The garden at Ham House

The Wilderness garden in winter at Ham House and Garden, London — The Wilderness in winter at Ham House and Garden | © National Trust Images/Chris Davies

Ham House, on the banks of the River Thames in Richmond, is surrounded by spectacular outdoor spaces to explore, including an atmospheric 17th-century walled Kitchen Garden and maze-like Wilderness. The gardens show what historically ‘might have been’, following work in the 1970s to reinstate 17th-century character previously lost. Discover more about the garden highlights below.

Winter highlights in the garden at Ham House

Winter is an ideal time to enjoy the structure and form in the garden. Take in the sights and sounds of nature around you whatever the weather, with benches in sheltered places to stop and enjoy the winter sun as well as covered spots to sit in our summerhouses if shelter is needed.

The structure of the garden is shown off during the cooler months. Frosty topiary shapes, designed views and different textures are revealed.

Frosted shapes

The architectural form of the Cherry Garden takes centre stage during the winter months. Find domed lavender, surrounded by topiary cones, dusted with glistening frost in cooler weather. A stroll underneath the bordering hornbeam arches reveals views across the Cherry Garden. The Cherry Garden is photogenic at any time of year but in winter, frost makes it even more dramatic, highlighting its symmetry and making the topiary cones and uniform, domed lavenders sparkle.

Woodland wander

Hellebore flowers and the first snowdrops appear in the Wilderness, a formalised woodland with hedged compartments, which is open through the winter this year. It’s the only time of year that you can see full views through the tree-filled Wilderness to the house, revealing a rarely-seen perspective.

A moment of calm

The Kitchen Garden is poised for action and growth, where defined planting rows are mulched and ready. Enjoy a warming drink from our café, housed in the 17th-century orangery found in the walled Kitchen Garden.

The Cherry Garden showing frosty lavender in winter with Ham House and a blue sky in the background — The Cherry Garden in winter at Ham House, London | © National Trust Images/Chris Davies

Join a garden tour

Join one of our free tours, led by our knowledgeable volunteers, to find out about the gardens and take in the seasonal highlights. Garden tours at Ham run March-November.

Please be aware that all tours depend on volunteer availability on the day. You can book your place on one of the tours upon arrival at Ham. Please make sure you arrive with plenty of time prior to the start of your chosen tour.

View from the Wilderness towards the gates into the Kitchen Garden at Ham House, Surrey with trees and brick walls beyond — View from the Wilderness towards gates into the Kitchen Garden at Ham House, Surrey | © National Trust Images/Chris Davies

Discovering the garden throughout the year

South Terrace Border

The garden, like the house, was designed to impress. We know that many rare examples of plants from exotic lands were on display and we even know some of the species which were grown. The South Terrace border is inspired by this knowledge and planted in the 17th-century style, with a wide seasonal interest.

Don't miss: The changing spring and summer floral displays in the terracotta urns – the use of containers to add seasonal interest was the height of fashion in the 17th century.

Cherry Garden

To the north lies the Cherry Garden. Beyond tall yew hedges you’ll discover a maze of clipped box-hedged compartments, all filled with lavender. There’s structure and interest all year round, but this part of the garden really comes to life in summer when you can enjoy the gentle perfume of these fragrant plants as you walk around this once-private formal garden.

Don’t miss: The statue of Bacchus, the god of wine which is an original piece from the Lauderdales' garden.

The Plats

From early spring, half a million bulbs burst into colour as part of an exciting garden display continuing through to autumn.

Inspired by the garden’s history, the mansion’s vast manicured lawns are filled with crocuses, tulips, muscari and wild flowers to create a show of colour and scent throughout the warmer months.

Don’t miss: Look out for bees and other pollinators among the plants.

The Kitchen Garden

Records show the Kitchen Garden has been at Ham since the 1600s and it’s currently one of the most productive walled kitchen gardens in London. Tended using organic principles, it provides the café with home-grown produce all year round.

Find the wooden doorway on the west wing of the vast original red-brick wall, which leads you out on to a south-facing terrace with views across this historic garden. You'll see 10 deep rectangular plots flanked by soft shingle paths. Each is gently cultivated to grow produce that would have been here in Ham House’s heyday, and together they beautifully recreate the atmosphere of the period.

The Kitchen Garden is also home to the Orangery Café where you can enjoy a drink and something to eat while looking over the garden.

Don’t miss: Fresh produce is also on display in the house’s historic kitchen and often available to buy in the shop, with proceeds going towards the upkeep of Ham’s historic garden. In the summer months, we sell vegetables and fruit on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and there are often cut flowers for sale too.

The Wilderness

The Wilderness was a fashionable feature in 17th-century grand gardens like Ham. It showed the owners' power to contain nature within its hedges and compartments. It was intended as a wilderness in the biblical sense of the word – for quiet contemplation and reflection and not a ‘wild garden’.

Mown lawns meander through the space to create a criss-cross of paths between tight architectural hornbeam hedges that screen the woodland plantings and historic borders. In places, the dappled shade creates the ideal conditions for drifts of early spring hellebore and pulmonaria – a plant grown for its medicinal uses by the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale.

As you walk, look out for small wooden summerhouses in the 17th-century style, the perfect place to put your feet up or shelter from showers while you enjoy the season’s changing views.

Don’t miss: Two statues of Venus Marina and Mercury could be seen on either side of the Wilderness entrance in the 17th century. Life-size casts can still be seen here today.

Dahlias along the wall of the Kitchen Garden at Ham House and Garden Surrey with a gravel path to the side with a gate in the background — Dahlias in the Kitchen Garden at Ham House and Garden, Surrey | © National Trust Images/Chris Davies

Silent Spaces

We have created two Silent Spaces at Ham, designed as places to take time out and reflect. These spaces alternate, depending on the season. In the winter months, take a moment of calm in the Cherry Garden, which was once a private formal garden for the Duchess of Lauderdale. During the warmer months, one of the hedge-lined compartments within the Wilderness becomes our Silent Space, where summerhouses provide shelter and a seat with a view.

Our hope is that these Silent Spaces offer a moment to relax in the quiet beauty of Ham's gardens.

For more information about Silent Space and the other National Trust gardens taking part, please visit the Silent Space website.