recycled ships’ timbers fromChatham dockyard. Bedrooms are simple,traditional, lovely, one with a four-poster bed. Wallsare pale or pure white, bedheads floral and furnitureantique; the bedroom in the Victorian extension hasa barrel ceiling and two big windows that lookeastwards over the bog garden to the gloriousKentish Weald. Stairs lead down into the diningroom with its lovely old log fire. Expect free-rangeeggs from the farm, homemade jams and localhoney for breakfast.

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Who would believe so much fecundity could besqueezed into one half acre? Cherith has known andloved this walled garden – 14 small gardens that flowinto one – for over 40 years. Many plants were usedin Tudor times (the business of identification isunfaltering), with cottage garden plants beingpopped in over the years. Starting at the top end isthe kitchen garden, a horn of plenty cultivated wisely,‘companion planting’ controlling pests and diseases.Then a fruit grove, a secret garden, a Cornish haven,a rose walk fragrant with over one hundredOld English shrub roses. In the Japanese garden, astairway of railway sleepers topped with pebbles

winds serenely up to a circular terrace enfoldedby winter flowering shrubs. Later this transforms intoa cool green oasis, while the most central sectionof the garden opens up to its summery palette ofpurples, pinks, whites and blues. Wander further...to the gravelled hop garden, where a rustic pergolasupports hops from the river bank, and a topiaryterrace (with goldfish pond) nudges the Tudor backof the house. To the front, a boatyard garden bythe river – boats bob by at high tide, birds at low.The drive is edged with lavender and you parkamong vines.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin/double,1 single.

• Price: £90. Singles £45-£55.• Meals: Pubs/restaurants 100 yards.• Use your Sawday’s Gift Card here.• Ethical Collection: Food.See page 10.

On your doorstep• Museum of Kent Life: 62 varietiesof apple trees & 149 different typesof herbs

• Wylesford Village: trees displayingbeautiful autumn colours line theriverbank

Top tipA garden is a living space: workwith it & it will be happy

Richard & Cherith BourneWickham Lodge,The Quay, 73 High Street,Aylesford ME20 7AY


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Kent

Wickham Lodge

A riverside garden of peace,tranquillity & wonderful surprises

The one-time gatehouse to the big house on the hilllooks Georgian, but started life Tudor: two lodgeswoven into one. Cherith spoils you with traditionalcomforts; you’ll love the riverside setting and thelog-warmed drawing room with the greenest view.The bedroom overlooking the river is fresh and airywith linen quilts on white metal beds; the TudorRoom is low-ceilinged with pretty pine andVictorian-style ‘rain bath’ (amazing). Have breakfastin the garden, lunch in Canterbury and supper in thevillage; its pubs, restaurants and 14th-centurybridge ooze history and charm.

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Photographs©ChristopherKempPhotography

The Haighs’ home in the sweet seclusion of Fox Hillhas a small gravelled front garden with bobbles ofbox and a standard bay – an eye-catching frontagefor the pretty Victorian house – but there’s much,much more to come. The long rectangular backgarden has been completely re-designed and nowbursts with colour and interest in every direction.Sue, who once worked at the Chelsea Physic Gardenand is a true plant-lover, has cleared and re-plantedpaved areas by the house and built a raised pond forher beloved fish. The delicate water plants areguarded by feathery grasses that thrust skywardsfrom their containers. Climbers snake up walls,

trellises and an arch, while water cascades soothinglyfrom a waterfall into the pond. She has nurtured afew of the plants that were there when she arrived,a thriving ceanothus and a weeping pear tree amongthem, but otherwise started with a clean slate. To adda final flourish and to mark her pleasure at having herfirst-ever garden shed to play with, she has planted aslender crab apple outside its door. This is a gardenpacked with promise. RHS, RSPB.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin/double,1 twin.

• Price: £90-£120. Singles £50.• Meals: Dinner £35.Pubs/restaurants 5-minute walk.

• Travel Club offer: Jar of housepreserve in room. Pick-up fromlocal station. Bottle of house winewith dinner.

On your doorstep• Crystal Palace Park: hunt fordinosaurs in this Victorian pleasureground & explore the Tea Maze

• Horniman Museum & Gardens: alively & varied oasis with superbcity views

Top tipGrow salads & herbs in raised bedsto keep them away from chickens!

Sue & Tim Haigh24 Fox Hill,Crystal Palace,London SE19 2XE

020 8768 [email protected]

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London

24 Fox Hill

Town garden – gradually beingre-landscaped by vigorousresident chickens

This part of London is full of sky, trees and wildlife;Pissarro captured on canvas the view up the hill in1870 (the painting is in the National Gallery).There’s good stuff everywhere – things hang offwalls and peep over the tops of dressers; bedroomsare stunning, with antiques, textiles, paintings andbig, firm beds. Sue, a graduate from Chelsea ArtCollege, employs humour and intelligence to putguests at ease and has created a special garden, too.Tim often does breakfasts. Frogs sing at night,woodpeckers wake you in the morning, in this lofty,peaceful retreat.

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Photographs©RobCousins

The drive sweeps you around and up to thehandsome pillared and stuccoed front porch ofMount Hall, overlooking a wide lawn flanked bymature trees and shrubs. The family have agreat interest in trees and the many well-establishedvarieties act as a dramatic backdrop to thelabour-saving foliage plants which speak forthemselves through their different shapes andshades of green and yellow. This is a place for retreat,very tranquil, with plenty of seats under trees, orby the pool. The walled pool garden is totallysecluded and private, a haven of peace watched overby a huge eucalyptus; planting is cool, calm and

subdued. A beautiful evergreen tapestry border is ofyear-round interest in muted greens; elsewhere greysand whites, pale blues and silver predominate, mostof the plants coming from the Beth Chatto Gardenseight miles away. The pool was an erstwhileswimming pool: the formal rectangular shape hasbeen kept, but now teems with wildlife. Nicknamedthe “gosh” pool after visitors’ first reactions, the fishand frogs have bred and multiplied well since itsconversion. So peaceful, four miles from the edge ofthe Dedham Vale, and close to the oldest recordedtown of Colchester. HPS.

• Rooms: 1 double, 2 twins/doubles.• Price: £80. Singles from £50.• Meals: Pub 1 mile.• Travel Club offer: 10% off room rateMonday to Thursday.

On your doorstep• Beth Chatto Gardens: accomplishedcontrasts, from lush perennials tothe evergreens & greys of the ariddrought garden

• Flatford Mill: setting of Constable’s‘The Hay Wain,’ & a riverside walk toBridge Cottage (NT) for tea

Top tipPlant garlic under peach trees toprevent leaf curl

Eleanor CarbuttMount Hall,Great Horkesley, Colchester CO6 4BZ


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Essex

Mount Hall

Wide lawns & fine trees framedby formal herbaceous borders

A beautiful listed Queen Anne house. The upstairsrooms are large, light, quietly faded andcomfortable, with garden flowers and garden views;for those who prefer independence – and forwheelchairs – the garden room is an excellent size,with a huge sofa, maps and guide books aplenty andits own front door. Bathrooms are old-fashioned butspotless, and Eleanor, young, charming and friendly,gives you delicious homemade preserves atbreakfast. Set out from this peaceful place toexplore Constable country, and the beautifulvillages of Nayland, Stoke-by-Nayland and Dedham.

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Fine old trees – oaks, limes, beeches and weepingwillows – dignify the three acres of garden and sevenof meadowland surrounding Sue’s Victorian rectoryon the site of an ancient abbey; evidence of her loveof gardening – and her talent for it – is all aroundyou. Early flowering yellow banksia climbs the frontof the house, fighting for the limelight with theClematis montana that tumbles around the door. Theheated pool (which you may use if you ask) liesenclosed in a sheltered suntrap surrounded bytrellises of fragrant honeysuckle, jasmine andtrachelospermum. Several passion flowers run riotand there’s a gravel bed for hot- and dry-lovers:

Japanese banana, agapanthus, verdant bamboo andinteresting ornamental grasses. Plenty of new shrubshave gone in this year and the shrub walk alsoparades many mature plants including viburnum andrubus ‘Benenden’. This is a thoroughly peaceful spaceto amble around: sit and contemplate a game ofcroquet under the magnificent copper beech, admirethe swans and ducks in the lovely pond lined withflag irises – best viewed from a picturesque archedwooden bridge. Then wander at will in the woodlandwith its early carpet of snowdrops and aconites;further afield you will find a small flock of sheep andassorted fowl. Village ‘open garden.’

