A tranquil garden with lakes, rolling lawns and a small formal planting in the courtyard. An ancient Rookery is all that remains of the wilderness garden dating from the 16th century.
This romantic half-timbered Hall was the home of Mary Fitton, the mysterious Dark Lady at the centre of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, and maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth I. Mary's father, Sir Edward Fitton, built a garden to rival Holdenby and Chipping Campden hoping for a royal visit. Today the grounds and remains of the pleasure gardens form the backdrop to an Open Air Theatre Festival hosting drama, opera and concerts.
Bluebells in the Rookery Rhododendrons in season