Hanbury Hall and Gardens Part III: The Gardens

The gardens at Hanbury Hall are divided into three parts. First is the Formal Garden which is in the immediate vicinity of the house. Second is the Later Gardens which are farther out and are more focused on practical planting, producing the fruit and veg needed to support a large house like Hanbury Hall. Third is the Park which is more of a rough land where the flora and fauna is free to grow. Several paths and avenues had been set up in the the early 18th century by George London, a famous garden designer hired by the Vernon family when they acquired the house around 1700. Thomas Vernon was a successful lawyer who put his money into making a fabulous home for himself.

The most striking garden is the Sunken Parterre. It is closely trimmed and very symmetric, featuring a variety of colors and sizes that are quite delightful to the eye.

Jacob looks on the Sunken Parterre

Centrepiece #1

Centrepiece #2

Centrepiece #3

Centrepiece #4

Daddy is sunk

Another part that we enjoyed is the Bowling Green. Bowling was quite popular back in the day since King Charles II loved to gamble on the sport. Maintaining a proper bowling green was rather expensive but it did provide entertainment for guests and show off wealth. We tried it out though we didn't know any of the rules.

The Bowling Green

Lucy tries it out without reading the rules

A later edition to the garden (in 1745!) was the Orangery. Growing citrus fruit in England's climate is quite a challenge. Installing a building dedicated to providing the proper heat and shelter showed the wealth of the Vernon family. The windows face south to take full advantage of what sunlight is available.

The Orangery

Inside the Orangery

Pineapples too!

A dog left is mark...at least it was only his foot

Lemons at the Orangery?!?

Behind the Orangery is the Mushroom House, where they would raise mushrooms to eat. The household would do as much as it could to raise what it needed. The National Trust is adopting that attitude again, growing as much as they can and serving it in the tea shop.

Jacob fearlessly leads the way

The door into the Mushroom House

Children of the Mushroom

A fruit garden is also found next to the house with a pond backing on it.

Pond

The same pond

The Later Gardens include the restored Long Walk and the Lime Tree Walk, originally planned by London for the delight of people staying at the house. The Walled Garden was originally connected to the house by a "Snobs Tunnel," preventing the upper-crusty types from seeing the gardeners at work.

Walkway to the ice house

Snobs Tunnel

Nice view of misty fields

Another part of the Later Gardens is the Orchard, which is full of apple trees of many varieties.

Jacob shows some sass

More of the orchard

The Long Walk and the Lime Tree Walk extend out into the Park, which was originally part of the forest where the king and his nobles hunted deer. Now the land seems to be overrun with sheep, which is also a pleasant sight to see, though maybe not so challenging to hunt.

Deer Park

Hey, those aren't deer!

A new vegetable garden has been planted by the front of the house, yielding a rather nice picture.

New garden and the old homestead

Now that we've seen the house and gardens, let's take a peek into the accommodations available at the house for visitors who want to spend the night. That's in the next post.