Garden Gallery

A large garden with herbaceous borders, flowering shrubs (really good last week) ornamental and fruit trees, a small circular rose bed, bog garden, woody area, rockery and fishpond with very shy fish (those not taken by the heron). The small wild meadow area underneath the Bramley, started two years ago, is struggling. It takes more work than when it was simply grass. A stream divides the garden into separate areas, which are accessed through a badly-behaved rose arch or over small bridges. In the fruit cage, raised beds contain salad plants, various vegetables, rhubarb and blueberries.

A one-acre parkland garden in a lakeside setting, home to mallards, moorhens and many other wetland species with a bog garden and surrounded by mature trees including alder, willow, silver birch and a London plane. Established shrub borders encompass the garden.

The Stabling has 3 Gardens, the front garden which runs adjacent to the Beckford Nature Reserve is in the main lawn and drive with wild grass areas to the front and left side, the garden is left open for all wildlife to explore. Access to the kitchen garden is via the side path and through the big wooden gate; there are plotted plants and a small greenhouse frame in this area. Follow through under the archway and through the green gate, you will walk into the very private – and in some ways secret – garden; originally, the kitchen garden for Beckford Hall. The garden benefits from high walls that surround it: to one side Victorian red brick and to the other Cotswold stone. These walls are covered with beautiful climbing plants and fruit trees. Considerable work has gone into re-developing the house and garden and it now features a large patio area, a garden room, a large lawn, herbaceous borders and a wooden gazebo with seating.

There has been a building on the site of Beckford Hall for over a thousand years. The gardens of The Gables nestle directly beneath the original seven gabled house built in the Jacobean style by John Wakeman between 1600 and 1620, now surrounded by late Victorian improvements put in place by the Ashton-Case family between 1883 and 1887. The garden at The Gables was laid out by the current owner 25 years ago with the intention of creating a wildlife friendly cottage garden divided into “rooms”. We hope you like it.

Boxgrove House is set within the grounds of the 17th century Beckford Hall, on the site of a medieval priory. The garden has stunning views of the local church and the Hall. It backs onto an ancient avenue of box hedge, called the Monks’ Walk, which goes from Boxgrove House up to what was the 19th century chapel and can be viewed from the garden. Boxgrove House sits within a 360 degree garden set to lawn, surrounded by herbaceous perennials and shrubs, lots of container pots, plenty of seats for a quick rest, a tiny art studio and a listed yew tree, which is reputedly well over 100 years old.

The Old House, dating back to the C16th century, has a garden at which is best described as “higgledy-piggledy”: the whole being bigger than might appear from street view. Entrance is via the large gated courtyard with the original pig pens and stable. There is a large and prolific Turkish fig tree in the corner. Entrance to the rear garden is via the old boot room. Here, two brick-paved areas are used for outdoor dining and entertaining. Beyond lies the kitchen garden with raised beds, leading to the rear garden proper, with lawn and Medlar tree surrounded by perennials. Picket fence and hedge separate the duck-pond and grazing area and a field gate opens into an orchard, replanted with apple, pear, plum and gages. The orchard and rear garden wrap around Windfall Cottage, which is run as a holiday let (please note that there will be guests in residence). A separate double-gated entrance from the street leads into the front garden, now remodelled in a Mediterranean style with mature Olive trees, fruit trees including a wall-trained pear, and underplanted into gravelled beds.

As you enter the garden you emerge into a large, raised garden created by Victorian artisans over 150 years ago. To your left, the newly restored wall constructed from mellow Dumbleton brick marks the boundary and runs over 200 foot to the ha-ha at the bottom. The garden is laid out as three main rooms. The first is classic English walled, mainly laid to lawn with generous borders containing mature shrubs and herbaceous plants. The second is heralded by the eight-foot beech hedge, walk through and you will enter a more private area containing a magnificent Magnolia grandiflora and a Mediterranean bed containing bamboo and palms. There are two small patio areas where you can sit and rest. Walk further down, past the greenhouse and through the reclaimed Indian gates and you enter the final room, containing raised beds and a rustic wood cabin. Here you can admire views to open countryside and beyond, the start of the imposing Cleeve hills, the highest point in the Cotswolds.

Plenty has changed since this garden was last opened, with new flower beds and a complete rejig of the garden, including a large new greenhouse standing where the fruit cage once was. Not only are vegetables and flowers grown in the greenhouse, it also offers a quiet place to enjoy a cuppa or glass of wine!
The new beds are part of a development of a cutting garden where annual summer flowers, roses and dahlias are grown. New trees have also been planted. Westville owners have an organic approach to gardening with no chemicals used and are mindful of watering, storing as much rainwater as possible to reuse.
The new beds have been developed using the ‘no dig’ approach and the 6 tons of topsoil dug out for the greenhouse base has been used as a mulch on the beds this spring. The owners have created a leaf mould bin and a wood pile to house invaluable insects and try to invite (most!) wildlife into the garden; unfortunately, a new fencing has had to be installed in order to keep the deer out!

This surprisingly large garden, hidden behind the shopfront, leads you through a courtyard, a restful place to enjoy tea and cake, with its raised border and terraced corner bed, which then leads on to the main lawned area. This has a gravel path directing you down through a living Willow archway to ponds with a wooden bridge over the water. Further on from this section of the garden, it funnels down to the final area of vegetable and fruit beds with a wildlife patch at the very end of the garden.

Slightly unusual entrance through a gate marked 'Timbrills' - but walk straight ahead past the old coach house rather than turning right - and pass through the inviting archway in the high brick wall where you will find a hidden garden which once formed part of the walled garden of the large Victorian house, now known as 'The Grange' but originally 'The Towers', across the street. Subdivided in recent years when the neighbouring house was built, the result is a delightful private garden where interesting borders surround a large lawn and which provides a view to open countryside over the far wall. Perched on the ridge of the old outbuilding, a large and handsome terracotta owl surveys the scene and watches over the garden.

Court House was originally the manorial court for Beckford and is immediately west of the church. The house, which is Grade 2 listed, dates from the 17th century and has a contemporary extension which was added in 2011.
The gardens of 1¾ acres comprise a formal front garden with pool and fountain; an informal back garden with stream, an orchard and a copse. Ignored for several years, the gardens are being brought back to life by the current owners.

The Sycamores has recently undergone a full house renovation and the next project is to work on bringing the large acre garden back to its former glory. Currently it is a blank canvas to exercise your imagination. Please come and enjoy a ramble through the apple tree orchard and down to the brook at the very bottom.

A secluded cottage garden with lawn, surrounded by borders where old-fashioned roses and various clematis mingle with interesting herbaceous perennials and shrubs. Beyond the archway by the beech hedge there are various shrubs and shade-loving perennials in an informal and hidden setting.