| The Garden House | |
| Location: | Buckland Monachorum |
| Address: | The Garden House, Buckland Monachorum, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 7LQ |
| Location Country: | England |
The Garden House is an open garden located in Buckland Monachorum, Devon, England. The first house built in 1305 was intended to be a home for the vicars of the civil parish.
The gardens are now open to the public and are home to a number of historical features, including the ruins of the old vicarage, a 14th-century barn, and a 17th-century dovecote.
The first house was built in 1305 by the Abbot, upon instruction from the Bishop to build a house for the parish priest, and was later enlarged to become a three-storey building.
The Garden House was originally the early 19th century home of the vicars of Buckland Monachorum. The garden was bought by Lionel Fortescue, a former head of languages and master at Eton College, and his wife Katherine Fortescue in the 1940s following World War II. They began a process of restoration and expansion over the course of 40 years and created a series of linked gardens.[1] [2]
The remains of this building are a tower with spiral staircase and a thatched barn, formerly the kitchen, are now ruins on the lower terrace in the walled garden. A tearoom has also been built on the ground floor.[3]
The Garden House covers 10 acres[4] of land and is divided into themed areas. There are five terraces in the walled garden that began the garden. They include formally planted areas, including a tennis court, camellia walk and a lower terrace of folial borders.[5]
The Walled Garden is a 2-acre plot set around the remnants of a 16th-century vicarage. It features terraced layout and a tower offering views of the landscape.[6]
The Jubilee Arboretum, which contains over a hundred specimen trees as well as a man made lake, was officially opened by HRH The Countess of Wessex in 2013.[7]