Littlethorpe Manor

About Littlethorpe Manor

11 acre garden surrounding a Georgian Manor House (not open). Walled garden with dwarf box hedging and contemporary herbaceous planting to reflect the cycle of the seasons.

At its centre is a metal gazebo with a symbolic tree of life. Old roses are a highlight in midsummer. Sunken garden with ornamental planting, herbs, standard bays and honeysuckles. An armillary sphere is set in the centre. York stone terracing surrounds the house and summerhouse, decorated with planters. Curved steps with balustrade lead down to a formal lawn with rows of Irish yew flanking a large fountain pool at the centre.

The formal lawn is separated from the parkland by a large retaining wall with yew hedging and hornbeam tower viewing points. Further steps lead down to a pollarded lime avenue, with a small lake and classical pavilion beyond. The lake is surrounded by extensive beds of late summer perennials with a winter garden set to one side.

The main entrance to the house is approached via a gravel drive with turning circle surrounded by box headed hornbeams with an aqualens water feature in the centre. A brick pergola is planted with wisteria, clematis and honeysuckle, cutting through borders of blue and yellow. The cut flower garden provides late summer colour with sweet peas, dahlias, roses, grasses, annuals and perennials.

A new contemporary Physic Garden opened in 2022 with a stainless steel rill, statuary feature and raised beds with medicinal plants. To one side, a small monastic garden highlights medicinal plants grown by the 12C Benedictine Abbess Hildegard of Bingen.