Local gardens

Established in 1765 by the first Countess of Ilchester as a kitchen garden for her nearby castle. Developed since then into a magnificent landscape with 20 acres of rare and exotic plants from all over the world. Many of these plants were first introductions, brought to this country by the planting descendants of the Countess.

Distance: 18 miles
Journey time: 35 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1305 871387

Beautiful Gertrude Jekyll-inspired gardens, kitchen gardens and a beautiful manor house. The echoes of the past haunt this Tudor manor house so beautifully restored in the 1920s by the Lyle family. The working stone-walled kitchen garden produces a variety of wonderful fruits and vegetables, which can be enjoyed in the restaurant.

Distance: 22 miles
Journey time: 37 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1460 241938

The stone-built house dates from 1485, with further building and modification in the centuries that followed. These include a series of formal gardens designed by Inigo Thomas in 1891 with further, partially implemented, planting plans by Thomas Mawson in about 1904. 

Distance: 19 miles
Journey time: 30 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1305 848363

30 acres of gardens with a cascade of ponds, including the highest powered fountain in England, surround this 12th Century former monastery. Herbaceous borders, Bog Garden, Rockery, mature Arboretum and working walled kitchen garden. Plantings and landscaping date from the early 18th century.

Distance: 16 miles
Journey time: 35 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1460 220231

Lulworth Castle was built as a hunting lodge with an extensive deer park, featuring archaeological remains of a complex 17th-century formal garden. It includes what is possibly England’s earliest baroque garden. The 17th century walled kitchen garden survives.

Distance: 30 miles
Journey time: 60 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1929 400352

Keyneston Mill Botanic Gardens lie in the Tarrant Valley, bordered by the River Stour. The gardens have been designed in 'compartments' each featuring plants from a different perfume family. Their popular workshops unveil the secrets behind the history of perfume and its creation. 

Distance: 30 miles
Journey time: 47 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1258 456831

An intimate medieval manor house with a beautiful Arts and Crafts garden where you can imagine living. Originally the family home of Henry Lyte, where he translated the unique Nieuwe Herball book on herbal remedies, lovingly restored in the 20th century by Sir Walter Jenner. The garden rooms contain a magical collection of topiary and herbaceous borders, while tranquil walks on the estate take you along the River Cary. 

Distance: 18 miles
Journey time: 30 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1458 224471

The house dates from the 16th century but was enlarged early to the mid-17th century and partly remodelled in the mid-18th. Formal gardens were created in a valley to the east of the house by Mrs Labouchere in 1927 and modified since 1955. Three terraces with 1960s orangery, topiary yews, pergola and lily pond lead to a less formal area.

Distance: 6 miles
Journey time: 23 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1308 862645

Built on the site of an earlier house, with an 18th-century landscape created by Admiral Robert Digby in the manner of Capability Brown who was working at nearby Sherborne Castle at the time. The gardens are laid out in a horseshoe overlooking a valley with lakes and a cascade. Early 20th century trees and shrubs were introduced from Wilson, Forrest, Rock, Farrer and Kingdom Ward expeditions to the Himalayas.

Distance: 7 miles
Journey time: 24 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1300 341370

The garden, complete with a working kitchen garden and orchard, lies in the charming village of Tintinhull, Somerset. Glittering pools, secluded lawns, colourful borders and clipped hedges provide the perfect spot to relax and unwind away from the hustle and bustle.

Distance: 16 miles
Journey time: 28 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1935 823289

A magnificent, glittering mansion, built in the late 16th century for Sir Edward Phelips. There are many renaissance features, and the Long Gallery, the longest of its kind in England, displays the finest Tudor and Elizabethan portraits from the National Portrait Gallery collection. 

Distance: 14 miles
Journey time: 26 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1935 823289

Described as one of the most beautiful and unique sculpture parks in the United Kingdom, Sculpture by the Lakes marries the soft beauty of nature’s wild river landscape with the more formal presentation of monumental outdoor sculpture. A fantastic place to visit during your stay at Summer Lodge.  

Distance: 20 miles
Journey time: 34 minutes

Tel: +44 (0) 1935 823289