The garden of a former abbey combining ecclesiastical symmetry with informal planting
With many layers of history having shaped its landscape, Bruern Abbey in Oxfordshire is a most intriguing place. Its story begins in 1147, when a Cistercian monastery was founded on the site. Records show that the religious community struggled with debt under a succession of corrupt abbots, until the abbey finally gained prosperity in the 14th century, only to be destroyed after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536. The present house, built between 1710 and 1720 in the abbey grounds, bears no relation to the original monastery. Home to the Hon. Michael Astor for many years from the Forties, it subsequently became a school run by the American lawyer Sterling Stover. When this grew too big for the site in the Nineties, it was moved else-where and the house was returned to private ownership.
Bruern’s current owners, Lord Glendonbrook (formerly Sir Michael Bishop) and Martin Ritchie, acquired the property in 2012. They have ‘de-institutionalised’ the house, as they put it, with a complete refurbishment, which they managed to execute in just 18 months, and during this time a new garden was also laid out. From a shortlist of designers, they chose Angela Collins, also known as Angel, who continues to oversee the development of the grounds as they mature. ‘We decided we wanted someone who knew the local terrain,’ says Lord Glendonbrook. ‘Angel was recommended to us and she has been designing gardens in this area for 25 years.’
Most original elements of the garden had been lost over the centuries and much of the space was laid to lawn, except for two rows of Irish yews leading to a canal at the far end. As you gaze outwards from the house and terrace, the 42-metre-long canal looks tiny – but the perspective is such that it elongates as you draw closer. There were no records of the former garden, nor any archaeological clues in the landscape, so Angel was free to interpret the space as she thought best.
Undaunted by the scale of the six-acre plot, she began to sketch out ideas for the formal gardens that stretch away from the imposing Georgian façade, and for the series of smaller garden chambers that surround the house. ‘I was faced with this incredible space,’ she says. ‘My brief was to keep it simple, which I also felt was completely the right thing, so I have created a typical symmetrical baroque layout, with repeated planting motifs. With a house like this, you really have to give the garden traditional foundations, but you can use the planting to add a more contemporary feel.’
The Irish yews were complemented by 16 domed hornbeams in a double avenue on the cross-axis – a simple gesture to acknowledge the ecclesiastical origins of the place. More green structure was added in the form of giant yew ‘cushions’ that mark the edges of the quadrangle beds, which also add up to 16. ‘This number is a symbol of love in the Bible,’ says Angel. ‘I have used it throughout the garden and it gives a pleasing balance.’ The planting palette for each bed is the same, with swirls of perennials chosen for their longevity. ‘I selected very ood, easy plants that hold their colour or structure for a long period,’ explains Angel. The planting reaches a crescendo in late summer, with the elegant white spires of Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Diane’ contrasting with Echinacea purpurea and a supporting cast of Astrantia major ‘Hadspen Blood’, Sanguisorba ‘Pink Tanna’ and Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’.
The broad terrace that skirts the main façade of the house has been softened by a mixture of perennials and roses with a strong backbone of shrubs, including Euphorbia x pasteurii ‘Phrampton Phatty’, Phillyrea angustifolia and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’, which Angel describes as ‘a good alternative to a box ball’. Among the roses here is the appropriately named ‘Rose des Cisterciens’, a beautiful, blowsy confection with fluted pink and yellow blooms. ‘I discovered it at a local nursery – it was complete serendipity.’
The garden is not just about the grand gesture at the front of the house: there are other surprises to be found. On one side of the front terrace, steps lead to an unexpected scene – a wildflower meadow planted on the roof of the former school swimming pool, now trans-formed into a hidden garage. This extraordinary upper terrace is a favourite spot for evening parties, with a fabulous elevated view over the formal garden. On the other side of the terrace are two modestly sized enclosed gardens: a productive area with step-over apples and espaliered ‘Evereste’ crab apples; and the monk’s garden, which runs alongside one of the single-storey rear wings of the house that have an almost cottage-like feel. The scale here is smaller and more domestic, to contrast with the grandeur of the formal gardens at the front.
But the pièce de résistance, always kept until last in any garden visit, is the Spanish garden, tucked away between the two back wings of the house. Walking through a cloister-like corridor, one emerges into the most glorious space – an Alhambra-esque courtyard with long rills and exuberant planting. The rills echo the canal at the front of the house, and feature 16 fountains playing on the surface of the water, while domed Ligustrum lucidum also provide a visual link to the other, more formal garden, mimicking the shapes of the hornbeams. Sheltered and warm, the courtyard is home to some exotic plants such as Lobelia tupa and Acca sellowiana, the pineapple guava, set among a froth of hydrangeas and Rosa ‘Boscobel’. With the kitchen opening directly into the courtyard, this delightful space is well used by its owners. ‘I’m not a competitive garden owner,’ says Lord Glendonbrook with a smile. ‘All I want is a garden that I love and enjoy – and Angel has certainly given us that’.
Angel Collins is one of House and Garden’s Top 50 Garden Designers and a member of our online directory The List by House & Garden, take a look at her profile here.
Eva Nemeth1/9Mauve Verbena bonariensis contrasts with Rosa ‘Morning Mist’ below espaliered ‘Evereste’ crab apples in the parterre.
Eva Nemeth2/9The view from the house of the formal garden is spectacular, with a 42-metre-long, lily-filled canal drawing the eye. One of the few features of the original garden that remained, it was dredged and refilled – a major undertaking. As many as possible of the existing waterlilies were preserved and their cerise flowers provide a beautiful display.
Eva Nemeth3/9The front York-stone terrace with Rosa ‘Burgundy Ice’ and Salvia x sylvestris ‘Mainacht’ in the foreground.
Eva Nemeth4/9Ornamental yew spirals flank the terrace steps, among Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’, crimson roses and purple salvia.
Eva Nemeth5/9In the Spanish garden, which has two central rills with 16 fountains (below), herbaceous plantings thrive under domed Ligustrum delavayi.
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Eva Nemeth7/9Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ edges the rills, backed by Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Madame Emile Mouillère’ and coral-pink Rosa ‘Boscobel’ in the sheltered Spanish garden, where more exotic plants – including Lobelia tupa – thrive.
Eva Nemeth8/9Light catches the spires of Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Diane’ in the herbaceous borders of the formal garden, where a simple palette of strong, easy plants is repeated to great effect.
Eva Nemeth9/9A wildflower meadow flourishes on the rooftop of a hidden garage, formerly the school swimming pool. Sown from a Pictorial Meadows mix, it has to be reseeded every year.
