Journey for THE EYE
The gardens at Arley Hall vary greatly in character as each twist and turn of the pathways leads unpredictably from hushed inner sanctuaries to wide open spaces with far-reaching vistas. Ranging from enclosed courtyards bathed in soft sunbeams and fresh fragrances, to rose gardens of singular profusion and lavishly planted herbaceous borders, around each corner lie sights, sounds and scents designed to captivate and soothe.
The estate is set amid parkland and a patchwork of fields and copses in Cheshire and has been owned by the same family since the 15th century. As head gardener Gordon Baillie explains: “The gardens have a special warmth and an intimacy that derive from having been a much-loved family garden for many generations. The family are very engaged in every aspect of the gardens.” He notes that: “Lady Ashbrook takes an interest in the rose garden and herbaceous borders [believed to be England’s first] while Lord Ashbrook’s passion is the woodland.”
Some specimens date back to the 1830s when the gardens were laid out by
