Garden Opening 

Thank you

Owners who open their gardens to the public stand in a great tradition:

• Renaissance princes, in Italy, allowed strangers into their gardens;
• Louis XIV of France allowed anyone into Versailles - providing they wore a sword, or were on the arm of such a person;
• British monarchs began to let the public into London's Royal Parks during the seventeenth century;
• In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries one could see round a nobleman's house and garden for no more than the cost of a servants' tip.
• During the twentieth century there were more gardens open to the public in the British Isles than in the whole of continental Europe.

In 30 years of garden visiting, the editors of this guide have been treated with courtesy everywhere. On the only occasion have we been shown off at gunpoint. It was politely done and not undeserved.

Reasons for opening one's garden to the public

• To share one's good fortune with the public.
• To raise money for charity.
• To defray the costs of maintaining a large garden.
• To make a profit.
• To let members of the public see a place of importance in the history of garden design.

 

Opening times

The pattern of opening times is likely to reflect one's reasons for granting access. For your own convenience, and that of visitors, we recommend a simple arrangement. GARDENVISIT.COM has some examples of complicated opening times inconvenience all concerned. The aim should be a pattern of opening which can be explained in a short sentence and memorised by the reader.

 

Additions and corrections

Please contact us if the entry for your garden needs to be corrected. 

Please let us know if you would like to have an entry for your garden.