6 Beautiful English Gardens

In some sections of the United Kingdom, buildings and locations that are culturally and historically significant are measured on a scale. Sites that are internationally recognized are "Grade I sights", while Grade II sites are places of historic importance. Six of England's most stunning Grade I gardens are listed below.

6. East Lambrook Manor

East Lambrook Manor is described as a small manor house of the fifteenth century. This house is registered as a Grade II building by the English Heritage, and it is bordered by the East Lambrook Manor cottage garden. East Lambrook Manor garden is rated as a Grade I garden according to the Register of Historic Parks and gardens. It covers an approximate area of 0.81 acres. Margery Fish did jungle planting; this is where plants are planted in different layers or stories. East Lambrook Manor garden constitutes majorly of the following plants; geraniums, helleborus, roses, snowdrops, and euphorbias. The garden was awarded the Grade I status in 1992 by the English Heritage and has remained that way since then. In 2011 the garden began being used for learning purposes.

5. Hestercombe House

The Hestercombe House is a historic house located in the Parish of West Monkton, England. The house was initially built in the 16th century and was purposely used as the British headquarters during the Second World War. In the year 1951, the Somerset County Council converted the Hestercombe House into an administrative center, and it served as an emergency call center for the Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. Hestercombe House is surrounded by beautiful gardens.

4. Leonardslee

Leonardslee is a well-recognized country house that consists of a woodland garden in Lower Beeding. The garden is famous for its display of rhododendrons, camellias, and bluebells. These gardens measure approximately 200 acres and include seven ponds. Some of these ponds are human-made and once provided electricity for the Wealden Iron Industry. Between the sixteenth and seventeenth century this site became the primary source of iron for England’s iron industry. This iron manufacturing company produced cannons, firebacks, hinges, nails and horseshoes from the rich sandstone that was abundantly available in this area.

3. Mount Edgcumbe House

Mount Edgcumbe House is located south-east Cornwall. The house was shattered by bombs during World War II in 1941. The process of restoring the house began in 1958 at the sixth Nobles instigation. Edgcumbe House is listed as a Grade II building while the garden is of Grade I status. There is a country park that is located on the Rame Peninsula. This park is popularly recognized for its landscaped grounds and the walkers in which one can walk from the Cremly Ferry to the villages of Kingsand and Cowsand. Moreover, the park is regularly open to visitors throughout the year while the Mount Edgcumbe House and its Earl’s Garden are only open to visitors from the beginning of April until the beginning of October.

2. St Paul's Walden Bury

St Paul’s Walden Bury is believed to have been Queen Elizabeth’s childhood home. This house was built in the eighteenth century using red bricks and slate roofs. The gardens surrounding this house are large and extensive with the common plants being daffodils, rhododendrons, and magnolias. The garden is listed as a Grade I garden and has been consistently maintained over the years. There has been an introduction of new flowers and gardens, but this has not affected the original architecture.

1. Prior Park Landscape Garden

The Prior Park Landscape Garden was built in the eighteenth century by Ralph Allen, an entrepreneur. In the year 1737 many trees were planted in this park, while the bottom of the valley was left to be grassland and was also used to form fish ponds. Between the 1750s and 1760s, Capability Brown extended the gardens by eliminating the central cascade to the north. Capability Brown was a renowned gardener of the time. The garden was later divided into two - plots to the east hosted vegetables while that to the west was set aside for statues and grottoes. In 1993 the park and its constituent grounds were acquired by the National Trust. According to the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of historical interest, the gardens are listed as a Grade I site.