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 twin.• Price: £70-£90. Singles £35-£45.• Meals: Pubs 2.5 miles.

On your doorstep• Helmingham Hall: imposing moatedgarden of unique parts cleverlylinked by flowing bridges & tunnels

• Fox Fritillary Meadow, Framsden:six glorious acres of snake’s headfritillaries, best in April/May

Top tipPlant fragrant shrubs by gardengates & catch a waft of scent onpassing

Sue BagnallAbbey House,Monk Soham,Framlingham IP13 7EN


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Suffolk

Abbey House

Majestic trees & showy shrubsin a peaceful three acres

A spectacular arrival. Find a handsome, listed,Dutch-gabled house (1846) fronted by animpressive fishpond upon which black swans glide.On land, the peacocks lord it over the chickens.Sue’s welcome is warm and easy, her bedroomssimply and comfortably arranged, each with acouple of armchairs and garden or pond views. Highceilings and large windows make for a light, tranquilatmosphere. Settle down in front of the fire in theguest drawing room, or wander out through Frenchwindows to the shrub walk. Breakfast sausages andbacon are local; the eggs are from just outside.

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Photographs©MikeMiller

In 1953 Alan Bloom, founder of the legendarynursery and Dell Garden, wanted to experiment withnew ways of growing hardy perennials in island beds.He first planted in front of the family home and assoon as he realised they were successful he plantedin nearby meadows, eventually accumulating 48 bedscovering six acres. By 1962 he had collected 5,000species and varieties. His son Adrian joined thebusiness in 1962 and became keen to do his ownthing, initially using mainly conifers and heathers inFoggy Bottom Garden. Over the years Foggy Bottomhas developed as a spectacular garden of year-roundinterest. The whole family have a passion for plants

and the growth continues in the Summer Garden;it holds the National Collection of miscanthus.Adrian’s Wood is bulging with North American originplants, the Winter Garden is spectacular with itscolourful cornus, snowdrops, early bulbs andhellebores, and the Fragrant Garden is packed withscented plants. It is a privilege to stay here, in themidst of these world-renowned gardens – and, ofcourse, you can buy plants and take them home.Whether you have a large plot, a tiny patch or justpots to fill there is inspiration for all.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin,1 family room.

• Price: £85. Singles £55.• Meals: Pub/restaurant 400 yards.

On your doorstep• Bressingham Steam Museum, nextdoor (free entry for guests): puffthrough the gardens & woodlandon a steam train

• Lopham Fen: a delightful walk inreinstated fen: spot the PolishKonik ponies

Top tipTo deter deer, hang a piece of soapabove the plants they like

Ian TildenBressingham Hall,Bressingham,Diss IP22 2AA

01379 687243b&[email protected]

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Norfolk

Bressingham Hall

Celebrated informal gardens- an inspiration for gardeners& designers

Past the famous steam museum and on to thehouse, built in 1780 for the Squire of Bressingham.It’s a handsome place with high ceilings, large sashwindows and sensational garden views. The interiorsare deeply old-fashioned and that is part of thecharm. You breakfast in a sunny, east-facing roomon Grandad’s rhubarb baked with brown sugar,locally cured bacon and farm eggs. Discover asitting room with an open log fire and views, bigbedrooms filled with books, magazines and easychairs, and good clean bathrooms. Your host Ian isdelightful. Min. two nights at weekends.

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Photographs©RichardandAdrianBloom

A deceptive one acre, but the beautiful large pond infront of the house acts as a huge mirror and reflectstall trees, island beds and the building itself, giving aNorwegian ‘lake impression’ of space and green.When Caroline arrived it was swamped andovergrown; she only left what she decided wasinteresting. This included an impressive swampcypress, a weeping ash, lots of viburnums, magnolias,a chimonanthus and an as yet unidentified acer shecalls the “firework tree” because of its fiery autumncolour. There are also some very old trees: anenormous willow and a vast ash. Caroline has a realknack for positioning plants – they all thrive where

they’re placed and look good together; lilacs andpinks, shades of green and the odd splash of dark redor yellow against the perfect backdrop. An old ditchhas been turned into a sunken path with a trimmedhedge on one side and a herbaceous bank on theother. Clematis and honeysuckle wind through treesand shrubs and all the shapes and colours are soft –there’s no ugly rigidity. A tiny, enclosed courtyard hasbeen constructed against one wall of the house anda pink Clematis texensis shoots up it; another wall iscapped by curly tiles and there are pots filled withhostas. The pale terracotta-floored conservatory isprettily canopied with vine leaves. NGS.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 twin.• Price: £65. Singles £40.• Meals: Lunch £15. Dinner from £25.Pub 2.5 miles.

On your doorstep• East Ruston Old Vicarage: a ‘must’ –with two magnolias at their finestin April

• Lower Wood, Ashwellthorpe: rareancient woodland, delightfulbluebells & wood anemones in spring

Top tipCheck clematis stems at groundlevel for slug damage

Caroline MuskerSallowfield Cottage, Wattlefield,Wymondham, Norwich NR18 9NX


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Norfolk

SallowfieldCottage

A deceptive one acre, withcrammed cottage borders &a big glassy pond

In a beautifully remote part of Norfolk is ahospitable house crammed with treasures: printsand paintings, polished family pieces, leather fenderseats by the drawing room fire. One bedroom, nothuge but handsome, has a canopied bed anddecoration to suit the house (1850); another room ison the ground floor. Drift into the garden to find ajungly pond with a jetty on which you breakfast(deliciously): magical in spring and summer.Caroline gives you the best, her lovely lurchers addto the charm, and if you have friends locally she cando lunch for up to ten. Over nines welcome.

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Photographsofgarden

©AnneGreen-ArmytageFlowerPictures

This superb garden has given the family a lot ofpleasure over the 40 years since they came toLitcham Hall. The pool has provided fun for childrenand visitors, but John and Hermione have found thedesign and planting of their garden from scratch themost satisfying project. Yew hedges make a dramaticbackdrop for herbaceous borders and the frameworkfor a sunken area with a little lily pond and fountain.Strolling along mown paths through their wildgarden is a delight in spring when the snowdrops,azaleas and bluebells are out: in summer you emergefrom this spinney through a pergola covered inclimbing roses. Behind the house the pool is sheltered

in part of a double-walled garden, with a brick-arched veranda loggia down one side – a wonderfulspot, especially in Mediterranean weather. The walledItalian garden was inspired by the desire to put tobest use some beautiful inherited stone urns. Nowartfully positioned in a parterre of lavender-filled,box-edged beds, the urns make an elegant finishingtouch to a formal composition entirely suited to theperiod of the house.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 twin.• Price: £70-£90.Singles by arrangment.

• Meals: Pub/restaurant 3 miles.• Travel Club offer: 10% off room rateMon-Thurs. 10% off stays of 2 ormore nights.

On your doorstep• Sandringham: the finest of allRoyal gardens promises 60 acres ofyear-round interest

• Castle Acre Priory: beautifullypreserved home to a recreatedmonastic herb garden

Top tipPrune fruit-bearing stems ofredcurrant efficiently & thengather the fruit

John & Hermione BirkbeckLitcham Hall,Litcham,King’s Lynn PE32 2QQ


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Norfolk

Litcham Hall

A much-loved family garden stillevolving after forty years

This was Litcham’s doctor’s house and today, over200 years after it was built, the red-brick Hallremains at the centre of the community. This is athoroughly English home with elegant proportions;the hall, drawing room and dining room are graciousand beautifully furnished. The big-windowed guestrooms look onto the stunning garden where you arefree to wander. Household hens lay breakfast’s eggs,and the garden gives soft fruit for the table inseason. John and Hermione are friendly andcharming; you’re half an hour from the coast.Children, dogs & use of pool by arrangement.

