St Pauls Walden Bury Garden

It was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, some of whose clothes and school books are kept in the house, and occasionally go on display in local museums. The formal woodland garden, covering about 60 acres, was much influenced by French tastes and is one of the few surviving examples of gardens of this genre, based on a patte d'oie (goose foot) design. Long rides lined with clipped beech hedges lead to temples, statues, lakes and ponds, and to an outdoor theatre. The temple by the lake was designed by William Chambers. At the far end of the long ride opposite is another temple designed by Wyatt. There are seasonal displays of snowdrops, daffodils, irises, magnolias, rhododendrons, woodland paeonies and lilies, shrub roses. Many of the Rhododendron species from the Himalayas and SW China make a spectacular sight in a good flowering year. Wild flowers are encouraged: banks of cowslips above the lake and bluebells in the woods make a good show, and spotted orchids thrive. They are allowed to seed before the grass in which they grow is cut, so there is a natural look in some parts of the garden in early summer. The Garden is Grade 1 Listed. It is described as one of the best surviving English landscape gardens in The Telegraph, 25th August 2007.