Referred to as a “green and pleasant land” by the poet William Blake, England hosts a versatile range of verdant gardens. While taking a pride in our outdoor areas is a time-honoured tradition in this country, some of our gardens have been around far longer than others.
In the following passages, we’ll delve into gardens used to grow medicinal herbs and advance scientific knowhow, and those carefully manicured for aesthetic appeal. If you’d like to investigate the horticultural heritage of England, read on for some of the longest living gardens across the country.
College Garden at Westminster Abbey
This fascinating garden was founded by a monastic order, and is one of three gardens within the famous Westminster Abbey at Deans Yard in London. As well as supplying sustenance for the Abbey’s occupants, College Garden was also a source of early medicine for the infirmary, growing healing herbs for the sick. It is believed that the garden at Westminster has been in a constant state of cultivation for more than 900 years, which makes it the oldest surviving garden in England.
In the past, the garden was cared for by a Head Gardener ably supported by a pair of under-gardeners, and all three were monks who attended services at the Abbey. Together, they tended the lily- and rose-lined gardens, vegetable plots, fruit trees, fishpond and beehives.
On College Garden’s east side and farthest end stands a precinct wall of stone. This is the garden’s oldest feature and was constructed in 1376. Four time-weathered statues representing saints can also be found nearby. Originally part of an altarpiece created in 1686, they were carved by sculptor Arnold Quellin. The tall plane trees that still shade the garden were planted in the year 1850.
If you should visit this historic location, it’s well worth seeing Westminster Abbey’s two other gardens. Though smaller in scale than College garden, they are equally interesting. The Little Cloister Garden features scented flowers and a Victorian fountain and was designed as an idyllic surrounding for recuperating patients of the infirmary. The second, known as the Garth, is a lawned garden cosseted by the cloisters and was used for peaceful reflection by the Abbey’s monks.
Hestercombe Formal Garden in Taunton, Somerset
This stunning Somerset Garden was established around the year 1750. Devised by Hestercombe House’s inheritor Coplestone Warre Bampfylde, the garden now features designs from three different centuries.
Possessing Grade I listed status awarded by the English Heritage Register for Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest, there is much to see at Hestercombe. The formal garden from Edwardian times was planted by British horticulturist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.
A Doric temple with Tuscan columns, multiple terraces, an orangery and pool can all be found within the gardens stone walls, which are also Grade I listed.
Levens Hall Topiary Gardens in Kendall, Cumbria
The art of trimming trees and shrubs into ornamental forms, topiary dates back as far as Roman times. Historically, it’s also been practiced in the far east in countries like Korea, China and Japan where it’s known as cloud pruning. The Guinness Book of World Records has acknowledged Levens Hall’s grand achievement, stating it has the oldest topiary garden in the world.
The topiary filled garden at Levens Hall features a wealth of designs, some of which date back over 300 years. The initial training and planting stages were conducted at the Hall’s gardens during the 1690s. The topiary bushes and trees at Levens Hall number more than 100 and present a selection of shapes from geometric to abstract.
There are many stand-out shapes that are cleverly crafted and kept by the Hall’s team of resident gardeners that you can spot when visiting these enchanting gardens. Chess pieces, the Howard lion, the judge’s wig, a jug of Moroccan ale, and the great umbrellas are all waiting to be viewed or captured on camera. Shaped from ancient yew and box trees these surreal sights are wondrous to behold and have remained for the most part unchanged since the 17th Century.
The tree and shrub-based sculptures rise from incredible floral displays underplanted with more than 30,000 ever-changing plants. Grown in the Hall’s greenhouses within the grounds, you’ll see a stunning array of flowers displayed including violas, tulips, daisies, primulas and pansies. Some of these living sculptures are caught in a beautiful red blaze where the scarlet-coloured Scottish Flame Flower has integrated with bush and tree for a spectacular effect.
University of Oxford Botanic Garden, Oxfordshire
The earliest established botanic garden in the whole of Britain, this spectacular garden in Oxford was founded in the year 1621 and has the distinction of being one of the very oldest of the scientific gardens throughout the world. Comprised of two main parts, the Lower Garden and the Walled Garden, this impressive horticultural site plays host to over 5,000 different species of plants.
Encompassing over four acres of land situated on the River Cherwell’s banks, there is always something unique and unusual growing at these famed university gardens.
The Lower Garden specialises in thematic and ornamental collections. Visiting them you can take in the rock garden and the water gardens along with the orchards, Oxfordshire Meadows and a display entitled: The Plants that Changed the World among others. Storing both scientific collections and those focused on heritage, at the Walled Garden you’ll be able to see the Hardy Euphorbia Collection, the Woodland Walk and the 1648 Collection.
This exceptional garden is also treasure trove for visiting literature lovers. Lewis Carroll drew inspiration from the botanic garden, for his Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland stories and the garden’s well-known waterlily house can be spotted in their illustrations. Author J.R.R. Tolkien favoured an enormous pine within the grounds for relaxing, not unlike the tree people known as Ents in his Middle Earth trilogy.
All the gardens listed here can be visited by the public, so if you’re planning a tour of England’s oldest gardens, make sure you stop by and soak up some horticultural history.