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Norma – “chlorophyll gives me a kick!” – has lovedplants since her grandmother took her to Kew whenshe was very young. As soon as she realised that thegarden at Spindrift was a similar shape to Monet’s,off she went into arches, walkways, a heavenly seriesof ‘rooms’, beautiful herbaceous borders andfountains, all floodlit at night. It is all on differentlevels. There’s a violet-strewn dell with newts, toadsand frogs in the pond, fine lawns to the front flankedby colourful borders and, to one side, a heated,kidney-shaped pool in a sunny raised area with lotsof pretty pots (packed with tulips in spring). The fruitand vegetable gardens are terraced down a hill and

produce 29 different varieties of vegetable and 13 offruit, all for the table. There is a large garden roomwhere meals can be served in fine weather, a circulartheme for the arched doorways and walkways, and apristine hosta corner showing off different varieties(not a sign of lace: snails and slugs are somehowdeterred) surrounding a raised fountain. Norma isvery ‘hands on’ and often takes children from theschool next door around the garden for nature andart. Colours are muted, the softest pinks, blues andmauves backed up by every conceivable green, silverand grey from her beloved hostas.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin.• Price: £130. Singles £75.• Meals: Lunch £25. Dinner, 4 courseswith wine, £30. Packed lunch £12.50.Pub 2 miles.

• Travel Club offer: 10% off room rateMon-Thurs. Free pick-up from localtrain station.


On your doorstep• Hughenden Manor: Disraeli’sretreat, lately restored to his wife’s1860s design, embracing Victorianlawns & terraces, an apple & pearorchard stocked with traditionalvarieties & a walled garden

Top tipConstant vigilance: keep it neat withnowhere for slugs & bugs to hide

Norma Desmond-MawbySpindrift,Jordans HP9 2TE


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Buckinghamshire

Spindrift

A secret paradise of borders,walkways & fountains

A long, architect-designed 1933 house in acharming, sleepy village, home of the QuakerMovement; timbers from the Mayflower came torest in an old barn nearby. Much of the house is opento guests and Norma is an accomplished cook; fruits,herbs and vegetables appear on the table, flowersare beautifully arranged. Traditional bedrooms aresuper comfortable with excellent beds, powerful newshowers, and pretty floral curtains. Swim in theheated pool, walk the stunning countryside, or justslump in the sitting room with its French windowsopen to the scented garden.

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Theresa started taking gardening seriously years ago,when she and Jim moved into their home on theirOxfordshire farm. It all began with a rockery and isnow a maturing multi-dimensional plant paradise.What was once sheep pasture is now one-and-a-halfacres of superbly planted, well-designed areas thatrange from the formal to the wonderfully wild.Theresa has created rockeries, scree beds anddramatic borders as well as a restful waterfall and alake. The garden is divided into a series of well-defined areas, each with a mood of its own and withwitty decorations including an old telephone kioskand street lamp. You’ll find a rose-smothered pergola,

an ornamental grass border, specimen trees, andgloriously manicured lawns. Theresa is a self-confessed plantaholic and avidly collects newtreasures – no wonder the garden has been featuredin the Sunday Telegraph and on Gardener’s World!‘Albertine’ roses wind through apple trees, a vigorous‘American Pillar’ decorates an arch. Best of all is thelake, with its walk and fringes of water iris, matureshrubs and water-loving plants; home to ducks andmoorhen. Visiting geese and kites, together with ahost of native birds, are a pleasure to watch from thelawn or a scented, tucked away corner of the garden.A gem. RHS.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 single.Self-catered lodge for 2.

• Price: £75-£100. Singles £60.• Meals: Pubs/restaurants 600 yards.• Travel Club offer: 20% off stays of3 or more nights.


On your doorstep• The Chilterns: lambing in April &bluebell woods in May

• Waterperry Gardens: acres ofcolour begin yearly with thesequenced spring bulbs; a joyousvariety of plants & growingmethods on show

Top tipBuy your wisteria in bloom so youcan be sure it will flower

Theresa & Jim ClarkTown Farm Cottage, Brook Street,Kingston Blount OX39 4RZ


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Oxfordshire

Town FarmCottage

Secrets, sounds & scents –you must walk round morethan once!

A dream setting – and a picture-perfect farmhouse,built along traditional lines beside the lakes and onthe edge of acres of farmland. The guest drawingroom is large and light with a door to the garden forsunny evenings. Bedrooms have garden views,Victorian brass beds, pretty cushions and freshflowers; even a little decanter of sherry and a fridgeoutside for your own wine. Wake up to the smell offreshly baked bread – part of Jim’s heartybreakfasts. Independence lovers will prefer the newgarden lodge with its own little kitchen andveranda. Minimum two nights.

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A former rickyard for the farm has been worked intoa pretty English garden around the farmhouse. OldYork stones with curved raised beds form grand stepsup to the lawn; apple trees pop up through hedges;honeysuckle, clematis and jasmine climb throughthem. There’s a relaxed feel to all the planting and nostrict colour schemes which the third generation andtheir young family want to maintain, but plans areafoot to develop more design–led areas withoutdisturbing the fluent and charming rhythm thatflows from the garden to the countryside. Perfectlyclipped hedges, neat lawns and careful plantingaround arches and pergolas show a more restrained

side to the garden but somehow it all looks effortlessanyway. Ancient barns have been used as scaffoldingfor the old roses and hops which give colour ondifferent levels, and there are plenty of quiet spots tosit and enjoy it. A circular stone seat hides behind awall at the end of the barns where Didi and Williamare gradually adding roses, transferring plants fromtheir garden in Cornwall and creating a cut flowerbed. Bantams and ducks roam here; lamb, pigs andcattle are reared too: always available for yourfreezer. This is a garden to come back and visit timeand again.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin/double.• Price: £85-£95. Singles from £60.• Meals: Pubs 1-1.5 miles.• Travel Club offer: Local andhomemade food/produce in yourroom.

On your doorstep• Armscote Manor: high spots are thefiery red borders & the serene silvergarden; one of several nearby openfor NGS

• Hidcote: often mentioned insummer, but as exceptional in spring

Top tipCopper tape under the rim of ahosta pot & pebbles on the soilguarantee no slugs

William & Didi Vernon MillerBlackwell Grange,Blackwell,Shipston-on-Stour CV36 4PF


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147

Warwickshire

Blackwell Grange

A combination of Cotswold countrycharm & old-fashioned scents

Thatch barns and stables dated 1604, and wonderfullycreative touches at a Cotswold farmhouse revived bya talented third generation. Didi, interior designer, hasintroduced patterned silks and restored antiques tocreaking floorboards and flagstones; elegantbedrooms have dressing gowns, fine linen, indulgenttreats. You breakfast on home-produced eggs andsausages, and fruits from the grandparents’ orchard.Pictures of the family’s racehorses dot the sittingroom, while views from mullioned windows reachover the gardens to pedigree livestock. Ideal fortheatre lovers and walkers.

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All garden lovers, but rosarians in particular, willadore the garden Jane and William have created overthe years. With a background of high mature treesand a sloping site, they have built a series of loosely,rather than formally, linked areas, adding beech andyew hedges vigorously and sympathetically to makea garden that sits well with their lovely old home. Oldroses rule above all, climbing up walls, rambling overpergolas and arches, softening hard corners and, in afinal flourish, scenting and colouring a rose avenue.There is a blend of the stiffer hybrid teas, which Janeinherited and can’t find the heart to remove, and ariot of treasures from sources including Peter Beales.

Jane is sending vigorous climbers like ‘Kiftsgate’rocketing up the trees in the orchard – a gorgeoussight – but there is much, much more: cleverlyplanted borders, a delicious herb garden where sage,fennel, thyme and others rub shoulders, delightfulcolour-theming in flower beds bursting with goodplants and so many details as well as a gloriousoverall feel to enjoy. William has strong ideas aboutdesign, Jane has strong ideas about plants andplanting. Between them, they have made the verybest of the lay of their three acres and their love ofplants and garden design is infectious.

• Rooms: 1 double. Wing: 1 twin,1 single.

• Price: From £85. Singles from £50.• Meals: Restaurants nearby.

On your doorstep• Kiftsgate: generations of womengardeners have nurtured the snowy50ft-high rambler, ‘Kiftsgate Rose’

• Upton House: the NationalCollection of Asters, in full bloom inSept

Top tipFor a drift of daffodils, fling ahandful of bulbs over grass & plantthem where they fall & roll

Jane PuseyThe Old Manor House,Halford, Shipston-on-Stour CV36 5BT


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149

Warwickshire

The Old ManorHouse

Series of small garden rooms,spilling over with loveliness& roses

There is a timelessness about this elegant, very oldvillage house, which Jane runs with energy andfriendliness. A pretty blue twin bedroom and asingle room are in the wing with its own large,elegant drawing and dining room – it’s seductivelyeasy to relax and perfect for families or friends.The A-shaped double, with ancient beams and oakfurniture, is in the main part of the house, with alovely bathroom and sharing the drawing and diningrooms. Wander down the garden to the gentle Stour,join a special walk from the village or hole up at thepub. Lovely.

