East Lambrook Manor facts for kids
East Lambrook Manor is a charming old house in a small village called East Lambrook, in Somerset, England. It's famous for its beautiful "cottage garden," which was created by a very talented gardener named Margery Fish. She started planting it in 1938, and it grew into something truly special before she passed away in 1969. This garden is so important that it's officially listed as a Grade I historic park!
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The Manor House
The house at East Lambrook Manor is very old, built way back in the 1400s and 1500s. It's made from a local stone called hamstone. Long ago, it was an "open hall-house," which means it had a big open room in the middle. Before Margery Fish and her husband bought it, the house was in need of repair, having been used as a chicken farm. They carefully restored it in the 1930s.
The Amazing Garden
Quick facts for kids East Lambrook Manor Gardens |
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| Type | Cottage Garden |
| Location | East Lambrook, Somerset, England |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Plants | Geraniums, euphorbias, helleborus, snowdrops, roses, rare and unusual cottage garden plants |
| Collections | National Collection of Geraniums |
| Website | http://www.eastlambrook.co.uk/ |
In 1937, Margery Fish and her husband, Walter Fish, bought East Lambrook Manor. They paid £1000 for it, which was a lot of money back then! Margery loved gardening and started creating the gardens in 1938. She called her style "jungle gardening" because it was very natural and informal.
Margery Fish wrote several books about cottage gardens, sharing her ideas with others. Her gardens, which cover about 2 acres (0.8 hectares), are home to a special collection of Geraniums. They also have many beautiful snowdrops.
Special Plants from the Garden
Some plants are even named after the garden itself! For example, there's a silver-leafed plant called Artemisia absinthium 'Lambrook Silver'. There's also a yellow-flowered plant called Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii 'Lambrook Gold'. And a lovely primrose flower named Primula 'Lambrook Mauve'.
Restoring the Garden
After Margery Fish passed away in 1969, the garden was carefully restored starting in 1985. The goal was to make it look just as it did when she was alive. Because it's so special, English Heritage gave the garden Grade I status in 1992. This means it's one of the most important historic gardens in England.
In 2011, the gardens even started offering a special course called the East Lambrook Diploma in Horticulture. This course teaches people both the theory and practice of gardening.
Visiting the Gardens
East Lambrook Manor gardens are open to visitors for most of the year, usually from Tuesday to Saturday. When you visit, you enter through a stone building called the Malthouse. Inside the Malthouse, you'll find a gallery and a café.
Behind the Malthouse is an area known as the Ditch. This area used to have water flowing through it, and Margery Fish planted plants that love moisture there. Now, the water doesn't flow anymore, so it has been replanted as a beautiful sunken garden. To the east of the house, you'll find the Silver Garden. This part of the garden has many plants that come from the Mediterranean region, and they often have lovely silver leaves.
