Things to see and do in the garden at Barrington Court

View of the White Garden at Barrington Court | © James Dobson, National Trust

The formal garden areas form a small part of the mosaic of garden and estate land at Barrington Court. A bridge leads you over the moat and through a carved and weathered oak door to the beautiful walled garden. The spaces here are arranged as a series of connected individual garden 'rooms', each with its own theme or focus. The famous garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll, was consulted on the layout and best planting schemes for these areas.

This season in the garden

After a dry summer, the recent rains have freshened up the garden for autumn. It is a great time for the whole family to join in the harvesting of cider apples in the orchards. As the leaves change colour, it’s time to wrap up and enjoy the acers and beech trees in the arboretum. Don’t miss the avenue of 75 Tulip trees, which turn a buttery yellow, adding a special touch to the seasonal display. The team will be collecting the last of the harvest from the Kitchen Garden and you might spot them giving the hedges a trim.

The Rose and Iris Garden

The Rose Garden was replanted in the 1990s following Jekyll's original scheme. Renovation of the rose beds took place during 2017 and they are now firmly established, with the fantastic floral displays of Rosa 'Felicia', 'Cornelia' and 'Penelope' (to name but a few) at their height in the summer. These were originally bred in the early 1900s by rosarian and clergyman, the Rev. Joseph Pemberton.

The White Garden

This garden originally featured colourful roses and paeonies but in the 1980s the planting scheme was redesigned by Andrew Lyle and the head gardener into what you see today. Set off by tall, beautiful stone walls this is a garden that unashamedly celebrates the colour white in all its understated and quiet perfection.

A large orange pumpkin the — Pumpkins in the Kitchen Garden at Barrington Court | © National Trust/Alex Learmont

The Lily Garden

The largest of the gardens and the first to be planted, the Lily Garden remains closest of all to Gertude Jekyll’s designs for Barrington Court, with planting that is rich and changing through the seasons. The planting follows Jekyll’s rainbow spectrum, with an intricate combination of fine detail and bold sweeps of colour.

The South Lawn

The lawn that extends out from the south side of Court and Strode House to the ha-ha is not part of the walled garden. The Lyles' intention was to keep it as a simple, sweeping lawn with views out over the parkland, making it an ideal spot for a picnic.

The Kitchen Garden

Traditionally the kitchen garden was the larder of any country house and this one, created in 1921, was an integral part of the estate feeding generations of the Lyle family. Today the walls are still covered in beautifully trained fruit of all shapes and sizes including apples, pears, nectarines and cherries.

Key features in Barrington Court's garden

The Herbaceous border at Barrington Court — The Herbaceous border in bloom at Barrington Court | © Hilary Daniel, National Trust

The herbaceous border in bloom

The herbaceous borders that run down the orchard side of the Kitchen Garden are full of colour starting with blossoms and tulips in the spring, all through summer and heading into autumn when the asters and michaelmas daisies look especially joyful.