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Garden Owners,
Please copy this information and paste it into an email to:   wb [at] armchair-travel [dot] com

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Regards,
Armchair Travel Co Ltd
http://www.armchair-travel.com
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Garden Name: Holdenby House Gardens & Falconry Centre
Last Modified: 08/02/2010
Garden ID: 0232

pic: 0232_holdenby.jpg

Owner: Mr. & Mrs. James Lowther
Address:
Holdenby
Northampton

Postcode: NN6 8DJ
County: Northampton

tel: 01604 770074
fax: 01604 770 962
website: www.holdenby.com
email: enquiries {at} holdenby.com

Features: 


English Heritage Grade:
I

Opening Times:
2nd May - 29th Aug; Sun & BH Mon only;1pm - 5pm. (Gardens & Falconry Centre)
Gardens only also open Sundays in Apr & Sept.

Best Times of Year to Visit: 
May & June

To see: 


National Collection: 


National Garden Scheme days: No
Comments: 

Parties / Coaches: Yes 
Comments: 

Viewing by Appointment: Yes
Comments: For house tours for groups of 25+
Also for Corporate bookings. 

House Open for Viewing: Yes
Comments: Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th May (Holdenby Garden Show), Sunday 29th and Monday 30th August (Holdenby Food Show). 12noon to 5pm

Admission Prices:
Gardens & Falconry Centre, May - Aug. Adults £5, Child £3.50, Concessions £4.50, Family (2+2) £15.
Apr & Sept: Adults £3, Child £2, Concessions £2.50, Family (2+2) £8.
Private Tours: For group parties at weekends, £6.50 pp with min. total of £160. Tea/coffee with cake @£2.50 pp. Call for details and booking.

Parking: Yes
Lavatories: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Shop: Yes
Plants for Sale: Yes
Lunches: No
Teas: Yes
Refreshments: Yes
Picnics: Yes
Dogs allowed: Yes
Only on Lead: Yes
Events: Yes

Other Facilities:
Falconry Centre, 17th Century farmstead. Play area. Licensed for Weddings. Plants available occasionally.
Holdenby Garden and Home Show sponsored by Haddonstone : Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th May
Northamptonshire's Holdenby Food Show : Sunday 29th and Monday 30th August


Designer: 
Description of Garden:
Positioned high on a hill overlooking rural Northamptonshire, the view from the garden lawns with extensive yew hedging is stunning. The miniature Elizabethan garden was planned by gardening expert Mrs Rosemary Verey in 1980, using only plants available in the 1580's, the time the palace was completed. Its shape is copied from the centrepiece of Sir Christopher Hatton's garden.

The croquet lawn is sunk into the foundations of the West Wing of Sir Christopher Hatton's great Palace, demolished in the 1650's.

King Charles' Walk, once part of the old garden, is now incorporated into the new garden. It recalls the period of Charles l's imprisonment at Holdenby in 1647 before his execution by Parliament. Tradition has it that this was his favourite part of the original Elizabethan garden.

The Tous Tous border has survived from the Victorian period. Recently redesigned by Rupert Golby, this border contains plants chosen for their scent.

The Silver border hosts a wide range of silver and grey foliage plants collected and constantly added to by the current owner, Mr James Lowther.



History: 
There are not one, but two gardens at Holdenby. The 'inner' or new garden is contained within the remains of the early Palace at Holdenby and contains both the Victorian garden and a 20th century garden which includes a re-creation, in miniature, of the Elizabethan original.

The second is the older or 'outer garden'; the original Elizabethan garden which is still visible as you walk around the grounds. This is, indeed, the best preserved evidence in Britain of a garden of this period. You can trace the shape of the 16th century terraces and the outline of the vast Palace that Sir Christopher Hatton built in 1583. The house is Grade II*

Local Inns: 
Red Lion, East Haddon, (01604 770223)

Accomodation: 
Broomhill Hotel, (01604 845959)

Restaurants: 


Village/Town/Sightseeing: 
Very near to Althorp
Northampton