The Land of Wide Skies, Private Gardens of Norfolk

14 June 2022

4 days from £2,290pp

Hosted by Stephen Anderton, gardening correspondent of The Times and led by garden historian Dr Sophie Piebenga

Guided tour of the garden of Silverstone Farm: the home of garden designer George Carter
Visit to Kettle Hill
Early bird tour of the gardens at Houghton Hall
Visit to Hunworth Hall
Visit the contemporary gardens of East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden
See the gardens of Elsing Hall

Enjoy a hand-picked selection of fine private gardens in a quintessentially English region of rural Britain, a little-known landscape of flint and red brick architecture, steeply pitched roofs of tile and thatch, round church towers and long sandy beaches. In every garden visited in this quiet corner of old England we are met for special guided tours to learn the essentials of the creation of exceptional gardens. The owners of Holme Hale Hall will guide us through the work of Arne Maynard; classical garden designer George Carter will describe his theatrical green garden; Roger Last invites us to view the garden that he began to create with his brother as a boy and is still developing into retirement; at Hunworth Hall we will see the passion and hard work of Dr Henry Crawley in the creation of an inspired garden from a paddock and family vegetable plot and at The Old Vicarage, East Ruston, Alan Gray will show us a garden that started as a field to become what is one of the most remarkable and enjoyable contemporary gardens in Britain. We are accommodated for three nights at Titchwell Manor Hotel, a small hotel on the North Norfolk coast with views across wild marshes to the sea. The rooms are simple, fresh and comfortable and the restaurant currently holds three AA Rosettes for excellent, innovative food.

Day 1:
Our tour begins at Norwich Railway Station. Those parking at the hotel will be collected by our coach before we drive together to Silverstone Farm, home and garden of designer, George Carter, where we are invited to lunch and a guided tour of his formal theatrical green garden. We then head to Kettle Hill, a jewel of a garden punctuated by pink follies with excellent views across to Blakeney Point and the sea: a garden with a new head of steam. We then drive along the North Norfolk coast to Titchwell Manor Hotel with time to settle in before an evening meal together.
Day 2:
We start the day with a real treat: an ‘early bird’ tour by the head gardener of the wonderful walled gardens at Houghton Hall, home of David, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley. We arrive before the garden is officially open with time to explore the larger garden before lunching together. In the afternoon, we are guests of Charlotte and Dr Henry Crawley at Hunworth Hall. This new creation has strong Dutch influences with much topiary and formal hedges dissected by water canals and vistas headed by a very fine pavilion, all reflecting the style and the period of the house. We then return to Titchwell Manor for an evening meal together.
Day 3:
Just a short distance from the East coast yet sheltered from the worst of the elements we find East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden where we are shown one of the most remarkable and enjoyable contemporary gardens in the country by owner, Alan Gray. Following lunch, we are invited to Corpusty Mill, a complex series of interlinking contrasting spaces overflowing with fine plants. We will be shown three very different sections: one, a manicured web of fine plants and intricate follies; another, informal and relaxed with lake and stainless-steel obelisk; and the last, latest section with an unexpected twist! We then head back to Titchwell Manor for our final evening meal together.
Day 4:
There are a number of moated manor houses in Norfolk but not all with fine gardens: Elsing Hall is an exception. The 15th century manor is surrounded by beautiful gardens with especially notable collections of old English roses and pines as well as a fine gingko avenue. Not far away you are invited by Mr and Mrs Simon Broke to a lunch made by the ladies from Holme Hale Church and to visit the gardens of Holme Hale Hall that has been in the Broke family for several generations. The gardens have been reworked by garden designer, Arne Maynard from the bones of the original garden. The walled garden has come back to life, once again growing vegetables and fruits now with long borders in pastel shades. Elsewhere, low cloud hedges of box are filled with perennial grasses framing the formal façade of the Hall. Later this afternoon we return to Norwich Railway Station. Those who have travelled by car will be transferred to Titchwell Manor.

Sophie Piebenga

Trained with the National Trust and qualified at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Whilst working as head gardener of a private estate, she developed a particular interest in the conservation of historic gardens. This eventually led to a doctoral study at the University of York, researching the work of the early Victorian landscape gardener, William Sawrey Gilpin. She has since worked freelance, mostly in the field of historic landscape conservation. Born in The Netherlands, now based in the Cotswolds, Sophie has lived most of her life in the UK. For the last 25 years, Sophie has regularly led tours for Boxwood to Ireland, France, Spain, The Netherlands and within the UK.

Stephen Anderton

Stephen is the long-standing garden writer for the Times, as well as a lecturer and author. Trained originally in Drama and then Landscape Design, he worked in historic gardens where, latterly as National Gardens Manager for English Heritage, he was responsible for several major restoration projects. Discovering Welsh Gardens was published in 2009; his official biography Christopher Lloyd, His Life at Great Dixter appeared in March 2010 and Lives of the Great Gardeners in 2018. He now lives in the Black Mountains where he is making a large woodland garden.

Overview

Titchwell Manor is a Victorian farmhouse which now offers luxurious boutique accommodation. With a variety of rooms across the farm buildings and main house, Titchwell Manor provides a calm and comfortable setting in north Norfolk.