Gardens in South Wiltshire and Bath

This tour is a wonderful opportunity to visit private gardens in Wiltshire that are very rarely open and a privilege that some very generous owners have agreed to share them with us – the following descriptions really do not begin to do them justice.  The four star Bailbrook House Hotel, part of the Handpicked hotel group, is a Georgian country mansion with bedroom annex, set in its own landscaped grounds on the outskirts of the city with easy access and parking.

Monday 1 June:  Check into the Bailbrook House Hotel before dining with fellow guests in the evening.
Tuesday 2 June:  Fonthill House, Knoyle Place and Corsley House
Three stunning gardens.   Knoyle Place - A very beautiful and elegant nine acre garden which has been subtly and attractively enhanced in recent decades with box parterres, rose garden, vegetable garden and above the house several acres of mature rhododendron and magnolia woodland planting.  Then to Fonthill House set in breathtaking rolling countryside with extensive views.  Surrounding the house are the formal gardens with mixed planting of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, bulbs and annuals. There are old and new sculptures including a water feature by William Pye.  Surrounded by the deer park and lake with extensive woodland of azaleas, magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons.  Late lunch in a local restaurant before the afternoon visit to Corsley House.   A relaxed and biodiverse garden which has been returned to its former glory and now sits comfortably in its rural setting with a spectacular view of Cley Hill.  A new addition to the grounds is the wave lawn which undulates along the Georgian side of the house also a truly exceptional walled garden.

 Wednesday 3 June: The Gardens of Bowood House and West Lavington Manor
Bowood House and stunning gardens are set within ‘Capability’ Brown’s beautifully landscaped park.  There will be exclusive access to the four-acre Walled Garden prior to public opening and guided tour of the upper and lower Terrace Gardens and the East Border. Time to enjoy the house which been owned by the family for many generations and was famously where their former librarian Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen in 1774.  A light lunch included in the restaurant.  In the afternoon a visit to West Lavington Manor.  A 15^th century manor house with spectacular 5 acre walled garden, established by Sir John Danvers, who brought the Italianate garden to this country. Delightful aspects including laburnum walk, replanted herbaceous border, an authentic Japanese garden, new mulberry rotunda, orchard with numerous different apple and pear species, an arboretum with outstanding specimen trees and lake.

Thursday 4 June:  Caisson Gardens and gardens of The Bath Priory Hotel
Checking out of the hotel before morning visits. Caisson is a wonderfully eclectic and romantic garden set in the most beautiful English countryside around a Georgian house. It is a mix of herbaceous borders, topiaries, ponds and rills, a walled garden with fruit trees, greenhouses, flower and vegetable beds. There are wildflower meadows surrounding the garden and the disused Somerset Coal Canal runs through the property. (Note access with be with two small mini-buses!) Then to the Bath Priory Hotel where the gardens are an integral feature and cover four acres, including a kitchen garden, meadow and lawns.   Return to the hotel or drop at Bath Station 2 pm.