A Garden for All Seasons
"Probably the Best Privately Owned Garden in Devon"
Castle Hill was built in 1730 as the Earl Fortescue’s family home in North Devon. The Palladian House, in which his descendants, the Earl and Countess of Arran are living, is set in a spectacular 18th century parklandlandscape with grassterraces
To the east side of the house is the Millennium Garden, designed by XaTollemache, the Chelsea Gold Medallist. The large herbaceous borders are edged with box and lavender and an illuminated “topiary” water sculpture was designed and built by Giles Rayner in 2002. From there the path takes you to the formal terraced lawns in front of the house where the eye is drawn across a small country road by a tree-lined avenue towards the Triumphal Arch built as an eye catcher.
Following the path to the west of the house, the woodland gardens are reached where camellias, magnolias, rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas, eucryphias abound together with other beautiful shrubs. Rare trees grow by the river and amongst a network of woodland paths in the Easter Close. Many of the paths, some gentle, some steep, are punctuated with follies, and temples built by each generation of the Fortescue family. The final climb takes you to the Castle perched splendidly on the high hill behind the house with magnificent views of Exmoor, Dartmoor and Lundy Island.
"In one word, beautiful"
"A wonderful way to spend the day"
"Very attractive, lovely walks"
Catering for Visitors:
- At our Ticket Office light refreshments are available at all times, as well as cream teas on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays.
- Groups and coach parties must pre-order lunches and teas in the West Wing. For group booking form please ring 01598 760336 Ext.1.
Disabled Access:
Parking is available adjacent to the ticket entrance. Access to the formal gardens and terraced lawns in front of the house as well as the riverside walk is possible for visitors in wheelchairs or with limited mobility, but some of the woodland gardens and hilltop castle are only accessible by steep paths.
Garden Diary:
August 2011
Take a stroll through the Woodland Garden which is a haven of tranquillity, peaceful walks amongst beautiful trees with Hydrangeas, Agapanthus and some Eucryphias (who have bravely come through the winter) interspersed amongst the shrubs.
The Millennium Garden is a joy to behold, the rivers of lavender cascading along the paths edging the colourful borders. At last everything is out and the combinations of blues, creams and dark reds look good against the house. Height is achieved with “towers” of Clematis and weeping pears, with Eupatorium and large clumps of perennials.
Our Walled Garden is also very colourful with the picking borders full of flowers to cut for the house. There are sweet peas covering the walls.
Other gardens to visit in the area:
Great British Gardens
Broomhill Sculpture Gardens, Muddiford, Barnstaple, North Devon
Clovelly Court Kitchen Gardens, Clovelly, Bideford, North Devon
Docton Mill Gardens, Lymebridge, Hartland, Devon
Hartland Abbey and Gardens, Hartland, Bideford, North Devon
Heddon Hall Gardens, Parracombe, Barnstaple, North Devon
Marwood Hill Gardens, Marwood, Barnstaple, North Devon
RHS Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Devon