Hestercombe Gardens, Taunton, Somerset, England

Related people

Douglas Graf (was created by)
Gertrude Jekyll (was created by)
Edwin Lutyens (architect)

Date

Mid to late 18th century; 1873-1878; 1904-

Description

Three gardens from three distinct periods are displayed at Hestercombe Gardens. Coplestone Warre Bampfylde, ancestor to the first owners of Hestercombe, created a Georgian landscape garden between 1751 and 1791. This garden includes structures such as the Temple Arbour, the Mausoleum, the Gothic Alcove, and the Witch House. Between 1873 and 1878 a formal Victorian terrace garden was created. It is located against the south front portion of the house. Finally, in the early twentieth century, the Portmans (the last family to own Hestercombe) decided to add a formal garden. Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll were commissioned by the Portmans to create this garden. Lutyens's design and Jekyll's planting resulted in a formal Edwardian garden in the Arts and Crafts style. The Hestercombe Gardens Trust, a charity that restores and preserves Hestercombe Gardens, has managed the gardens since 2003. The Temple Arbour was built in the mid 1770s in Tuscan Doric style. It was once totally destroyed. It was restored in 1996 and now reframes the views over the Pear Pond to the distant hills. Keywords: United Kingdom, England, Somerset, Taunton, Cheddon Fitzpaine, Vale of Taunton, Blackdown Hills, Quantock Hills, landscapes, outdoor spaces, formal gardens, grounds. Submitted by Douglas Graf.

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