A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. CONFUCIUS

Monday 17 September 2012

Easton Walled Gardens

Easton Walled Gardens lie just off the A1 near Colsterworth in Lincolnshire. Easton Hall was demolished in 1951. The revival of its gardens began in 2001. 

The original estate gardens can be traced back four hundred years.


A yew tree tunnel . . . 

. . . leads to this wrought iron gate, beyond which runs the noisy A1 motor route, the only blight on a landscape which US President Franklin D Roosevelt called 'A dream of Nirvana . . . almost too good to be true.' He was spending part of his honeymoon here with his bride, Eleanor. 

Rose is a rose . . .

. . . is a rose is a rose . . .

. . . except when it's a dahlia. We found these dahlias in the cut flower garden, also known as the pickery. 

The flowers attracted many butterflies, including the red admiral and the small tortoiseshell . . .

. . . while other wildlife we encountered was rather more unusual . . .

6 comments:

am said...

These photos remind me of my childhood visions of Narnia.

Wonderful yew tree tunnel. There was a tunnel like that in Half Moon Bay on the bluffs. Now I'm wondering if it was a yew tree tunnel.

Amanda Summer said...

what a glorious setting, and i love roosevelt's quote. there are few landscapes more pastoral or magical than an english garden. this was only reinforced by multiple readings of frances hodgson burnett's classic as a young girl, and i still am hoping for the day when i can have such a retreat in my own backyard...such dreams are good to have ;)

Ruth said...

Incredibly picturesque. And I have never seen more perfect roses, as if made out of crepe or velvet. Robert, your photography is superb! That one of the red admiral butterfly is breathtaking.

Anonymous said...

So beautiful! Your photographs are splendid!

Goat said...

Walls and gardens complement each other so well. Shame about the demolition. You have a knack for finding England's most exotic animalia! Eagerly awaiting some Big Cat pictures!

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks for all these comments — am, Amanda, Ruth, Susan and Goat.

That's the small tortoiseshell, not the red admiral, by the way!