A future for Jekyll’s gem
MUNSTEAD WOOD in Surrey, the house and garden created by Gertrude Jekyll as her own home from 1898 until her death in 1932, has been acquired by the National Trust (Athena, page 54). It had been in the hands of the Clark family for some 40 years, but, following the death of Lady Marjorie Clark last year, the family decided to sell. The property had been on the open market at a guide price of £5.25 million; on April 21, it was discreetly bought by the Trust for £4.5 million, with considerable assistance from HMRC.
Last week, two days before the announcement of the sale, COUNTRY LIFE was given exclusive first sight of the property (above) in Trust ownership. The house, designed for Jekyll by Edwin Lutyens during the early period of their collaboration, is almost a shell, with no furniture. However, almost all of the original fixtures and fittings (doors, windows, latches and so on) are in place, as are several Jekyll-designed fireplaces and built-in cupboards with inlaid decoration. There have been a few changes to the interior —an updated kitchen and bathrooms, some modern carpets—but, overall, the building is in fine condition and retains much of its atmosphere and integrity.
The reputation of the 11-acre garden suffered in the latter years of the 20th century, but began to recover after the arrival in 2003 of head gardener Annabel Watts, who is being retained in post by the Trust and will be joined by several colleagues in due course. Jekyll’s ornamental garden areas, such as the late-spring garden (currently filled with lupins), are clearly delineated and gardened in the correct spirit, whereas the azaleas in the birch and oak woodland
