Hestercombe House & Gardens

These magnificent 50 acres of garden, and the house, were a neglected secret for years after the last war. All is now in the benign hands of the Hestercombe Trust.

Stroll through three centuries of design: the Victorian Shrubbery, the Georgian Landscape Garden and the Edwardian Formal Gardens. The Great Cascade is a main feature and you feel your motorway strain subside as you gaze over one of the two great ponds. There is more: a Dutch Garden and Sir Edwin Lutyens’ Daisy Steps and impressive Orangery. He also created the Rose Garden and collaborated with Gertrude Jekyll on some of the groundbreaking designs. This is as much a garden for gardeners as for those who just enjoy looking and strolling.

Dine in the refined Column Room, renowned for its traditional and champagne afternoon teas or eat more casually in the charming Stables Café. You can make use of the café without paying to enter the gardens.