Historic Gardens
From sweeping vistas to organic vegetables, English Heritage cares for a number of historic gardens and landscapes around the country.
Find beautiful gardens to visit and learn more about the history of gardens through the ages, including those created by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, the 18th-century pioneer who radically changed the world of landscape gardening.
Autumn Garden Highlights
As the weather cools, our gardens transition into a vibrant autumnal colour palate of yellow, orange and brown. Keep cosy and enjoy wandering through our historic gardens where you'll discover the stories behind our leafy woodlands, decorative flower beds and seasonal kitchen produce. Here's our pick of the most impressive gardens of the season.
Find a gardenGardens to Visit
From rolling parkland and stunning vistas to elegant parterres and working kitchen gardens, we look after some of the most magnificent gardens in the country. If you're looking for inspiration, we've picked out some of our favourites here.
Top 10 Gardens for Gardeners-
Wrest Park
Enjoy over 90 acres of beautiful gardens, including landscapes remodelled by Capability Brown.
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Audley End
Wander the tranquil gardens created by Capability Brown, and enjoy stunning views across the Essex countryside.
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Kenilworth Castle
Walk in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth I in Kenilworth Castle’s restored 16th-century garden.
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Brodsworth Hall
Explore this 15 acre garden connected by tunnels, bridges and pathways, including a fern dell built in the 1860s.
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Osborne House
Enjoy the glorious terraces and stunning bedding made possible by the mild climate at Queen Victoria’s Isle of Wight home.
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Walmer Castle
Look out for spring blooms on Walmer’s woodland walk, and vist the tearoom to sample produce from the organic kitchen garden.
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Eltham Palace
Explore a rare example of a 1930s Arts and Crafts garden during a visit to this stunning Art Deco home.
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Down House
Visit the site of great scientific discovery at Down House, the home of Charles Darwin.
HISTORIC GARDEN BLOGS
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MOUNT GRACE: HOW TO SPOT AN ARTS AND CRAFTS GARDEN
Simplicity of design, use of local materials and traditional craftsmanship were all central principles of the movement we now know as ‘Arts and Crafts’. Discover how this applies to gardens.
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POET AND… GARDEN DESIGNER? ALEXANDER POPE AT CHISWICK HOUSE AND MARBLE HILL
Pope was at the forefront of new ideas at the time, setting the scene for some of the biggest changes in garden design in his time.
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THE HISTORY OF OSBORNE MYRTLE IN ROYAL WEDDINGS
Myrtle, a delicate white flower that grows at Osborne, has been the flower of choice for royal brides since the 1850s. In this blog we investigate the royal tradition and it's popularity at weddings.
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20 YEARS AT DOWN HOUSE – THEN AND NOW
In this blog we reveal how we re-presented the historic estate after acquiring it in the mid-1990s – and how we’re still bringing Darwin’s home to life 20 years on.
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NOT JUST CRICKET: 7 SPORTS PLAYED AT OUR HISTORIC PLACES
While the rules and attitudes might have changed over the years, many historic sports are still recognisable today. Here are some sporting highlights you can explore in our historic gardens.
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HUMPHRY REPTON AT KENWOOD: A NEW VISION FOR THE LANDSCAPE
At Kenwood in London, Repton provided advice on significant changes to be made to the landscape, and here we explore the designs that were used – and those that were not…
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HOW CHARLES DARWIN’S GARDEN INSPIRED THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION
From playing music to earthworms to wandering up and down his own ‘thinking path’, Charles Darwin found plenty of inspiration for his theories at Down House in Kent.
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How to garden like a Medieval Monk
Discover how much attention monks paid to their gardens. We take a closer look at the history of Mount Grace Priory and the role gardens played in the daily life of its monks.
Shop Gardens
From an elegant new piece of furniture to decorative birdhouses or even a caddie to hold all of your gardening tools, we’ve got just the thing to help you make the most of any outdoor space.
Visit Shop