Her great-grandfather had been a Lane-Fox of Bramham Park, Yorkshire, a gardening dynasty that continues to this day. Still in her forties, she persuaded the Earl to let her manage and improve the garden.
Relocation, relocation
Violet’s most pressing problem was that several of the tall elms that formed the fourth, eastern ‘wall’ around the garden had fallen, and the last remaining trees had to be removed. This meant the unsightly, walled kitchen garden and glasshouses were now in full view from the Castle.
Violet relocated the entire kitchen garden, glasshouses and all, to a new position behind the Wilderness ridge. On its empty footprint she made a new Formal Garden, suitable for large social occasions or children’s play.
Violet's Formal Garden
The Formal Garden became part of the view from the Castle and was typically Edwardian, comprising of flat open spaces set within walls and hedges. There was room for prettiness in flower borders and blossoming fruit trees which still stand today.