Gardens to visit in spring and summer – Hatfield House

The garden at Hatfield House dates from the early 17th century when Robert Cecil, First Earl of Salisbury, employed John Tradescant the Elder to collect plants for his new home. Tradescant was sent to Europe where he found and brought back trees, bulbs, plants and fruit trees, which had never previously been grown in England. To frame them adequately, the Hatfield House came to incorporate orchards, fountains, scented plants, water gardens, terraces and herb gardens.

Following the fashion for landscape gardening and some neglect in the 18th century, restoration of the garden started in earnest in Victorian times. Lady Gwendolen Cecil, younger daughter of Prime Minister Salisbury, designed the West Garden as we see it today and the East Garden was laid out by the 5th Marquess of Salisbury. As always with the gardens of stately homes, some personal idiosyncrasies creep into the designs, look out for single colour flower beds for example, Lady Gwendolen was rather keen on them.

In the garden – rather oddly – visitors will find the Great Hall, which is the surviving wing of the Royal Palace of Hatfield (1485) where Elizabeth I spent some of her childhood. This building is now known as the Old Palace and is used extensively for entertaining and corporate events. The Great Hall would once have been where the King banqueted.

Today, the garden to the west of the house, which includes the Herb, Knot and Wilderness areas, can be seen whenever the house is open. However, all forty two acres, including the Kitchen Garden and the formal parterres to the east of the house leading down to the lake, are open especially for garden enthusiasts on Thursdays - except during August.

Hatfield photograph by nogoairear, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

© blueworldgardener.co.uk