Ascott House Gardens - National Trust

15th May 2007

The garden at Ascott has always been among its best-known and most original features. Covering over 30 acres it is an unusual blend of the formal and the natural. Unlike many gardens where the area nearest the house has the strongest architechural character, becoming gradually more naturalistic further away, at Ascott the reverse is true. Principal formal featues - Sundail, Madeira Walk, Venus Gardens and the Dutch Garden - are in a chain along the south side of the grounds, while the area in front of house is simply smooth grass sward dotted with trees in the park like manner. This arrangement reflects the original intention whereby the house, despite its size, aimed to keep the character of the old farmstead. The main part of the garden at Ascott seems to have been laid out in the 1880's following Leopold de Rothschild's marriage and was conceived partly as a present for his wife and a celebration of their happy marriage. This explains details like the motto round the sundial ('Light and shade by turn but love always') and not least the Venus and cupid symbolism of the the two large fountains.

Veiw from drive AM001.jpg	Bluebells AM002.jpg	Light through leaves AM003.jpg	Ascott house 1 AM004.jpg
Ascott house 2 AM005.jpg	Fountain AM006.jpg	Ascott house 3 AM007.jpg	Ascott house 4 AM008.jpg
Ascott house 5 AM009.jpg	Main entrance AM010.jpg	Ascott Lake AM011.jpg	Changing room for ice skating on the lake in winter AM013.jpg
Blossom AM014.jpg	Lake 2 AM015.jpg	Lake 3 AM016.jpg	Strange islands AM017.jpg
Mother and ducklings AM018.jpg	Weathervane AM019.jpg	White flowes - nice aromour AM020.jpg	Beech tree AM021.jpg
Sundial 1 AM022.jpg	Veiw from the lower gardens AM023.jpg	Slate Sulpture AM024.jpg	Tulips AM025.jpg