Skip to content
Menu

The Manor, Hemingford Grey

Garden designed by author Lucy Boston, surrounds C12 manor house on which Green Knowe books based (house by appt). Three acre cottage garden with topiary, snowdrops, old roses, extensive collection of irises inc Dykes Medal winners and Cedric Morris var., herbaceous borders with scented plants. Meadow with mown paths. Enclosed by river, moat and wilderness. Variety of annuals for late flowering.

Owner Info

The Manor, Hemingford Grey
The Manor, Hemingford Grey
The Manor, Hemingford Grey
The Manor, Hemingford Grey
The Manor, Hemingford Grey
The Manor, Hemingford Grey
The Manor, Hemingford Grey
The Manor, Hemingford Grey

About The Manor, Hemingford Grey

The garden is bordered by a moat on three sides and the river Great Ouse on the other. It is approached by walking along the towpath beside the river, where visitors get a glimpse of long herbaceous borders.
The entrance is a little gate which is almost hidden so there is immediately the feeling that one is entering a mysterious place. Yew trees cut into crowns and orbs, in honour of the coronation of the Queen in 1953, border a gravel path leading to the house. To the left and right are herbaceous borders containing plants grown mainly for their scent. Bearded irises, including Dykes Medal winners and Cedric Morris varieties, are amongst the extensive collection in dedicated beds.
Near the house, topiary chess pieces stand in their black and white planted squares of Ajuga reptans and Stachys byzantina and a bower of pink roses leads the way to some of Lucy Boston’s beautiful collection of old roses. There are rose bushes throughout the garden. The colour continues spectacularly right up to the first frosts with unusual annuals. Beech hedges divide the garden into separate ‘rooms’, so there is the temptation that there may be more around the corner.
Visitors proceed to the hidden garden, which consists of meadow and lawn all bordered by the moat and an herbaceous bed containing irises, poppies, lilies, nepeta, campanula and evening primrose. Close to the moat on one side of the lawn is a wooded area. A large yew hugs the back of the house, the setting for a Christmas party in the first of the children’s books written by Lucy Boston about the house and garden.

Website:

https://www.greenknowe.co.uk

The Manor, Hemingford Grey features

Location details

The Manor,
Hemingford Grey,
Hemingford Grey,
Cambridgeshire,
PE28 9BN

Directions to The Manor, Hemingford Grey
Parking for NGS opening day only, in field off double bends between Hemingford Grey & Hemingford Abbots. This will be signed. Entrance to garden via small gate off river towpath.

The Manor, Hemingford Grey openings

For this open day you can book your tickets in advance. Click on the yellow button below to book or you can just turn up and pay on the day.

Refreshments Home-made teas.
Admission Adult: £6.00
Child: Free
Opening times 14:00-17:00

Accessibility

  • Gravel paths throughout. Wheelchair users are encouraged to use the lawns.
  • Share this garden

Other Gardens of Potential Interest

The Hollies image
The Hollies

A well established garden that contains a surprising number of acid-loving plants- rhododendrons in giant pots- and many different acers....

Read more
124 Woodland Road image
124 Woodland Road

A small, neat garden, offering stunning views of the Gog Magog hills. This garden is landscaped, with shrubs and roses around the border, and...

Read more
20 Miller Way image
20 Miller Way

This is a small, cottage style garden full of roses, colourful perennials and self-seeders. The garden is around 12 years old and created on...

Read more
Broughton Village Gardens image
Broughton Village Gardens

Three village gardens of different sizes and character. Lychgate Cottage is a secluded cottage garden, developed over the last 10 years from an...

Read more
Lychgate image
Lychgate

A cottage garden, but containing a mixture of environments inc a pond area, herbaceous borders, a vegetable patch with herb garden, orchard and...

Read more
The Briars image
The Briars

Designed and built entirely from scratch over 25 years by owners Mike and Elaine. Now a mature modern cottage garden with a backdrop to open...

Read more
Magnolia Cottage image
Magnolia Cottage

A secluded cottage garden created in 2010. It had been a chicken run previously. Deep hebaceous border with lots of texture, and pathway all around...

Read more
Farm Lodge image
Farm Lodge

This secluded garden is just under an acre. The house stands in the centre and the borders wrap around it, giving opportunities for planting schemes...

Read more

Don’t miss out

Sign up to our weekly newsletter to hear more about the gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme, events and activities throughout the year

Sign up to our newsletter

FAQs

Yes, cashless payment is accepted.

Yes, coaches are accepted at The Manor, Hemingford Grey. Please get in touch with the owners for details.

Yes, dogs are welcome at The Manor, Hemingford Grey. Please keep the dogs on fixed short leads in the garden and keep in mind that you are responsible for controlling the dog’s behaviour. For any specific rules please ask the owners.

Yes, there are various plants offerred for sale at The Manor, Hemingford Grey, please enquire with the owners for more details.

Yes, one or more routes at The Manor, Hemingford Grey are accessible to wheelchair users.

Yes. The Manor, Hemingford Grey seeks to offer a sustainable refuge for nearby fauna and wildlife. These sanctuaries host diverse habitats supporting indigenous flora and fauna and nurturing local biodiversity.