Larmer Tree Gardens facts for kids
The Larmer Tree Gardens are special gardens near Tollard Royal in south Wiltshire, England. They were created in 1880 by a landowner named Augustus Pitt Rivers. He wanted them to be a fun place for everyone to visit and learn from. These were the first private gardens in the United Kingdom that were opened for the public to enjoy, and you could enter for free!
The gardens cover about 11 acres (4.5 hectares). They are considered very important historically and are part of the Rushmore Estate. This area is within Cranborne Chase, which was once an old royal hunting ground. Today, it's known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty because of its amazing natural scenery.
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Exploring the Gardens
The Larmer Tree Gardens are located in the very south of Wiltshire, right on the border with Dorset. They are just south of Tollard Royal village.
When you enter, you'll see a two-story lodge, which was built in 1881 for the caretaker. The gardens have a main lawn surrounded by many old trees, like conifers, oak, and yew. There's also lots of laurel growing underneath them. More woodlands surround the gardens on most sides.
Around the main lawn, you'll find some interesting old buildings from around 1880.
- The Temple is made of stone and shaped like an octagon with a round roof and fancy doors.
- There are also two beautiful Indian pavilions made of wood. These were brought here and put back together. Originally, there were six of these pavilions. They were places where groups could have picnics while listening to music from a central bandstand.
- In 1895, an open-air theatre was added. It has a curved arch for the stage and is called the Singing Theatre.
- Other buildings include the New Pavilion and the Jubilee Hall.
These gardens are so special that they are listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by English Heritage. This means they are protected for their historical importance.
A Look Back: The 19th Century
In 1880, Augustus Lane Fox inherited the Rushmore Estate. He had to change his name to Pitt Rivers as part of the will. Soon after, he started creating the Larmer Tree Pleasure Grounds, and they opened to the public in 1885.
The gardens are named after the Larmer Tree. This was a famous old tree on the county border. People said that King John (who lived from 1167 to 1216) and his friends used to meet under this tree when they went hunting. The original tree was a type of elm and was still alive in 1894. Later, an oak tree was planted in its place.
Pitt Rivers built several structures around the main lawn. He wanted these to help visitors learn and be entertained. There was also a racecourse, a golf course, a bowling green, and lawn tennis courts.
There were eight special picnic areas. Each one was surrounded by cherry laurel bushes and had small thatched buildings in case of bad weather. Pitt Rivers even provided plates, forks, and knives for picnickers for free! He also offered chairs, tables, and places for 20 horses.
Music and shows were a big part of the gardens. Plays were performed by workers from the estate at the Singing Theatre, and people would recite poetry. A band played music on Sunday afternoons during the summer. In the evenings, thousands of glass lamps with candles lit up the gardens for open-air dancing.
The gardens became very popular. By 1899, over 44,000 people visited each year! After Pitt Rivers passed away in 1900, the gardens closed. They only opened sometimes after that.
Bringing the Gardens Back to Life
The gardens were closed for about 90 years. During this time, the cherry laurel bushes grew wild and covered almost everything except the main lawn. Many of the buildings also started to fall apart.
In 1991, a restoration project began under the guidance of Michael Pitt-Rivers. The gardens were finally re-opened to the public in 1995. In 1999, a new Larmer Tree was planted to celebrate the new millennium.
Larmer Tree Gardens Today
Many of the old Victorian buildings are still there today. These include the Nepalese Room, the Roman Temple, and the Colonial-style pavilion, which used to be the Tea Room. The open-air theatre has a painted backdrop based on a famous 1648 painting called The Funeral of Phocion by Nicolas Poussin.
Wide paths lined with cherry laurel hedges lead out from the main lawn into the surrounding woodland. You can see beautiful displays of camellias, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, and eucryphias, along with many other trees and shrubs. You might even spot peacocks and colorful free-flying macaws roaming around the gardens!
The woods around the gardens are one of the largest areas of natural broad-leaved woodland in southern England. For many centuries, these woods were managed to produce strong, straight hazel sticks by a method called coppicing.
The Larmer Tree Gardens are privately owned. You can visit them from Easter until the end of September each year, but they are closed on Fridays and weekends because they are often used for weddings and other events. Just like in Pitt Rivers' time, picnickers are welcome! You can even use croquet equipment and deckchairs for free, and enjoy free music on Sunday afternoons.
The famous film director Ken Russell visited the gardens as a child and later used them in some of his movies, like The Debussy Film (1965) and The Music Lovers (1970).
Festivals and Events
The Larmer Tree Gardens are a popular spot for festivals and concerts.
- The Larmer Tree Festival, a music and arts festival, was held here every July since 1991. It was paused in 2020 and has not yet returned.
- Since 2006, another music festival called the End of the Road Festival takes place here in late August or early September each year.
- The Enchanted Garden, a music festival that was part of The Big Chill, also happened here from 1998 to 2002.
Many other events and concerts are held at the gardens throughout the summer. In 1999, a show called Dining with Alice, based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was performed here as part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival.
