Marlfield House & Gardens

Surrounding a beautiful regency period house, the garden and grounds extend to 36 acres. Woodlands form the back drop to meandering paths through an extensive kitchen garden of herbs, vegetables and fruits. Long borders of shrubs and herbaceous perennials flank a yew hedge and lead to the lawns and formal gardens.

A very tall redwood dominates the lawn backed by cherry trees, pines, beech, oak and a rare flowering ash. The path continues through laurel and rhododendron until the tennis court appears at the highest point. Walking down from the tennis court through thick bamboo, visitors cross a stream covered in enormous gunnera leaves, a native of Brazil, and up two sets of steps through a formal knot garden or parterre.

The lake and wildfowl reserve form a completely separate garden to the front of the house. In the middle of the lake the island, reached by a wooden bridge, has beautiful specimens of hydrangeas, magnolias, azaleas and a handkerchief tree.