The garden at Wightwick

Visitors exploring the garden in July at Wightwick Manor and Gardens, West Midlands — Exploring the summer garden at Wightwick Manor | © NatNational Trust Images/Chris Lacey

The garden at Wightwick is the perfect place for a walk after enjoying the delights of the house. Originally designed by Thomas Mawson, today it has something to see, no matter what the season.

Summer in the garden

The garden at Wightwick is the perfect place to spend a warm summer's day strolling through the flowers and picnicking on the lawns.

It was designed to create an emotional response, and at this time of year, it feels very peaceful and relaxing, with lots of quiet corners and places to spend an hour or so with a book.

Arts and Crafts garden

In 1904, the Manders employed the foremost Arts and Crafts garden designer, Thomas Mawson, to lay out their garden. Mawson was a renowned designer from Windermere and had designed many gardens.

The death of Flora Mander in 1905 meant his designs weren't fully implemented, but he returned in 1910 and added the South Terrace. The design and principles of what he wanted are still clear today.

Rooms with a yew

The dominant design feature of the garden is its 'rooms' – areas of the garden marked by clipped yew hedges or terraces giving the garden a wide variety of different feelings.

Mawson designed these so that close to the house they are more formal, and then get more natural as you walk further into the garden

Coming up roses

The Arts and Crafts movement in gardening renewed the love of classic English plants such as the rose. The garden boasts several varieties bordering the paths, lawns and in the formal rose garden.

Informal gardens

Beyond the hedges and flower beds are the informal gardens. With two pools as central features they provide year-round interest with spring flowers, summer rhododendrons and autumn colour.

Looking over the large pool at Wightwick, with lots of summer foliage and trees in full leaf, towards the small, wooden bridge — Enjoy the tranquillity and design of Wightwick's gardens | © National Trust/Lindsey Bucknor

Historic orchards

Just beyond the formal lawns and gardens are the two orchards which over recent years have been restocked with traditional varieties.

They’re a great place to sit under a tree with a picnic and relax. In the springtime, smell the honey-scented blossom, take shade under the branches in the summer and marvel at the array of colours in the autumn.

Fruit trees

In the three orchards there's a wide range of fruiting trees including pear, quince, plum, damson, cherry and mulberry in the Kitchen Garden. Pear, plum, crab apple, medlar and apples grow in the Small Orchard. Eating, cooking and cider apples can be found in the Large Orchard.