A Truly Special Venue
The Italian Garden is an impressive structure, scale and formality so important in Italian design. This was one of the first gardens built by Mr Simpson in 1924 and early pictures show excavation work being carried out by hand with barrows of soil being pushed up wooden planks to form the high banks around the garden. Symmetry and formality are the prime characteristics of the Italian Garden, which is arranged around the cross of the central ornamental lake, with its carved stone fountains, exquisitely coloured water lilies and flashing shoals of Koi Carp to delight the eye. At each end of the lake there is a statuary that compels attention. At its head, the famous bronze Wrestlers of Herculaneum face each other in perpetual competition. Behind them, York Stone steps lead up to the terrace on which stand two ornate Venetian bronze lanterns, bearing the winged lions of St. Mark, patron saint of Venice. Below there is a central stone grotto housing a bronze bust of Mr. J. Stanley Beard the second owner. Dominating the far end of the lake is the domed temple of Bacchus supported on stone pillars and ‘the Roman god of wine’ is beautifully sculptured in Carrera marble. Arranged around the central lake are formal grass bordered beds massed with tulips in spring and replaced with summer annuals at the end of May. Permanent planting is backed by 32 columns of weathered Bath stone, rhododendrons form a massed background of dark foliage and protect the gardens from all inclement winds, while letting in all available sunshine.
Enter the enchanting Grotto under an impressive Bath Stone archway leading into this delightfully unique stone lined walkway, maintained for many years as a living tunnel. Leading through to the expertly maintained Italian Garden, its distinctive walls can be lit with hundreds of candles for a magical and atmospheric entrance.