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An enchanting garden that flows from one space toanother, studded with rare and interesting plants. It isalso divided by a wing of the house, so you passunder an open-sided brick and timber barn (awonderful seated area for lazy summer days) to crossfrom one side to the other. The garden has maturedwell thanks to a packed planting of roses, shrubs andherbaceous perennials: Jane has an artist’s eye.Beautiful arrangements of plants in pots and asquare, formal pond reveal her talent. Clever curvylawns, as smooth as bowling greens, dotted withisland beds, give the illusion of space. There is alwaysanother corner to peek around and plenty of height:

a pretty gazebo covered in wisteria, weathered deer-fencing screens, a large pergola the length of onewall. There are natural old log sculptures for fun andurns of floaty pink geum; leggy metal seedpods adda contemporary touch. A garden for all seasons, withtulips in spring (heaps of them), peonies, pinks andpenstemon in summer, chrysanthemums and astersin autumn. Richard is MD of Hillers, a mile down theroad – an award-winning fruit farm, café, shop anddisplay garden from which you can buy all theinspiration you need to take home. RHS, occasionalopen garden.

• Rooms: 2 twins/doubles.• Price: £90. Singles £55.• Meals: Dinner £25.Restaurant 2.5 miles.


On your doorstep• Hidcote: one of England’s finest,dating from 1907; the Pillar Gardenis dominated by yews in parallelpaths, the Red Borders perform inthe hot months, formal hedgedrooms are stuffed with peonies,roses, alliums...

Top tipUse a good cylinder mower & mowas often as possible

Jane & Richard BeachSalford Farm House,Salford Priors,Evesham WR11 8XN


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151

Warwickshire

Salford FarmHouse

Delicious borders, and old roses &clematis on weathered oak support

Beautiful within, handsome without. Subtle colours,oak beams and lovely old pieces: Jane has achieveda seductive combination of comfort and style.A flagstoned hallway and an old rocking horse,ticking clocks, beeswax and fresh flowers speak of amuch-loved house. Jane was a ballet teacher,Richard has green fingers. Dinners are superb: meatand game from the Ragley Estate, delicious fruits inseason. Bedrooms have a soft, warm elegance andflat-screen TVs, bathrooms are spotless andwelcoming, views are to garden or fields. Whollydelightful – worth a serious detour.

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Weeping pear, rowan and tulip trees dot the mainlawn, buzzards float overhead and owls and batsroost in the barn. This big, secluded, hillside garden,with wonderful views to the Black Mountains,was virtually a field when Amanda and Hexie arrived30 years ago. It was they who planted the avenueof maturing poplars curving up to the house.A flagstone path leads you through a knot garden tothe door, overhung by a vine which has been theresince the 1920s. Roses, wisteria, quince andhydrangea scramble haphazardly up the walls andeverywhere there are things to engage the eye. At thecentre of a terraced lawn stands a stone cider press

brimming with plants; next door is a box-hedgedrose garden. More roses, lavender and sweet peasscent a square, pretty garden in front of the stonesummer house, where swallows nest. The old stablesprovide a good backdrop to a bright border and apleached lime hedge screens a productive vegetablepatch. Old cider orchards and a bluebell wood are fineplaces to explore, a pergola festooned with vines andclematis provides dappled shade – just the place tosit with a drink.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 twin.• Price: From £90. Singles from £55.• Meals: Dinner from £27.50.Supper from £20. Pub in village.

On your doorstep• Brecon Beacons: undulatingnational park full of year-roundoutdoor appeal

• The Weir: a riot of spring bulbs,summer wild flowers & autumncolour along the banks of the Wye

Top tipWhip climbers into shape withregular pruning & tie back twicea year

Hexie & Amanda MillaisDippersmoor Manor,Kilpeck HR2 9DW


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153

Herefordshire

DippersmoorManor

Lovingly tended hillside garden withviews to the Black Mountains

Dating in parts back to the 12th century, the redsandstone house is flanked by a magnificent brickand timber long barn. The bedrooms are traditional,airy and spacious with crisp white linen and viewsto woodland and pasture towards the south, andmountains to the west. Breakfast is in the diningroom, where the fireplace was once used for curingbacon, or under the pergola; on warm evenings,dinners of local produce and home-grownvegetables can be enjoyed under the vine incandlelit privacy. Excellent walking from the house,or just a stroll to the village. Very peaceful.

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Jenny loves her gorgeous garden: three secludedacres at the foot of the Black Mountains. She andChrix spent months hacking through theundergrowth to uncover lost paths and plants; nowthe sloping wilderness of long grasses and bramblesis unrecognisable. Mature trees – conifers, oak, ashand acacias – provide the backdrop to well-tendedlawns and large beds filled to bursting with a varietyof plants of many colours. There’s a pond, home tonewts and frogs, where irises and king cups flourish,a lovingly tended croquet lawn and a summer housethat rotates on the upper terrace. The old rectory hassome well-pruned roses scrambling up it, and great

views of the surrounding countryside from thatterrace giving a wonderful feeling of space – in spiteof the tall trees. Plenty of evergreens give joy inwinter, with roses like ‘Kiftsgate’ clambering up them,creating quite a display in spring and summer. Hugeswathes of lawn are left unmown to protect springbulbs like daffodils, jonquils and fritillaries.Intentionally leaving some areas untouched hasearned the Juckes a wildlife award from theHerefordshire Nature Trust. This garden reflects thecharacter of its owners: relaxed, informal, thoroughlyengaging.

• Rooms: 1 double, 2 twins/doubles.• Price: From £65. Singles from £45.• Meals: Pubs in village.

On your doorstep• Abbey Dore Court Gardens: a plant-lovers’ garden with captivatingherbaceous borders & an arboretum

• Kentchurch Court: lovely walledvegetable garden with delicatepergola

Top tipSupport floppy perennials bygrowing plants through a ball ofchicken wire

Jenny JuckesThe Old Rectory,Ewyas Harold HR2 0TX


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155

Herefordshire

The Old Rectory

Riotous flowers, magnificenttrees, croquet & clucking hens:a perfect English garden

A Georgian rectory in the ‘golden valley’ whereWales and England converge – bliss for walkers.Inside, a comfortable, unpretentious home: familyportraits, stuffed birds and Milly the waggy spaniel.Bedrooms are large, airy and filled with goodfurniture, books, and big windows for garden views;up by the home-grown vegetables find the BlackRock hens who lay breakfast’s eggs. There’s anelegant drawing room with a grand piano, a diningroom with a long table and French windows thatopen onto the garden. Chrix and Jenny aredelightful people and the pub is a stroll.

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Photographs©Mon

Darnbrough

Enthusiastic, energetic Pru and Keith are passionateabout these gardens that sweep down to the Wye,and have won Green Tourism and Wildlife Actionawards for their work. Together with designer PeterAntonius, they are continuing to expand and developthe graceful tree-filled terraces, laid out in the 1880sto make the most of the views. Open to the public(hence the car park at the front and the green signs),this spectacular waterside setting has plenty toexplore and places in which to sit and muse. Close tothe house the grounds are formal: a south-facinglawn, a lily pond surrounded by acers and aLutyens-inspired pool with parterre, all overlooking

more lawns, and copper beeches, lavender, climbingroses and clipped hornbeam hedges. Rose beds,magnolias, asters and dahlias zing with colouraround a pretty pergola and a dramatic Bodminstanding stone. The grounds were once part of a largekitchen garden and vegetables flourish in the originalVictorian greenhouses. At the outer reaches, formalgardens give way to the wild, with a natural pond, amature orchard and a fern garden. The river viewstake in the church, the ice house and the rectory onthe opposite bank where Kilvert lived and is buried.Wildlife thrives on the riverbank: kingfishers arecommon and you may even spot an otter. NGS, RHS.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin/double,1 twin.

• Price: From £65. Singles from £50.• Meals: Pub 3 miles.• Travel Club offer: One voucher perroom to a designated garden within20 miles of Brobury. Valid for 5 days.Regular change of garden.

• Ethical Collection: Environment;Food. See page 10.

