14 May 2011 - Hestercombe Gardens

Hestercombe Gardens are situated on the southern slopes of the Quantock Hills with views across the Vale of Taunton to the Blackdown Hills.
The gardens span three centuries:
The Landscape garden was created in the 1750s by Coplestone Warre Bampfylde.
A Victorian Terrace and Shrubbery was added in the 1870s
The final phase is the  Edwardian Garden designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll between 1904 and 1908.

The grand cascade in the landscape garden.

At the highest point in the gardens is this Tuscan Temple. Close up you wonder why it was put here. But see below to understand why.

Looking down through the trees and across to the Blackdown Hills.

It is now clear why the Temple was carefully positioned where it is. The view through the trees up the hill to the temple.

This is the mausoleum.

The Temple Arbour from the lake.

The Orangery.

The Dutch tunnels and gardens above.

A close look at a white foxglove.

One of the two water gardens on each side of the formal garden.

This spout feeds the water garden to the left of the house. There is a similar spout with a female head feeding the water garden on the opposite side of the formal garden.

The house and part of the formal gardens.

The Pergola

A wider view of the formal gardens and house.

The Edwardian Garden Great Plat layout.

Most of the stonework in the gardens were covered in this daisy like erigeron.

May 2019

The grand cascade.

Navelwort or wall pennywort was growing everywhere.

One of the several waterfalls around the gardens.

Inside the Orangery.

Another one of the really prolific flowers was the erigeron.

The pergola.

Lilies in full flower.

A lovely collection of flowers enjoying the wall location.

Hestercombe House.