The Garden House

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Overview

A walled garden created around the ruins of a 16th-century vicarage; a rugged stone structure of snaking paths and overgrown walls; a wildflower meadow that merges seamlessly into the moorland scenery beyond; a from-gold-to-russet acer glade; a ‘magic’ stone circle on a grassy knoll; and, everywhere, skilful and inspirational planting – The Garden House has it all. At its heart is the 2-acre (0.8ha) walled garden created in 1947 by Lionel Fortescue, Eton schoolmaster and avid plant collector who lived at The Garden House with his wife Katharine from the 1940s until his death in 1981. The four terraces in the walled garden are linked by narrow flights of steps and ramps made with local stone. Seeds scatter and are allowed to thrive as they would in the wild, and the impression is delightful. As well as the walled garden, there is a summer garden; a nostalgic cottage garden; a quarry garden, and a ‘magic circle’ of fallen stones encircling a quartet of irregular-sized monoliths on a grassy knoll. Photo credit: John Richmond.

Features

Opening Times
Opening Times: Open 3 Mar-28 Oct, daily 10.30-5; Feb weekends 11-3

Facilities
Parking onsite
Cafe

Children

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Location

Buckland Monachorum, YELVERTON, PL20 7LQ

About the area

Devon sums up all that is best about the British landscape, with its magnificent coastlines, two historic cities, the world-famous Dartmoor National Park and south Devon’s glorious English Riviera. A fashionable and much-loved holiday destination, hiking and cycling in the National Parks is extremely popular among visitors, with a great choice of off-road routes.