Gresgarth Hall

Entrance to th Hall, with battlements and Georgian Styled windows. Formal lawn with topiary and magnificent Boar Statue.

This lovely house and garden is just about an hour’s drive from where I live. It is the home 

of Arabella Lennox-Boyd, the famous garden designer and modern day Aristocrat. She is 

married to Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd, the second son of Viscount Merton. So, technically she is 

Lady Arabella Lennox Boyd. However, as she was brought up in the Palazzo Pirisi, Rome, 

she is obviously no stranger to moving in the higher levels of society. Many modern Aristocrats 

eschew the use of formal titles in everyday life, as it can sound a little pretentious in these 

more egalitarian times.

She and her family moved to Gresgarth Hall in 1978. There is little information about the 

origins of the house, apart from the fact that there was a house on the site in 1330, and it has 

long been associated with the Curwen family (a widely distributed and powerful family in the 

north-west of England in times past). The current house looks to be a mix of a Gothic 

frontage with Georgian windows, mixed withVictorian or possibly Edwardian styles on the 

lakeview aspect. Despite the mongrel architectural styles, is as refined and gracious as one 

would expect of such a stylish lady. However, having a nosey round the house is not on the 

menu of a visit here - only the gardens are open to the public, and then only one day a month.

 

Side view of the house which has a romantic feel, looking across the serene water-lily flecked stillness of the lake.

But having grumbled about that, it is still well worth making the effort, the gardens are quite 

beautiful in that well mannered, tasteful way that one would expect of a six-time RHS Gold 

Medal winner, and winner of Best in Show at Chelsea Flower Show in 1998.

There is a lake, a most beautiful lake, which does not appear to have any form of pond weed 

sullying its pristine surface (I am quite jealous). No, there are beautifully serene water lilies, 

which seem to have been perfectly placed - but then Lady Arabella is not some merely gifted 

amateur - no she trained to be a garden designer, as well as being a self confessed gardening 

addict. And it shows. 

Lovely views across the lake.

There is a lot of structure in this garden. Lots of carefully primped yew, straight paths nearer 

the house, which become more meandering farther from it. There is a wonderful bridge 

crossing the stream connecting the more formal garden to the wilder parts, where she plants 

trees and large shrubs to great effect. 

Formal Yew avenue

Wonderful 'Angel' decorative paving.

Formal lawn with circular heding and a few formally clipped trees

. Classic

 

There is no dominant genus of plants here, though she does seem to like quite a few 

varieties of the beautifully flowering Cornus kousa. Most seemed to have been picked for 

their individual beauty, and placed with an artist’s eye. The only mistake that I detected was 

that someone has chosen to plant Iris ensata in semi-shade. They much prefer full sun.

Herbaceous borders with the turretted tower as a backdrop

Lilium canadensis(?) with a background of clematis and phlox. Not quite sure about this particular colour combination.

Acer japonicum aureum

Eryngium

Borders with a background of shrubs (Cornus kousa?)

I have only been to this garden once, but I shall give update posts as I revisit.

There is a lovely video of Gresgarth Hall on YouTube, featuring Lady Arabella in her 

favourite surroundings - the garden. It not only gives you a taste of these lovely gardens, but 

also a flavour of a modern lady Aristocrat in the 21st Century. You can enjoy it here.

Her book ‘Gardens in my Life' is available on Amazon.

 

 

What a patio! Superb planting, posing lion statues, and is that a Venetian mooring post on the right. Brilliant!

 

 Happy gardening, Detta!