Danesfield House

About Danesfield House

An impressive tree lined drive of Hornbeams under the Clock Tower is the first display of the magnitude of the 65 acres of parkland and formal gardens surrounding the house. The gardens have been restored and renovated from the middle of 1989 until the present day, a variety of beautifully tendered and most unusual plantings now flourish and can be found. Covering many part of the houses exterior is a masterfully pruned Wisteria, flowering in a purple cascade during May and June. On walking out onto the terrace you will see formal gardens, consisting of towering Yew topiary and box hedging filled with varieties of English and French Lavender, of which there are five different varieties within the grounds. Central to this formality a three tier fountain, a cherubim standing on an oyster shell tops this magnificent centre piece.

Walk past two original waterfalls to viewpoints overlooking the River Thames, the waterfalls were created from Pulhamite rock. Pulhamite artificial rock was the invention of James Pulham of Pulham and Sons founded C1830. Known for the construction of rock gardens, follies and grottos, they also manufactured a wide range of garden ornaments that can be found at Danesfield, to include two fountains, stone walls and benches along with terracotta objects – two large

terracotta urns can be seen in the house’s Grand Hall today. Pulham and Sons work can also been found at Buckingham Palace and Sandringham House.

A Corsican Pine is another one of the more unique trees at Danesfield, more commonly native to the Mediterranean and southern Europe. Further into the gardens enjoy the tranquillity of the formal Italian garden, fine box topiary surrounds the Koi fishpond overlooked by two beautiful Acers. You may notice a perfectly cut straight line in all of the Yew hedges; this is due to the local Muntjac and Fallow deer nibbling just as high as they can reach.