Home of the great early 20th-century socialite Margaret Grenville, the old Regency house was extensively remodelled in 1906 as a base for her country house parties and filled with her collection of fine paintings, furniture, porcelain and silver. The future George VI and Queen Elizabeth spent part of their honeymoon here in 1923.
While the house remains closed due to the lockdown, the gardens have now reopened and include a series of beautiful formal walled gardens including a rose garden, an iris garden, a lavender garden and the double herbaceous border, plus more informal woodland and natural gardens. There is also the Ladies Garden where Mrs Grenville is buried just a short walk from the Pet Cemetery – Border Collie, Highland Terrier and Pekingese breeds were popular.
There is a Scottish link – Mrs Grenville gave the property to the National Trust in memory of her father William MacEwan, the Scottish brewer and politician whose name lives on in popular drinks such as MacEwan’s Scottish Ale and MacEwan’s McEwan’s Export which is the second highest selling canned premium ale in the UK. So, Scottish brewing has resulted in one of the most beautiful gardens in England….
