St Mary's House Gardens

About St Mary's House Gardens

A short lime avenue leads to the clipped box and yew. Beyond the stone balustraded bridge a riot of hollyhocks can be seen in high summer in front of the C15 timber-framed house. Here visitors can still see the fine panelled interiors of a much-loved home. Through the stone arch is the upper lawn, enclosed by herbaceous borders, while the lower lawn has clipped yew hedges and roses, with an exceptional example of the ‘Living Fossil’ tree, the prehistoric Ginkgo Biloba. The five acres of gardens include the Victorian ‘Secret’ Garden, with its 40-metre fruit wall, heated pineapple pits and stove house. The Victorian potting shed now houses a Rural Museum of horticultural implements from the family farms. The Rose Garden commemorates the late Queen’s Golden Jubilee. The Terracotta Garden has a central fountain, complemented by colourful herbaceous borders. The unusual English Poetry Garden, in its semi-woodland setting, has a bust of Lord Byron as its centrepiece, a long curved pergola, and poems displayed around the circular broadwalk for the pleasure of visitors. The King’s Garden celebrates the escape of Charles II to France. There is also a woodland walk and Landscape Water Garden with island and waterfall.

On normal open days (not NGS days), visitors can also enjoy the atmospheric interiors of the C15 house, including the unique Elizabethan ‘Painted Room’ with its intriguing trompe l’oeil murals. The ancient panelled rooms give an air of tranquility and timelessness. Once the home of the real Algernon and Gwendolen brilliantly portrayed in Oscar Wilde’s comedy, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, St. Mary’s has served as a location for a number of television series including the world-famous Dr Who. St. Mary’s won a Hudson’s Heritage Award for the Best Restoration, and features in Simon Jenkins’ book England’s Thousand Best Houses. St. Mary’s House & Gardens are open May to September on Sundays, Thursdays and BH Mondays, between 2pm and 6pm (last entry at 5pm).