The Gardens
This is a plan of the Grounds.
The 7-acre site slopes gently down from South to North. The soil is based on
Greensand, which makes it easy to work, but also prone to Moles.
It is not at all clear how the gardens looked before the early thirties, as no pictures have emerged.
There was a carriage loop in front of the house, now grassed over.
The designer Russell Page worked at Longleat before the war and was called in to make considerable alterations, most
of which survive.
The pictures below show some of the areas of the Garden.
The Lake
The garden in front of the house is dominated by a Lake, which is man-made and fed by an underground conduit.
The lake acted as a reservoir for the Dye Works, owned by the Fussells, which predated the house but which
was demolished in the 1850's. Mallard, Little Grebe and Moorhens breed there, and among visiting species
are Herons and Kingfishers. Invisible in this picture is an Island, which sank, but which is still a hazard to navigation;
plans are in hand to restore it. Elderly Carp surface occasionally, like nuclear submarines.
Water Garden
The overflow from the lake is channelled into a series of cascades and ponds to form a Water Garden.
This was planned by Lord Weymouth in the 1930's, and he is said to have done much of the work himself.
Today, dominated by enormous Gunnera, the area provides a lush home for moisture-loving plants of all kinds.
Daffodil Walk
Beyond the lake is an area of trees and shrubs which in the spring is a sea of daffodils.
This has been the scene of a long-drawn-out battle against Ground Elder,
with the aim of replacing it with grass. Vicious poisons have been used, at times when the daffodils
are dormant, and eventual success is probable.
Formal Garden
To the south of the house is the Formal Garden, designed by Russell Page before the war.
The Lily Pond, once with Knot gardens on either side, and the Beech Walk also date from this period.
The Longleat archive contains Page's design for this area, as well as details of the
(then wooden, now stone) posts in front of the house, between which chains are still stretched.
Main Lawn
The Main Lawn, to the west of the house, leads on to a fine view down the valley and into Somerset, and borders
the Orchard, now such in name only. This lawn was always referred to as "The Field", and even after seven year's mowing, one can see why.
The designer Norah Lindsay refers to giving advice in the late 1920's on a garden for "..the young Weymouths
to live in and love in", and refers to a "plantain-infested field". There are still a few plantains.
Lime Walk
The Pleached Lime Walk was planted by Lees Mayall; indeed, much of the more interesting planting in the garden
is due to him, and expresses his lifelong interest in trees and shrubs.
Walled Garden
The Walled Garden was, until the 1960's, the site of five large heated greenhouses. Foundations and
Tarmac paths have been replaced by grass and brick-edged flower beds.
The old Walled Kitchen Garden, and the Stable Block with its Clock Tower, are now in separate ownership.
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