On your doorstep• Hergest Croft Gardens: nurtured byfour generations with stunningBlack Mountain views; magnolias inspring, azaleas & giantrhododendrons in summer, blazingmaples & birches in autumn

Top tipTo squirrel-proof bulbs in lawns,use a metal stake to make extradeep holes

Pru CartwrightBrobury House,Brobury,Bredwardine HR3 6BS


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157

Herefordshire

Brobury House

Splendidly restored Victorianriverside gardens with fine views

Here are emerald-green riverbanks, a hugehandsome house dominated by a wisteria-cloakedfolly and an ancient mulberry on the lawn. Super bigbedrooms with traditional wallpapers, polishedfurniture and carpeted floors have country orgarden views – and it’s a short dash to the twins’smart shower rooms. After a perfect night’s sleep,tuck into locally sourced organic breakfasts on theterrace or in the conservatory – light and lovely,with comfortable seating. Conveniently close tobookish, eccentric Hay-on-Wye, and the ‘black andwhite’ village of Weobley.

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Anne and Peter have clearly poured love, thought andpassion into their patch of nearly an acre withstunning views across Herefordshire. In seven yearsthey have transformed an overgrown, concrete-infested wilderness into four delightful areas.Between the house and the forge is the suburbangarden with its neatly clipped lawn and floweringshrubs in a wide border; a Magnolia stellata in a halfbarrel is stunning in April and there’s a glorious deepred smoke bush. New paths from here take you to abrick-paved, raised patio area, perfect for a drink orbreakfast – views are through forsythia, clematis,jasmine and honeysuckle to the pretty cottage garden

with its old-fashioned roses, arch rails, grass pathsand peaceful pond bustling with dragonflies. In theevening, the lower lawn is the place to be for stunningsunsets among the plum and damson trees; romanticscan swing gently in a cushioned seat and watch theclear night sky... you may hear a barn owl too. Anabundant kitchen garden area, with greenhouse, alsomakes a home for the chickens named aftergrandchildren! Work is divided pretty equally: Peter incharge of vegetables, lawns and hedges, Anne incharge of the plants and borders that she adores to fillwith colour and scent. A delightful garden which youare free to explore at your own pace.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin.• Price: From £65.• Meals: Pub/restaurant 2 miles.• Travel Club offer: Pick-up from localtrain station. Cuttings upon request.

On your doorstep• Hellens Manor: ancient Hallwoodfull of anenomes, daffs & bluebellsin spring; knot gardens, labyrinth &1710 avenue of Hellens Early pears

• Berrington Hall: ‘Capability’ Browngrounds with views

Top tipFor perfect petals, be careful not towet the flowers when wateringgeraniums

Anne & Peter HaywoodWeobley Cross Cottage,South End Lane, Mathon,Malvern WR13 5PB

01684 541488anne@hanleyinteriors.co.ukwww.bedandbreakfastmalvernhills.co.uk

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159

Worcestershire

Weobley CrossCottage

English cottage garden withstunning rural views

Come for the wonderful Malvern hills, pasture landdotted with cows and sheep and a pretty Victoriancottage with a neat extension. Inside, tea andbiscuits, immaculate bedrooms with floral curtainsand old pine, and compact sparkling shower rooms.All is incredibly tickety-boo thanks to Peter’sbuilding skills and Anne’s talent for co-ordinatingcolours. You breakfast in the conservatoryoverlooking the garden on local sausages andorganic eggs from their chickens; walk it off instunning countryside, or head for Malvern with itsspring flower show and nearby good nurseries.

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Sarah calls this “a nice country garden in a verypeaceful valley” but she is too modest. She andWilliam, both keen on natural planting, moved herein 2003 to tackle nine neglected acres; their only rulewas that the garden remain in keeping with the land.Around the main house is a cottage garden thatfroths with blowsy roses, verbascums, alchemilla,peonies, poppies and potentilla; a wisteria-coveredpergola is underplanted with tulips and nepeta. Toeither side are a lavender-edged lawn, and a tidy areaof weeping crab apples in gravel quarters withWilliam’s alpines underneath; a circular middle bedhouses a weeping white rose hugged by chives and

alliums. An old tin barn was hauled down to makeroom for the vegetable garden with its fecundpotager: soft fruit, flowers and vegetables rubshoulders happily with forget-me-nots, nigella andfoxgloves. Wiggly paths take you to woodland withmature trees, a babbling brook and an old orchard.There’s no frantic obsession about weeds and nothingsits uncomfortably in its surroundings – if you haveread Mirabel Osler’s A Gentle Plea for Chaos you willlove it here. NGS.

• Rooms: 2 doubles.• Price: From £80. Singles £65.• Meals: Supper, ploughman’s platter,£35 for 2. Pub/restaurant 2 miles.

• Travel Club offer: Late checkout(12pm). Free pick-up from localbus/train station.

• Ethical Collection: Environment.See page 10.

On your doorstep• Stockton Bury Gardens: perfectfrom April to Sept, wheelchairaccessible & lovely lunches too

• Burford House: 400 varieties ofclematis, Georgian turfed bridge &irresistible garden shop

Top tipDraw up a proper planting planbefore you begin – we didn’t!

Sarah & William WintBrook Farm,Berrington,Tenbury Wells WR15 8TJ


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161

Worcestershire

Brook Farm

“A fairly chaotic country garden” –several fecund acres in a valley

A wonderful lost-in-the-country feel here with dogsbounding to greet you, a family of cats loungingaround and donkeys looking on. The farmhouse issurprisingly large: you get one end, Sarah andWilliam the other, so there’s a private feel. Bigarmchairs and sofas are made for sprawling, awood-burner keeps you shiver-free and there aremasses of lovely books; you can have a ploughman’ssupper here if you don’t want to budge. Sleepsoundly in a charming bedroom with fresh flowers,wake (with tea in bed if you like) to scrambled eggsand delicious smoked trout. A treat.

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Photographs©JuliaStanley

The Colly Brook bisects the property, tumbling some350 yards through the south-facing garden createdover ten years by Elizabeth and David – very special.Five bridges now connect the parts of the garden toone another; to the west is a vegetable patch, someherbaceous borders, a willow tunnel and a hazelcoppice; to the east are the cottage, more borders,the orchard, the reflective garden and a duck housefor the Indian Runner ducks who keep the slugs atbay. Further upstream is the goose field withbeehives, geese, chickens and a wildflower meadowwhich bursts with orchids in June. Beyond this is thewood where there is an observation hide for

watching the badgers: a rare treat! A wetlandmeadow has a pond which is home to moorhens,minnows and dragonflies; hundreds of hedgingtrees have been planted to create a windbreak.Because Elizabeth keeps bees, most of the plantsare old cottage-type nectar or pollen producers;colour-themed beds include one devoted to hotyellows, reds and purples, another to blues, pinks andwhites. You are welcome to stay all day in thisparadise if you like – have a picnic just outside yourroom, then badger-watch in the evening. It is agorgeous, peaceful spot. Open garden for local charity.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin/double.• Price: £70-£80.• Meals: Pub 2 miles.• Travel Club offer: 10% off staysSunday-Thursday.


On your doorstep• Whitton Churchyard: wild daffodilsin March – idyllic

• Stockton Bury Gardens: workingfarm & sheltered four-acre gardenmidst medieval buildings; nochildren/dogs; restaurant in thetithe barn

Top tipAvoid slug pellets – keep IndianRunner ducks instead!

Elizabeth & David HatchellThe Croft Cottage B&B,Cumberley Lane, Knowbury,Ludlow SY8 3LJ


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163

Shropshire

The Croft Cottage

Wildlife-friendly cottage garden ina five-acre smallholding

Drop from the heights of Clee Hill down narrowinglanes and a secluded valley to find this old estateworker’s cottage beside a stream; its new extensionis where you will stay: total independence. TheHatchells treat you to eggs from the ducks andhens, homemade marmalade and honey from thebees, as you watch the ducks through the diningroom window. Bedrooms are clean, pine-bedded,old-fashioned – not for style fanatics – with comfychairs; one opens to the garden. Cats and dogs doze,badgers visit, the peace is a balm. Min. two nights.Dogs welcome to sleep in lobby.

