Surrey is famous for its gardens. It has a good landscape for making gardens: undulating and rich in woods and water. Also, because it is near London, Surrey has been popular with rich families for generations. Painshill Park and Claremont Landscape Garden are of great importance in the history of English garden design. Polesden Lacey is one of the best Arts and Crafts style gardens in the London area. The RHS Garden Wisley is the headquarters garden of one of the world's oldest and largest horticultural societies. Surrey was also Gertrude Jekyll's home county and has a number of great gardens designed by her (regrettably, they are only occasionally open to the public). We recommend Short Break garden visits from the Langshott Manor Hotel (which is listed in several guidebooks for the quality of its garden).
Painshill Park
Painshill Park »
One of the great eighteenth century landscape gardens, representing the Augustan phase of the serpentine style. It was owned and designed Charles Hamilton (between 1738 and 1773), set in a wooded valley. There is a lake, a Gothic temple, a Chinese bridge, a ruined abbey, a Turkish tent and a remarkable grotto. The garden fell into decay but is being restored with great skill and vigour. The island grotto is a masterpiece.
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Claremont Landscape Garden
Claremont Landscape Garden »
<p>A 'landscape park' which was formerly part of a larger estate. It had baroque layout by Charles Bridgeman for John Vanbrugh, who owned the estate until 171. A belvedere (by Vanbrugh, c 1715) and a grass amphitheatre (by Bridgeman, c 1725) survive. William Kent began the transformation to the 'natural' style, converting the canal to a lake and designing an island with a pavilion (c1735). The lake was serpentined and is overlooked by the, carefully restored, grass amphitheatre.</p>
<p>See blog post comment on the <a href="http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2011/10/08/the-claremont-amphitheatre-as-a-problem-in-historic-garden-restoration/">management of Claremont Landscape Garden</a> and see .....
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Polesden Lacey
Polesden Lacey »
A Regency villa (1821-3), bought by an Edwardian hostess in 1906 and furnished with an Arts and Crafts garden by J Cheal & Sons. The long grass terrace walk dates from 1671 and was extended by the playwright Sheridan, who lived her from 1797-1816. The Edwardian garden has a series of walled and hedged enclosures with roses and herbaceous planting.
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RHS Garden, Wisley
RHS Garden, Wisley »
<p>A garden at Wisley was established by G F Wilson, a chemist and horticulturist, and was bought along with other land by Sir Thomas Hanbury and gifted to the Royal Horticultural Society on its centenary (1903). It has been developed and added to over the years with the whole area covering some 240 acres with 135 acres open to the public. Lanning Roper designed a planting scheme for the new walled garden designed by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe in 1969 according to The Lanning Roper Papers which can be found at RHS Lindley Library. The second century of the Society has seen the Garden develop and grow into a world class garden.</p>
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