Preserving Water at Hestercombe

**A vision to completely restore Hestercombe is one step closer thanks to a £1.5 million grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.**: This remarkable donation has enabled Hestercombe to acquire land totalling 320 acres, securing the world-class, Grade 1 heritage landscape, gardens and buildings for future generations. A vision to completely restore...

**The Hestercombe Gardens Trust was established in 1996 to oversee the restoration of the gardens and to protect them for the future.**: **The Trust’s Objectives**: The Trust’s charitable objective is: to reclaim, restore, preserve, enhance and develop for the education and benefit of the public, the landscape, gardens and buildings of heritage,...

**With all the turbulence and noise going on in the world at the moment members can draw some comfort from the fact that Hestercombe is still here, tranquil and peaceful as ever.**: **The leaves on the trees will soon be starting to turn golden and the great cascade with its tumbling water will once again return to its dramatic self.**: Everything at...

This is the last week you can see 'Leaping the Fence' featuring many world famous artists including Mark Wallinger and Tracey Emin. But fear not! On 14th October we re-open with the Tania Kovats show 'Oceans', a wonderful collection of drawing, sculpture and multi-media. Here's a great review from it's last outing in Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery: The...

**Visitors will notice a new feature as they take the main drive towards Hestercombe House.**: Visitors will notice a new feature as they take the main drive towards Hestercombe House. A body of water currently awaits restoration to be transformed into an original Water Garden that formerly graced the estate. The Water Garden is situated in the parkland...

**Head Gardener, Claire Greenslade, explains how Hestercombe is fighting ash dieback and trying to protect the future of our woodlands**: Starting this week, and throughout February, our skilled gardening team will be carrying out crucial tree preservation work across the estate, in order to deal with the trees that have sadly succumbed to ash dieback. This...

We were delighted to learn last month that the **Somerset Gardens Trust has generously donated £1,000** towards the cost of restoring and conserving the rotunda in Hestercombe’s fantastic formal garden. Designed by Sir Edward Lutyens and built between 1904 and 1908 after he and Gertrude Jekyll were commissioned to create the formal garden at Hestercombe,...

**SEDIMENT brings together three decades of work by celebrated German artist Mariele Neudecker. Landscape, the deep sea, the Arctic, environmental concerns and lockdown all have a presence in this major solo exhibition.**: - Image: Mariele Neudecker, We Saw It Coming All Along [1 & 2] 2019, (detail), mixed media on archive print on board. © the Artist-...

**National Tree Week is the perfect time for celebrating trees. Did you know that our sweet chestnut on Hestercombe's Orangery Lawn is over 500 years old?!**: - The Oak tree in the East Orchard at HestercombeNaturally, we’re tree mad here at Hestercombe, and as it’s National Tree Week from 27th November - 5th December, we want to shout about some of the...

**The Hestercombe Archive provides primary source material for scholarly research, teaching support, preservation, and public service, and actively encourages and promotes the use of its collections. It is our privilege, and responsibility, to ensure the careful storage and preservation of these important evidences of the property’s history for future...

Exciting plans are afoot for Hestercombe as we continue to bring art and the landscape together in one destination. Philip White, CEO has announced our vision for the future, which includes the completion of the Landscape Garden and the creation of workshops and gallery space within the house. Phased into five projects, the developments for Hestercombe...

**Hestercombe was something of a secret garden back in 1973**: The Formal Gardens were so run down that Somerset County Council, with the support of Somerset Fire Brigade, initiated what was to become one of the first major garden restorations in the country. **Read more**: The Restoration of the Formal Garden at Hestercombe 1973 to 1980 - a case study that...

This time next week (Friday 13th) sees many Christmas events taking place at Hestercombe, not least to mention the CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY!! This year we thought we’d join in with the national money raiser for Save the Children and bring the festive spirit to Hestercombe. The idea is that all staff (we’re extending the invite to all visitors too!!) wear a...

The conservation or promotion of biological diversity within the vicinity of a landfill site through o the provision, conservation, restoration or enhancement of a natural habitat, or o the maintenance or recovery of a species or its habitat on land or water - Maintenance, restoration or renovation of buildings of historical or architectural importance or...

**Hestercombe has a rich and diverse history; the first written record of the estate is from an Anglo-Saxon charter of 682.**: **Gardens History**: **Restoration**: **Hestercombe at War**: **Somerset Fire Brigade**: **Archives**: **Coplestone Warre Bampfylde**: **The Water Garden**: **The Terrace Seat**: The earliest remaining medieval feature of Hestercombe...

Looking after the new hives at Hestercombe **We’re welcoming bees into a new home at Hestercombe, with the delivery of six hives for these humble honey makers.** Ian Stiby and Rosie Ellis, who are beekeeping partners at Three Bridges Apriary, have brought the new colony to the orchards of Hestercombe so we can produce our own special Hestercombe Honey....

**Out in the gardens, our gardeners have been making the most of wet days by turning the compost heaps. Head Gardener Claire Greenslade tells us more!**: “We have some bark chip to add into our compost heaps as unfortunately we were forced to fell a couple of ash trees which were suffering with ash dieback. However, this really helps add the carbon needed...

**Head Gardener Claire Greenslade shares her step-by-step guide on how to sow seeds, from preparing seed trays to hardening off**: **Why sow seed?**: Sowing seed is one of the most easy, satisfying and cheap ways to get growing. March is the perfect time of year to start the majority of seed sowing. Some people start early in autumn, some start seeds off in...

**Extract from The 1873-77 Remodelling Of Hestercombe House**: **Written by Kim Legate, Head Archivist**: In January 1873, London based architect, Henry Hall (1829-1909), who had established ‘a large and comfortable’ country practice, primarily in Somerset and Dorset, was contracted by Lord Portman to make designs ‘for a first class mansion’. A...

**About us** Hestercombe is a small but ambitious visitor attraction near Taunton, Somerset. Over the past 30 years, the 50-acre site has been largely restored, and offers around 80,000 visitors per year a chance to learn, explore and relax in its four period gardens. The estate includes Hestercombe House, the Visitor Centre, Mill and Barn, and several...