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Ferocious fecundity – as if the entire two-acre gardenhad been magically manured and then left to marinate.John’s mother is a great gardener (if you want anothertreat ask to see her next-door paradise) and she laidout the structure. John and Hildegard have workedhard to bring it into line and the results aremagnificent. Dividing the garden into sections thedrive up to the house is heaving with huge euphorbiasin raised aubretia-clad stone beds, there are thousandsof bulbs, an iris bed, large shrubs planted through withramblers and lovely giant yew balls for structure. Thefront garden is enclosed with a lawn (croquet insummer) and a huge late-flowering magnolia leans

against the almost green house; the back section isall mixed borders with a walled garden by anold swimming pool where sun-lovers are planted.A vegetable, fruit and herb garden provides goodies forthe kitchen. There are many rare shrubs and trees, anda wood for each of their three children. Scent isimportant, especially near the terrace – a wonderfulspot for alfresco meals or simply sitting. The gardengently peters out with no boundary to open fields anda lake where ducks, geese, curlews and other waterbirds flap happily – go quietly and you will hear thatlark rising. Hildegard says “you can’t force nature” butshe has done a jolly good persuading job.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin/double,1 family room.

• Price: £80. Singles £50.• Meals: Pub 3 miles.

On your doorstep• The Dower House Garden, MorvilleHall: highlights in every season,from June’s roses to Sept’smichaelmas daisies

• Long Mynd: heather moorlandviews, great for a hike

Top tipAvoid disturbing the soil too much,or unearthed seeds will germinateinto weeds

John & Hildegard OwenActon Pigot,Acton Burnell, Shrewsbury SY5 7PH


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165

Shropshire

Acton Pigot

Two acres of shrubs, lawns &trees underplanted with bulbs& perennials

From the double room with its hand-printedwallpaper and oak chests you look to Acton Burnellhill; England’s first parliament was held here. Theyellow room has views of lake, garden and Welshhills; sunsets can be spectacular. Wooden doors,floors, carved settle and chests sit well with elegantfurniture, fine prints and photographs. Happy intheir role of hosts, the Owens spoil you withafternoon tea (most of it homemade) before a logfire. Parts of the house were built in 1660; the siteis mentioned in the Domesday book. A restorativeplace run by lovely people.

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A well-established garden – about one-and-a-halfacres – of lawns, woodland, shrubbery, flower beds,pond and wildlife area, linked by lots of grassedpaths. From your terrace you can walk past the herbgarden; backed by a fence made of coloured poles,with sculptural spirals dotted through its beds, this isa quirky delight. Round the house you then come toa terrace with tables and chairs leading onto smoothlawns enclosed by trees, some rare (a tulip tree, aweeping ash), and deep beds packed with colour.There’s a serene pond, a homemade Stonehenge, anorchard brimming with apple trees, living willowstructures, a secluded arbour and an arch into a very

special circle of grass surrounded by shrubs and witha flower bed at its centre. Everything within the circleis painted blue: the sculpture, the rose pyramids andthe bench. There are two woodland areas, one in themain garden underplanted with spring bulbs andshade-tolerant perennials, the other recently plantedas native Shropshire broadleaf woodland. The peaceis broken only by birdsong and there are plenty ofplaces to sit and ponder, but you are not alone; Clive’ssculptures – some up to 15 feet tall – lurk roundcorners and peek from bushes. Lovely. Open forBorderlands Visual Arts Open Studios.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin/double.• Price: £79-£90. Singles £59-£70.• Meals: Pubs/restaurants nearby.

On your doorstep• Chirk Castle: 18th-century park &19th-century garden with clippedyews, big borders and, in Feb,carpets of snowdrops

• Shrewsbury Flower Show, mid-Aug:est. 1875!

Top tipFeed the birds in winter & theywill stay to eat your garden pestsin summer

Clive & Jo WilsonYew Tree House,Lower Frankton,Oswestry SY11 4PB


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167

Shropshire

Yew Tree House

One-and-a-half acres of tranquillity& mystery – and Clive’s fascinatingsculptures

A dreamy rurality in this much untrumpeted county,where the Montgomery canal makes its lazy wayto Frankton Locks. One of Clive’s huge sculpturesgreets you as you drive in to your neat,self-contained room with outside seating. Thesetwo contemporary, almost hotel-like spaces sportfurniture of a highly functional modern design.Art peppers the walls, floors are bamboo withmodern rugs, beds are hugely comfortable,bathrooms small and bang up to date. You eat well:breakfast on local dry-cure bacon or ‘savoury duck’(contains no duck!). Clive and Jo are warm,easy-going souls.

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When the house was rebuilt in 1708 the garden wasdevised. The house sits on a north-facing slope andthe three-acre garden runs out on the south side intoa series of five terraces, each one topped by neatlyclipped yews. Chris inherited the house, then set toexpand and improve the garden into a place ofexploration, rest and relaxation; many seats aredotted here and there for lovely views over theWeaver hills. There is humour and quirk too: anextensive perennial border sports a huge stone tablewhich was once part of the entrance to Lancaster’smunicipal baths, and an old goods railway carriage isnow a garden summerhouse. Yew trees, hedge walls

and terraces mean that you have to wander to seethe full value of the garden, and guests areencouraged to stay as long as they want. Plantingincludes lots of evergreens with splashes of summercolour, and the odd pretty weed – Chris will brook nospraying at all. This means the wildlife is abundant,from birds and butterflies to hedgehogs and squirrels.The old cow lane is now a mown path, and remainsof old farm buildings have been left covered with ivyand with statues placed among them. A lovely,interesting garden filled with fun, and very peacefulto sit in.

• Rooms: 4 doubles.• Price: £58-£75. Singles £38-£48.• Meals: Pub/restaurant 1.5 miles.• Travel Club offer: 10% off room rateMon-Thurs.


On your doorstep• Consall Hall Gardens: 70 acres oflandscaped idyll; lakes, follies &bridges blend with conservationefforts to create a garden thatchanges beautifully with the seasons

• Hopton Hall: snowdrops & aconitesin Feb

Top tipDon’t be too eager to pull outpretty flowering weeds

Chris & Margaret BallManor House, Prestwood,Denstone, Uttoxeter ST14 5DD


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169

Staffordshire

Manor House

A garden for exploring but fullof places to relax

A working rare-breed farm in an area of greatbeauty, a Jacobean farmhouse with oodles ofhistory. Behind mullioned windows is an interiorcrammed with curios and family pieces, panelledwalls and wonky floors... hurl a log on the fire andwatch it roar. Rooms with views have four-posters;one bathroom flaunts rich red antique fabrics.Chris and Margaret serve perfect breakfasts(home-grown tomatoes, sausages and bacon fromtheir outdoor-reared pigs, eggs from their hens) andgive you the run of the garden with tennis andcroquet. There are two springer spaniels and onepurring cat. Heaven.

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There wasn’t a plant in the garden when Jill moved in– just a large expanse of lawn, some ugly conifersand, luckily, an ancient yew tree. Whoosh forward acouple of decades to find a beautiful, naturalisticEnglish country garden surrounding the house onthree sides and packed with roses, each chosen for itsindividual beauty and fragrance by garden designerJill. The largest part of the garden is to the side of thehouse: find a wisteria-covered pergola, a lavenderwalk, semi-circular herbaceous beds, wildflowers, apond, sculptures, and a dazzling display of old andEnglish roses. Dotted about are tables and chairs withpretty floral cushions; keep following the sun around

and you’ll find serene corners to read in, or just sky towatch. Potter over to the vegetable garden with itslow picket fence, gravelled path, rose-covered arbourand abundant soft fruits and salads. Jill’s passion fornature means her roses are grown without chemicals,and her love of birds is evident: there are goldfinches,greenfinches, long-tailed tits and woodpeckers.At the front of the house are four beautiful pinkornamental cherries; at dusk you can watchthe colony of bats show off their acrobatic skills.A delight all round. NGS, RHS.

• Rooms: 1 double.• Price: £95. Singles £70.• Meals: Pubs/restaurants 5-minutewalk.

• Travel Club offer: Bottle ofchampagne for bookings of 2 nightsor more. Late checkout (12pm).

On your doorstep• Coton Manor: magical five-acrebluebell wood, & a colourfulwildflower meadow at its bestJune/July

• Kelmarsh Hall: joyful summerborders, & snowdrops in Feb

Top tipPlant native flowers in your bordersto encourage bees & butterflies

Jill MackenzieBents Farmhouse,Church Drive,Gilmorton LE17 5PF

01455 558566fourseasons@harborough.uk.comwww.fourseasonsgardendesign.com

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Leicestershire

Bents Farmhouse

An English country garden sweetwith flowers & peaceful corners

You’re looked after impeccably here: Jill gives youbreakfasts of local sausages and bacon, smokedsalmon and scrambled eggs, pancakes if you’d lovethem, all served when you like and in the garden insummer. At tea time there are homemade cakes andbiscuits, so it’s just as well you have your ownsitting room with open fire to snooze in. Yourbedroom is large, light, romantic and elegant with abalcony overlooking the garden; the bathroom isjust along (your own) corridor and has a claw-footbath. There are good pubs within strolling distanceand lovely walks. Peaceful.

