Lee Ford

About Lee Ford

The gardens at Lee Ford will be open for pre booked visits during the spring and summer of 2024, the Lindsay-Fynn family have supported the National Gardens Scheme charity for more than 60 years.

Lee Ford is a small country estate close to the sea near the picturesque town of Budleigh Salterton. The original Queen Anne farmhouse, at the rear of the current house and painted pink, was extended in the early 19th century with the addition of a three storey Georgian front. In the late 19th century the single storey Palladian wings and the six Tuscan pillars were added. The conservatory was built in 1990 and contains a collection of flowering pot plants and climbers. Lee Ford has been the home of the Lindsay-Fynn family for three generations since 1945.

The ornamental gardens, extend to some 15 acres. The formal garden at the side of the house has sweeping curves and vistas leading the eye to the more distant woodlands. There is a large collection of plants – herbaceous, perennials and shrubs. The bog garden was created when an underground stream was discovered while earthmoving. Candelabra primulas, grasses, Gunneras and Australian tree ferns are all thriving in it. On the west wall of the walled garden overlooking the lawns is a pavilion in the Georgian style of Robert Adam. The path to the west of the wall garden leads to a peony collection and up steps to the woodland glades.

Vegetables, fruit and flowers for cutting are cultivated in the traditional walled garden. Two greenhouses within these walls are used for propagation and to grow pot plants for the conservatory and house. To the east you will find a herb garden, within a beech hedge growing mainly culinary herbs, a fruit cage, and a polytunnel for early vegetables.

The semi-cultivated woodland garden covers some 10 acres. It was begun in the 1950s by the late Sir Basil Lindsay-Fynn, inspired by the Savill Garden at Windsor. There are numerous grassy glades enclosed by rhododendrons, camellias, magnolias and azaleas. In the early spring they are carpeted with daffodils and primroses, and later with bluebells. While the woodland glades are at their peak of blooming from late April to early June, hydrangeas bloom throughout the summer.

The Lindsay-Fynn family and staff look forward to welcoming you to this special garden of which they are all justly proud.

Times of Visits

Visiting times are 10.00am – 4.30pm, Monday – Thursday.

Special arrangements may be possible for garden visits during Friday to Sunday and weekday evenings. However, catering facilities are by special arrangement outside the stated hours.

Pre-booked Visits Only, Charges

Pre booking by telephone or email is essential, for which the single adult admission is £7.50 and £7 for groups of 10 or more adults. Children under 16 are free. All entry receipts are given to our charities, see below.

Pre-booked Refreshment

Morning Visits
Limitless Coffee/tea with biscuits – £4.25
Limitless Coffee/tea with a selection of cakes – £7.50

Afternoon Visits
Devon Cream Tea – £7.50
Tea with a selection of cakes – £7.50

Refreshments can be served in the conservatory and, weather permitting, on the lawn. Undercover seating capacity is limited to about 26. Larger parties can be accommodated by arranging two sittings. Final numbers and special dietary requests must be confirmed one week ahead.

Advance Payment Methods

We request BACS prepayment one week in advance. Please contact us for our account details.

Access and Parking

For GPS navigation enter the postcode EX9 6AL, otherwise you will be sent down a very narrow lane and up a back drive.

Car parking facilities on tarmac are adequate for about 20 cars. If a greater number is expected, please book ahead to ensure that a field is available. We ask the group organiser to send someone ahead to assist with car parking.

Access for large coaches is difficult. The width of the drive between the two front entrance pillars is 4.09 metres. As the main drive is at a slight angle to the main road, coaches should always approach from the B3178 Budleigh Salterton – Exmouth road, turning left into the drive, and not from the centre of Knowle Village. For large parties, two small coaches are preferable. Forty-seater coaches with an experienced driver can usually manage the turn, but the coach company should be warned in advance.

Disabled Access

Disabled access to the formal gardens is adequate. Most of the woodland gardens are gently sloping and are not suitable for wheelchairs. There are benches, seats and picnic tables spread throughout the gardens and woodland.

Charities Supported

All proceeds from opening the gardens, including any profits on catering, are donated to The Lindsay-Fynn Trust, a registered charity No: 272846, found by Sir Basil Lindsay-Fynn in the 1970s. It makes an annual donation to the National Garden Scheme and also supports numerous local charitable causes.

For further details or to make booking, contact

Mrs Angela Holland
Lee Ford
Budleigh Salterton
Devon
EX9 7AJ

Tel: 01395 445894
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.leeford.co.uk
Facebook: Lee Ford Gardens.

Direct access to pedestrian route and National Cycle Network Route 2 which follows old railway linking Exmouth to Budleigh Salterton. Woodland and formal garden are an ideal destination for cycle clubs or rambling groups.