RDC News Make a point of visiting us weekly!        Tell a friend about us. Places to Go:    Essex’ Beauty in its Gardens and Country Houses Return to top of page

In Ingatestone, step back some 400 years to the 16th century and the home of another knight of the realm, Sir William Petre, Secretary of State to for Tudor monarchs. Scions of the Petre family still live in Ingatestone Hall and they have done much to preserve much of the original form and appearance of the house. Indeed, Sir William would still recognise much of the surrounding landscape and many of the manor’s features, such as the mullioned windows, high chimneys, crow-step gables and oak-panelled rooms.  Outside, the hall is surrounded by ten acres of land, complete with a walled garden, fish – or ‘stew’ - pond and extensive lawns. Visitors can enjoy a fascinating tour of the hall’s eight principal rooms containing paintings, furniture and memorabilia accumulated over the centuries and wander in the gardens. For further details see www.ingatestonehall.com


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Let Essex’s country houses and gardens seduce you with their beauty and peacefulness this summer


What could be more quintessentially English than a country house and formal garden? Essex is blessed with a wealth of historic venues and stunning green spaces, each possessing a distinctive character and atmosphere all of its own. Whether you’re a connoisseur of majestic architecture, natural beauty, living history, or cultivated splendour, you’ll find everything you’re looking for – and more – in Essex’s houses and gardens.

“One of the most important post-war gardens in the country - where sculpture and plants complement each other perfectly,” was how BBC Gardener’s World described the garden designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd in Harlow.  His eponymous Gibberd Garden and Rooms are Grade II-listed and open throughout summer (until September), with a lively events programme including music, theatre and open evenings throughout the Season.  Horticulturalists will adore the formal terraces, lawns, pools and avenues, romantic woodland glades and multitude of streams which characterise the shady lower areas of the Garden. Art lovers will be drawn to the extensive collection of modern sculpture and architectural pieces that Sir Frederick and Lady Gibberd acquired over their lifetime.

Works by celebrated artists including August Rodin, Dame Barbara Hepworth, Sir Henry Moore and Dame Elizabeth Frink can be seen, along with a growing number of pieces by young British artists.  As the principal planner of Harlow, then a new town, Sir Frederick was keen to make his garden a haven for his grandchildren - and to this day, it is a magical place for younger visitors. For further details see www.thegibberdgarden.co.uk


RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Rettendon enjoys panoramic views across the rolling countryside, with vast, open skies overhead.  The garden itself is composed of an eclectic variety of horticultural styles that provide year round interest and colour. Highlights include the traditionally-styled Hilltop Garden with its lush green lawns, ponds, and roses, and the Mediterranean Dry Garden which showcases drought-tolerant plants. Hyde Hall also offers a broad range of events throughout the year, so visitors can take part in gardening workshops, themed musical evenings and film screenings, or visit shows and exhibitions.


Audley End near Saffron Walden is one of England’s most magnificent stately homes. It was given by Henry VIII to his Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas Audley who transformed it into this grand Jacobean mansion. It was built to entertain kings and in  1668 Charles II bought it as somewhere to stay when he attended the races at Newmarket. During the 18th century Robert Adam added an impressive suite of reception rooms on the ground floor and 'Capability' Brown was brought in to landscape the parkland.

The stunning formal gardens include an Organic Kitchen Garden, which features herbs, flowers and grasses in keeping with those grown and used in the house around 1880.

Built in the same year that Henry VIII met the French king, Francis I at the Field of Cloth of Gold, Layer Marney Tower is the tallest Tudor Gatehouse in England. Henry stayed in the impressive tower in 1522; however the palace it was intended to lead to was never actually completed. Today, Layer Marney is home to the Charrington family, whom welcome visitors. Climbing the 80ft tower’s 99 steps is well worth the effort, as the reward is a breathtaking view across the north of the county. The roses in the garden thrive in the rich, heavy clay soil and also benefit from the warm south facing aspect to produce gloriously scented, colourful displays right through the summer. A knot garden further evokes the time of King Henry and the Marney family who originally built the house, however the garden wasn’t significantly developed until the Victorian era. There are some beautiful and unusual trees growing around the lawns on which visitors are welcome to picnic. More at www.layermarneytower.co.uk

On a midsummer evening, with the fresh scent of flowers and herbs on the air, bees lazily meandering amongst the plants and birdsong from the trees, Essex has some of the most beautiful and restful places in Britain. It is easy to envisage the past owners of these great houses and gardens enjoying similar scenes across the centuries and admiring the creativity and vision of their generations and today.

For more ideas of places to visit and further information on the attractions mentioned, please visit www.visitessex.com/disover/rural

For enthusiastic gardeners looking for inspiration and indeed, plants, the Beth Chatto Gardens are a must.  Covering 6 acres, these beautiful gardens have become world famous. Creative use of the space has seen Beth and her team transform something of a wasteland into both a visitor attraction and important resource. There are four principal gardens across the site; scree, gravel, woodland and water all with lush leafy plantings of Gunnera, Eupatorium, Phormium and impressive Miscanthus around a series of natural ponds. Beth has described her style of gardening as ‘ecological’, following her late husband Andrew’s extensive research into to the natural associations between garden plants. The adjoining nursery and shop means that visitors can recreate aspects of the garden back home, or learn from her books and writings. To help plan your visit, have a look here www.bethchatto.co.uk

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