Hidcote Manor Garden

Hidcote Manor Garden, located near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, is one of Britain’s best-known gardens in the Arts & Crafts style. Created by Lawrence Johnston in the early 20th Century, Hidcote is now owned by the National Trust and boasts 10.5 acres of land comprising gardens, the manor house, a thatched cottage, outbuildings and pastoral land.

We were blessed with a scorching hot summer’s day, so I donned my white summer dress and had a wander around the stunning grounds.

In gardens, the Arts & Crafts style is reflected through the use of outdoor ‘rooms’ which have their own themes or characteristics. Design is less formal and has an emphasis on herbaceous borders. ‘Rooms’ are separated by hedges, trees and shrubs imitating the designs of the Arts & Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The use of gates, walls, hedges and topiary is frequently seen at Hidcote which separate and give structure to the various different spaces.

I felt these smaller trees in particular really leant into the Arts & Crafts style; you can just imagine their twisting branches on a William Morris wallpaper.

Though the garden ‘rooms’ are packed together, you never felt the space was oppressed, especially when you turned a corner and found yourself looking at vast open corridors and fields.

August was a riot of colour with lilies, dahlias, sedum and fuchsias just some of the plants in full bloom.

What a gorgeous afternoon it was seeing Hidcote. I am so keen to return in Spring and early summer to see how the gardens change with the seasons.