South Newington House

About South Newington House

South Newington House (not open) is a 17th century Hall House built of local honey coloured Hornton Stone. It is set in five acres of paddock, orchard and gardens. The approach is by a curving drive, edged by predominantly native trees, planted about three decades ago.

The orchard and a charmingly informal garden lie to the North and East of the House. The garden is designed for year round interest. In the spring the ground is carpeted with bulbs and hellebores and the orchard is clothed in yellow and white. Early flowering shrubs brighten mixed borders, which by summer will be at their best. Rambler roses tumble over arches and trellises.

In the orchard the well-established pond is home to much wildlife. The water lily pads provide useful hiding places for baby fish, newts and the occasional grass snake. It is a pleasant place to sit and enjoy watching the many coloured dragon and damselflies.

To the south side of the house there is a small parterre, which contains an interesting collection of plants that attract butterflies and tolerate having their feet in cold wet clay all winter and then being baked in our increasingly hot summers; the centres of the box are an array of colour from tulips in late March, Lupins from June and then dahlias from August until the frost!

The house and garden walls are clad in well-established roses, clematis and honeysuckle. For almost forty years the orchard and old-fashioned vegetable garden beyond it have been cultivated organically without the use of artificial weedkillers and insecticides.