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When Colin and Vicky arrived here 39 years ago, thehalf-acre garden was a random forest of native trees.Drastic culling helped to give much-neededstructure: they left a few indigenous trees andplanted ornamental species (Indian bean tree,liquidambar, ponderosa pine, black walnut). Then theyset about creating three separate areas. The result isa meandering, engaging garden, completelysurrounded by high walls or impenetrable hedge,which is stunning in spring, summer and autumn.Shrubs – philadelphus, weigelia, deutzia – masstogether and deep borders glow with rare Frenchirises, day lilies, penstemon or superb hellebores.

The collection of unusual plants is growing all thetime. Beside the new extension is a terrace whichdrops away to three walled areas with more beds anda weeping pear tree. Emma, Vicky’s mother, came tolive with them some years ago and is obviously apresiding genius. Her pride and joy is the Victoriangreenhouse, where she cherishes rare scentedgeraniums, jasmines and orchids. She is alwayschanging, moving and finding better and moreinteresting species. All three share and love thisgarden, so it’s a real pleasure to visit. RHS.

• Rooms: 2 twins/doubles.• Price: £60. Singles £35.• Meals: Pubs/restaurants 10-minutewalk.

• Travel Club offer: Garden tour forplant lovers. Advice on propagation,growing, pruning. Seedlings whenavailable.

On your doorstep• Cottesbrook Hall: outstandinggardens & the famous Plant FindersFair in June

• Coton Manor: English countrygarden with wonderful Rose Bank& a nursery that promotes naturalpredators & nematodes

Top tipNo two gardens are the same & allrequire individual care

C B MynottWestfield,36 Main Road,Crick,Northampton NN6 7TX


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173

Northamptonshire

Westfield

An enclosed half-acre packedwith 1,500 plant species, shrubsand trees

The surprises come thick and fast. First, after anunexceptional approach, the charm of the village.Then, behind a modern entrance, a rambling periodhouse, once two cottages. One, 18th-century andstone, has flagstone floors and its original pump;the other, Victorian and brick, has been joined to anoutbuilding by an extension so that its Aga-warmedkitchen and living area seem almost part of thegarden. Bedrooms are traditional, comfortable andhave tea trays with bone china. Be welcomed bywonderful, down-to-earth people – this is adelightful place to stay and great value.

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The winding drive is engulfed by mature limes,cedars, beeches and oak. Owner Tim, who taughthimself tree surgery, has added cork oaks, holm oaks,a strawberry tree and Pinus pinea among others.He and Stefa inherited the garden in 1979 and it isnow idyllic, with a fine south-facing terraceoverlooking a formal parterre and spectacular viewsof Rutland Water beyond. A host of snowdrops,aconites and tulips (Tim dislikes daffodils) herald thespring, followed by flowering shrubs, roses andfoliage plants, interspersed with crisply clipped yew,box and evergreen oaks for architectural interest inwinter. To the left of the hall is a steeply banked

garden surrounding the Pavilion Room, mainly laid tolawns that lead through fields towards the lake;behind a high hedge is a croquet lawn. Anyone fortennis? Dive down the stunning wisteria walk for aset or two, then admire the fecund fruit andvegetable garden with its neat raised beds, fruit cagesand beautiful Victorian greenhouses; all is destinedfor the table. Ruminate on one of the many stone andwooden benches tucked into the trees and shrubbery,or float in the outdoor heated pool. Gorgeous.

• Rooms: 16 twins/doubles.Pavilion: 1 suite for 4.

• Price: £225-£390. Singles £190.Pavilion £525-£625.

• Meals: Continental b’fast included;full English £17. Lunch from £22.Dinner £38-£70.

• Travel Club offer: Bottle ofchampagne for bookings of 2 nightsor more. Late checkout (12pm).

On your doorstep• Barnsdale Gardens: originally thework of Geoff Hamilton, acollection of 38 individuallydesigned & meticulously labelledplots, an inspiration for smallgardens

Top tipViews should tease: never reveal allat the beginning of the show!

Tim & Stefa HartHambleton Hall Hotel,Ketton Road, Hambleton,Oakham LE15 8TH


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Rutland

Hambleton HallHotel

Lovely south-facing terracedgardens with spectacularlake views

A sublime country house, one of the loveliest inEngland, on a tiny peninsular jutting into RutlandWater. Sail, cycle or walk around it, then return tosquishy sofas by the fire in the panelled hall, apillared bar in red for cocktails, and French windowsopening to delightful gardens. The bedrooms are thevery best – hand-stitched Italian linen, mirroredarmoires, marble bathrooms and faultless fabrics. TheCroquet Pavilion, a deeply comfortable two-bedroomsuite, has its own terrace. Polish the day offwith incredible food: there’s a Michelin star in thedining room.

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When Sue arrived in 1999 she kept only a few goodshrubs and mature trees; the rest she bulldozed. NowFrench windows and doors lead directly onto thegenerous flagged terrace with its young box-edgedparterre filled with herbs. Clumps of lavender,rosemary and sage give a Mediterranean feel andscent the house but it is also a lovely place to sit andadmire the rest – in particular, the wide bed ofsummer-flowering perennials: sweet-scented whitephlox, elegant perovskia with its lavender blue spikesand grey foliage, and dramatic acanthus. From herethe lawn runs to the southern boundary, while acurving herbaceous border softens the eastern

boundary and leads to a small area of youngornamental trees. The western beds reveal tulip andwalnut trees interspersed with shrubs and grasses.This is a young garden but it’s charming and wellplanted with good lawns and unexpected surprisesthat invite inspection... there are interesting smalltrees and flowering shrubs that include grey-leafedcistus, santolina and rue. In summer, colours are pink,white and blue. Belvoir Castle is worth visiting – asare the magnificent cathedrals of Lincoln andPeterborough.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 single.• Price: £75. Singles from £45.• Meals: Dinner, by arrangement, £25.Packed lunch £7.50.Pub/restaurant 3-minute walk.

On your doorstep• Belton House: lakeside walks (BBC’s

Pride & Prejudice) are a pleasure forwould-be Elizabeth Bennets

• Easton Walled Gardens: 12 acres of‘lost’ 400-year-old gardensundergoing revival

Top tipTo preserve roses, hold cut stemsover a candle for 10 seconds & putinto deep, cold water

Sue EvansKelling House, 17 West Street,Barkston, Grantham NG32 2NL


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Lincolnshire

Kelling House

Charming cottage garden fullof secret places & unexpectedsurprises

Dating from 1785, three old cottages are now along, low, rose-covered house of gentle rubblestone with a pantile roof, a pretty painted gateedged with lolling hollyhocks and a super garden.Well-proportioned rooms have good Englishfurniture, well-made thick curtains and interestingpaintings; the creamy sitting room overlooks thequiet street on one side and the garden on the other.Bedrooms are softly coloured with a pretty mix ofchecks, stripes and plain white cotton. Sue isdelightful and looks after you without fuss,breakfast will set you up for the day.

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Photographs©PaulSands

If I were a bird I would go and live in this garden. Justover an acre of delicious smelling flowers, shrubs andhedges (sea buckthorn because the thrushes like theberries). “Scent is the thing,” says Clare and even herfavourite daffodil, ‘Pheasant’s Eye’, smells lovely.Follow a formal gravel front bordered by lonicerahedges, under a solid pergola over which goldenhop and honeysuckle battle for the sky, to lawn andlarge borders full of sweet-smelling roses, elaeagnus,buddleia, sedum and a maturing pocket handkerchieftree – planted to commemorate an anniversary!A box parterre has been created in the vegetablegarden and beds are full, colourful and scented –

thousands of bulbs pop up in the spring. There’s avast cherry tree underplanted with more bulbs,periwinkles and holly, a peony bed interplanted withsweet-smelling viburnum, and then a lovelywhitebeam arch through which peeps a wildflowermeadow. Few large trees have been planted so viewsare un-hindered and an old pond is planted aroundwith native species only – for the wildlife, luckythings. A small quantity of interesting plants are forsale – propagated by Clare. Trustee of LincolnshireWildlife Trust; garden occasionally open for localcharities & events.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 twin.• Price: £62-£66. Singles from £35.• Meals: Pubs 1.5 miles.• Travel Club offer: Home-grownproduce, as in season and available.

