Eastcombe, Bussage and Brownshill Gardens

Our first NGS gardens of the 2018 season and what a weekend for it :) The hottest May Bank Holiday on record. The gardens range from the small and manicured through the meandering interesting to the large and impressive. 

 

We have watched these gardens develop and mature over the years and had our share of exercise in this hilly terrain. The villages are situated atop of the Stroud valleys allowing impressive views over the surrounding countryside.

  

Sandwell Barn, Weston Hall and Atcombe Court

Tucked away off the A40 is this little gem. Sandwell Barn was a Victorian kitchen garden which has developed into a 2 1/2 acre garden ...

It has some features in common with Weston Hall, at the Ross end of the A40, but Weston has the Wisteria and the folly.

and to complete the trilogy the amazing Atcombe Court with its backdrop of the Stroud valley. A full 12 acres to roam including a woodland walk and terraces around a C17 extended house.

Charingworth Court, Winchcombe

Over the last hundred years, the house at Charingworth has been through different owners and eventually fell into disrepair in the 1980s. It was almost lost as a result of widespread rot and stood empty for several years, its future in the balance, but creative use of planning gain saw the old house made sound.

The picturesque garden was host to a sculpture show as part of the Winchcombe Art Trail.

Garden Visits

Eastcombe, Bussage and Brownhill Gardens are an annual favourite of ours. Atop a Stroud valley some of the climbs are steep but the views and the gardens make it all worthwhile.









as does the tea n cakes at the village hall :-p



The following day we made our first ever visit to LIttle Malvern Court. Passed it on the road a few times but never been in. Enchanting. A brilliant sunny day the ten acre site was cloaked in white blossoms. The architecture of the buildings is an interesting historical conglomerate, based on a former Benedictine priory, that blends in well with the lakeside walks, topiary hedging against the amazing backdrop of the Malverns.

and, of course, the now mandatory ...