Vann

5 acre, 2* registered garden surrounding house dating from 1542 with Arts and Crafts additions by W D Caröe inc Bargate stone pergola. At the front, brick paved cottage garden; to the rear a lake, yew walk with rill. Gertrude Jekyll water garden. Snowdrops and hellebores, spring bulbs, and spectacular fritillaria. Island beds, crinkle crankle wall, orchard with wild flowers. Limited accessibility; please call for guidance.

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About Vann

Primary image and one other courtesy of Andrew Lawson.

A five-acre English heritage Grade 2* listed garden which surrounds and complements a historic family home dating from the 16th Century, and added to every century since, giving a series of garden rooms of great variety, from the formal old ‘cottage garden’ at the front, with delightfully informal planting, continuing south past a hedge of sweet smelling azalea pontica, to a robust pergola of Bargate stone by W.D.Caröe, leading to the enlarged field pond.

The beautiful Water Garden by Gertrude Jekyll (1911) comprises a succession of small ponds crossed by stone paths and bridges, and planted with many damp-loving plants that she supplied, including ferns, leucojum, gaulteria, pulmonaria, trachystemon, peltaphyllum, rodgersia, caltha, and more recent re-planting with newer varieties of hosta, hemoracallis hellebores, and astilbe among others.

Heading north, a stream feeds the pond, running through the orchard and into the ‘Yew Walk’, enclosed by large yew hedges (1909) recently reduced in width. Originally planted as a rose garden the depredations of the wild deer have led us to remove the roses and re-plant with foliage plants to give round the year interest.

Three island beds have been made to give added interest in the old orchard and allow use of more ‘modern’ plants. Double borders have been created in the vegetable garden for the 150th Jekyll celebrations in 1992, the north border using her colour gradients, and an opportunity to use plants of special interest.

A crinkle-crankle wall behind the greenhouse supports newly replanted peaches and pears. A ‘centenary garden’ was created in 2008 to celebrate 100 years of the Caroe family resident at Vann with yew ‘pavilions’, seats locally made from our own planked oak, and floored with glass bottles to reflect the medieval glass-works in the adjacent Glasshouse Copse, with locally made metal arches for climbers.

The vegetable garden recently replanted as a jardin potager with yew divisions, and yew also used as a back-drop for the herb garden with topiary cats and a mouse!

The house and garden are maintained by the family with a wonderful team of gardeners and volunteers. We are really glad to welcome appreciative guests and visitors; however please be aware we are not a professional ‘visitor attraction’ with associated facilities and staffing.

Website:

https://www.vanngarden.co.uk

Vann features

Location details

Vann,
Hambledon,
Godalming,
Surrey,
GU8 4EF

Directions to Vann
A283 to Lane End, Hambledon, & follow yellow Vann signs for 2m. Please park in the field as signed, not on road. On most days there may not be anyone to greet you, so make your way into the garden.