• Use your Sawday’s Gift Card here.

On your doorstep• Hatton Meadows: glorious oldEnglish meadow – plus butterflies

• Goltho Gardens: decisive plantinggives strong colour, form & foliage;superb plants are propagated &sold onsite

Top tipDon’t let overgrown shrubs spoilthe view: start again with cuttingsor suckers

Clare HarrisonBaumber Park,Baumber, Horncastle LN9 5NE


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179

Lincolnshire

Baumber Park

Sensuous planting & unhinderedviews for peace & inspiration

Lincoln red cows and Longwool sheep surround thisattractive farmhouse. The old watering pond is nowa haven for frogs, newts and toads, birds sing lustily,Maran hens conjure delicious eggs and charmingClare, a botanist, is knowledgeable about the area.Bedrooms are large light and traditional withmahogany furniture; two have heart-stopping viewsover the garden to farmland. Guests have their ownentrance, sitting room with a log fire and diningroom with local books. Good walking, riding andcycling country, with quiet lanes. Min. two nights atweekends in high season.

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An imaginative, really special garden in which bothDavid and Glenys have worked very hard: theircurrent project is a Bible garden in which they haveplanted fig, star of Bethlehem, angel’s trumpets andsage among others. A gravel and boulder gardentucked around the front of the house has scentedplants for spring and autumn, two huge yews havebeen cut to tall stumps, then their later sproutingscoaxed and designed by David – one into a spiral, theother into a witty Rastafarian topknot. There’s awhite spring garden and a woodland walk alongserpentine brick paths with precisely coppiced hazels.A long grass walk up a slope takes you away from the

house and is edged with hornbeam – have a restat the top, a favourite quiet spot. There are over50 species of damask roses, paths throughbrick-raised beds of mixed planting and a centralcircle of five pillars around an Ali Baba urn. Thevegetable garden is fecund but neat, the sunkengarden and the terrace by the house have goodseating areas. David’s topiary is artistic and striking –so this is what retired surgeons do! Their use ofchemical help with all this? None. An organic gardenwhich attracts many birds (38 nests at the last count)and a centuries-old colony of bees. NGS, RHS. Openfor garden clubs & charities.

• Rooms: 2 doubles, 1 twin, 1 single.• Price: £70. Singles £50.• Meals: Pub 4-minute walk.• Travel Club offer: Free pick-up fromlocal bus/train station. 10% offroom rate Mon-Thurs.


On your doorstep• Sherwood Forest: stumble upon an800-year-old oak in the heart ofancient woodland, reputed hauntof Robin Hood

• Hollybeck Nurseries: high-qualityplants for sale – buy Lincolnshire-grown shrubs & David Austin roses

Top tipLeave seed heads on perennials forthe birds during winter

David HerbertAshdene,Halam,Southwell NG22 8AH


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Nottinghamshire

Ashdene

A family of ten gardens in one– with damask roses & touchesof humour

A mile west of bustling Southwell and its lovelyMinster, this big, light-filled family house datesfrom 1520. David and Glenys have packed it withwonderful paintings, samplers, embroidery, books onhistory and travel, old rugs and comfortablefurniture. Guests have their drawing room withopen fire, and you are spoiled at breakfast withhome-baked bread, eggs from their hens, deliciousjams. Bedrooms are gorgeous: pretty white bedlinen, spotless bathrooms with fluffy towels andrelaxing colours. Birdwatchers will be transfixed –but it’s a short walk to an excellent pub.

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Margaret and Robert are dedicated, skilful,knowledgeable gardeners and their talents areabundantly clear from the moment you arrive.Margaret is a true plantsman who knows and loves herplants; Robert is the garden architect. He has addeddelightful touches, including a pergola fashioned fromthe iron pipes of the old greenhouse heating system, abreeze house thatched in Yorkshire heather and fencesmade from holly poles. Exploring the garden isenormous fun – there are so many surprises. Thesloping site includes a woodland garden with gazebo,hot sun terrace, rockeries, pools, a fern area, a junglegarden, mixed borders and an exquisite ornamental

kitchen garden. The Fords are keen on evergreenshrubs and have an interest in euphorbias. They have aparticularly unusual collection of herbaceousperennials and are always on the lookout for freshtreasures to add to their collection. Quirky statuarypeeps out at you from unusual places and all aroundthe garden are strategically placed seats whereyou can soak up the varied displays. The overall themeis one of informality, with walls, terraces, paths andwell-planted troughs hidden from each other. Lovely inspring, gorgeous in the full flower of summer, andgood for autumn colour and winter interest, too. NGS.

• Rooms: 1 double, 1 twin,1 family room.

• Price: £70-£80. Singles from £50.• Meals: Pub/restaurant 1 mile.• Travel Club offer: 5% off stays of2 or more nights.

On your doorstep• Renishaw Hall: imaginativeplanting, both geometric &naturalistic

• Chatsworth House: rose, cottage &kitchen gardens, famous fountains& walks in 105 ever-changing acres

Top tipBe sure to research new plantsthoroughly before planting

Robert & Margaret FordHorsleygate Hall,Horsleygate Lane,Holmesfield S18 7WD

01142 890333

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183

Derbyshire

Horsleygate Hall

Inspiring garden with artisticsurprises & superb kitchen garden

The Fords have an eye for finding old treasures andrecycled items, and putting them in the perfectplace: this is more shabby than chic and all thebetter for it. Find worn kilims on stone flags, stripedand floral wallpapers, comfy sofas, underwhelmingbut spotless bathrooms and the integrity of thebuilding undisturbed: there’s a warm and timelessfeel. The setting is stunning – on a hillside withviews of moors, trees, fields and very little else. Foodis nearly all from the garden and homemade: bread,jam, fruit, veg and eggs from the hens. Children overfive welcome.

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A lovely, relaxed garden packed full of cottagefavourites and not at all in keeping with the suburbansurroundings. Sandra and Rick have lived herefor over 25 years and their organic garden hasevolved with them. From the house there is a largesouth-facing lawn overlooked by a veranda, avine-covered terrace and a raised terrace surroundedby bamboo and honeysuckle; enjoy an evening drinkor a cup of tea here – or choose one of the severalbenches dotted about the garden. There’s a pretty,box-edged parterre filled with salad and herbs, stepslead down to the wilder bottom garden with a pondand reclaimed greenhouse where Rick sows his seeds

for the following year; Sandra designs and does theweeding and harvesting – cut flowers for the houseand sweet peas every year. It is all highly productive;a small orchard area provides fruit for homemadejams, and the organic vegetable garden yieldsmuch for the table. Mature trees – copper beech,conifers and silver birch – are home to plenty of birdsand wildlife. It’s all so peaceful you would neverimagine Manchester was so close. RHS, occasionallyopen for charity.

• Rooms: 2 doubles.• Price: £80. Singles £65.• Meals: Restaurant 500 yards.• Travel Club offer: Glass ofchampagne on arrival.

On your doorstep• Hare Hill Gardens: charmingwooded & walled gardensurrounded by parkland, very finein early summer

• Peover Gardens: pleached limes,roses & a lily pool; visit in May/Junefor azaleas & rhododendrons

Top tipDon’t be over pristine: be wildlifefriendly. The rewards are fascinating

Sandra MegginsonThe Croft,Wilmslow SK9 6LZ

01625 52343507866 242010 (mobile)thecroftbedandbreakfast@yahoo.co.ukwww.thecroftbedandbreakfastwilmslow.co.uk

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Cheshire

The Croft

An organic country garden,a little haven of bounty- with hens

What a surprise! Hidden behind trees in serioussuburbia is a charming Arts & Crafts house with asmart front door; attentive Sandra may greet youwith her own delicious scones and blackcurrant jam.The entrance hall has a gleaming oak floor andvases of fresh flowers. Most of the Deco features areretained: an extraordinary copper fireplace in thesitting room and wonderful patterned windows. Inthe bedrooms Shaker meets subtle chintz withstripped floors, painted furniture and a splash ofgingham here and there; bathrooms are ultramodern. Just ten minutes from the airport.

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94-185 gbb6 central

Documents

pond gardenmaple

natural pond

circularpot pond

acregarden cottage

dshaped lily pond

linked bypretty brick

murrell hill lane

small waterfeature