Levens Hall Garden

The finest topiary garden in Britain was laid out by a Frenchman, Guillaume Beaumont, in 1690. The ha-ha dates from 1694 and is one of the earliest in Britain. The topiary was re-cut c1815. An undulating avenue of oak trees leads into the parkland. A campaign, in 1970, saved the avenue from being severed by a spur of the M6 motoway. The head gardener, in 2003, advised those who use shears to keep them wet (he uses a spray).