Hestercombe Gardens, Grade I listed garden in West Monkton, England
Hestercombe Gardens is a 50-acre estate in Somerset featuring formal hedges, flower beds arranged in patterns, lakes, and water cascades. The grounds combine different garden designs across the property and include woodland paths where visitors can walk at their own pace.
The estate began in the 16th century and was completely redesigned in the early 1900s by architect Edwin Lutyens and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. This redesign became influential in shaping how garden architecture developed in England.
The place carries the legacy of Gertrude Jekyll's planting philosophy, which you can observe in how flowers and shrubs are grouped and colored throughout the grounds. Walking through the beds, you notice how each area guides your eye and creates a sense of flow between different garden rooms.
The estate is open daily and features well-marked paths suitable for different walking speeds. A cafe, gift shop, and parking are available on-site, and comfortable shoes are recommended for exploring the grounds.
The grounds preserve three distinct garden periods layered together like chapters of design history: Georgian landscapes, Victorian terraces, and Edwardian formal gardens. This layering shows how garden design evolved over generations without erasing what came before.
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