We visited the garden just after a terrible winter but there was still much to enjoy and the spring bulbs were in flower and the camelias and rhodedendrons were beginning to come into flower. The site is extensive and in an impressive location with views to the village church and the sea. Designed by Jekyll and surrounding the Lutyens House, it is a real pice of England in France.
We stopped here on our way to our night stop outside Rouen, it was recommended by French acquaintances who live nearby. We were very lucky to join an English group who had booked a tour of the house as we were shown round by Antoine Bouchayet-Mallet, great-grandson of the couple who built it. He was an excellent guide, spoke excellent english and put across with great enthusiasm the spirituality and passion which inspired his great grandparents to create this French monument to the English Arts and Crafts movement. Beware, though, unless you book a visit as a group of a minimum of 10 people, you are unlikely to be able to visit the house, and in mid-October (when we visited) the gardens are obviously not at their best and you really need a guide to inform you. A great visit, though; many thanks to M. Bouchayet-Mallet for allowing my wife and I to join his tour, it was one of the high points of our holiday.
Have visited these remarkable gardens several times now but it pays to go on different times of the year. Quite stunning and wonderfully tranquil. From the walled garden to the rhododendrons which are breathtaking. The different odours and setting overlooking the sea make this a very special experience. The family who own it are extremely charming when one comes across them and apparently a set of intellectuals used to visit there for thinking sessions....one can only say they must have been very productive. Almost made me change to becoming a botanist or horticulturalist!!!
This is surely one of the most under recognised destinations to visit a classic English country house and garden. This is an important and delightful Lutyens house, much more intimate than others I have visited as it is one of his first works. It has a well preserved and superbly maintained garden the equal of many in the Uk an comparable with Sissinghurst for its size, startly location and beauty, We went there by impulse and were astonished - it is worth a journey for those who enjoy subh things, especially if you can go when the house is open to view. A very good and memorable visit.
We were rather spoilt in having a delightful girl, a graduate in history I believe, guide us around the house and, as the owner was present, she managed to gain access to a few areas seldom seen. The printed guide to the gardens, parkland and woodlands enabled us to walk with interest for one and a half hours through a huge variety of blooms, bushes and extremely tall trees. My wife, a gardener, was very happy!
House by Lutyens, gardens by Gertrude Jeykill, sloping down to the sea. Signposted walk through the gardens. Well worth a visit.
The gardens are huge and amazing! Never seen so many beautiful plants and flowers in a single place! The landscape architecture is perfect and the maintenance is impeccable! The owners are very Welcoming and love sharing gheir passion for gardens! Antoine is the best host!
Absolutely beautiful gardens with only 2 gardeners and just every type of plant, tree and flower imaginable. A garden that must be visited by all who truly love gardens. It is very well signposted with arrows showing you the route and we met the lady who lives in the main house who also does some of the gardening. It is a family-owned garden and house and they are very accommodating. We only wish we had been there in July or August when the house is also open. Well worth visiting is the church at the end of the road where this garden is - but be warned that it is a very narrow road and a bit of a nightmare when you meet a car coming the other way!
A great experience also for families. Just follow the path (walk: +/- 45mn), stop to smell the roses and enjoy the views. Must be fantastic at the flowering period (April/May).
A Lutyens designed Arts & Crafts house set within a garden by Gertrude Jekyll and extensive park beyond, this is worth a visit at any time of the year - although the house is only open in the summer. To make the most of a visit it is worth the short drive to the church of Saint Valery and the cemetery marin. The main reason to visit is for the tomb of the painter, Georges Braque, but the setting high on a hill at the edge of the sea and overlooking the Alabaster coast is breathtaking.