Rousham House and Gardens

Hi Everyone,

This week I took a trip with some work colleagues to see Rousham House and Gardens roughly 12 miles North of Oxford. This beautiful 17th century building and surrounding land represents the first phase of landscape gardening with its idyllic ponds, romantic statues and enchanting woodland paths. The gardens feature classic 17th and 18th century designs with a surrounding ha-ha and a folly in the distant skyline known as the 'Eyecatcher'.

http://www.rousham.org/

Ha-has were used to create a sunken barrier between gardens and fields which kept animals away from the house while preserving the natural uninterrupted view to the landscape beyond. A folly is a building built for only decorative purposes such as a sham ruin on the horizon or a mock ruin set in woods.

One of the many stone statues  placed in key positions around the woods.

Fairly easy to find the house has a small car park and a ticket machine where we paid the fee of £6 per person to enter. Upon arriving at the house we decided to begin by following the path which led us through the woods and back to the house via the walled garden. Winding through the wood the path takes you on charming walk back in time and across the world to Ancient Rome. Past grey stone statues of gods and past the seven-arched praeneste decorated with coloured stone urns you turn the corner to a large octagonal pond fed by a grotto set into the hillside. The grotto is a nostalgic salute to classical Italian Renaissance design. Covered in dark moss and contrasted with vibrant ferns the grotto cools an observing guest which its gentle trickle of water. 

The seven arched praeneste.

The grotto at the octagonal pond.

The path leads on with a rille set in stone curving through the woods to bring you to the 17th century cold bathing pool and wash house. Built in the late 17th century the bathing pool was primarily used in the summer and autumn by guests and house residents to bathe outdoors. Although inviting on a hot day I can't help but to imagine how cold the bath must be some days and shiver.

At the end of the woodland walk the path ends with the gate to the walled garden. The walled garden encompasses herbaceous borders, beautiful dahlia beds, a small parterre, vegetable beds, a pigeon house and espalier apple trees. The bollywood coloured cultivars of Dahlias are a surprising and outstanding change to the romantic Italian feel the woods envisage. The walled garden shouts summer with its ripe apples and pears and colourful cut flower beds.

At the end of this great tour of the gardens we headed back to the ticket machine shelter to pick ourselves up some free apples held in crates from the espalier trees in the walled gardens.

I will definitely be visiting Rousham House and Gardens again. It has become one of my firm favourites of this summer. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area but be aware that no dogs are allowed on the grounds or children under the age of 15.

Thanks for reading,

Curiously Muddy.

P.S Some more pictures from the day.

The Dahlia border.

Red and White Dahlia in the border.

The octagonal pond.