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Garden Owners,
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Garden Name: Shepherd House
Last Modified: 13/01/2011
Garden ID: 0547

pic: 0547_ShepherdHouse.jpg

Owner: Sir Charles & Lady Fraser
Address:
Inveresk
East Lothian

Postcode: EH21 7TH
County: Scotland

tel: 0131 665 2570
fax: 
website: www.shepherdhousegarden.co.uk
email: annfraser {at} talktalk.net

Features: 
Rill, Alpine Wall, Potager, bulb meadow, parterre, ponds, fountains and botanical paintings.

English Heritage Grade:


Opening Times:
Sunday 27th February 12noon - 3pm - Specialist Plant Stall,Soup and roll (Scottish Snowdrop Festival)
15th February - 3rd March Tuesday and Thursday 2pm - 4pm (Scottish Snowdrop Festival)
Sunday 8th May 2pm - 5pm Specialist Plant Stall, Tea with home baking
19th April -30th June; Tues & Thurs; 2pm - 4pm.
Best Times of Year to Visit: 
April - June

Best Times of Year to Visit: 
Feb
April - June

To see: 
Collection of 50 different species of Snowdrop
Large collection of tulips and other bulbs. Early perennials. Roses. Rill parterre and potager.

National Collection: 


National Garden Scheme days: Yes
Comments: (SGS days)

Parties / Coaches: Yes 
Comments: Please contact by phone or email

Viewing by Appointment: Yes
Comments: Please contact by phone or email 

House Open for Viewing: No
Comments: 

Admission Prices:
Adult £3.50; Children (accompanied) free.
Honesty Box Tuesday and Thursdays

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

Other Facilities:
Plants are for sale on Sundays only. Teas also available on Sundays only.


Designer: Charles & Ann Fraser
Description of Garden:
The garden at Shepherd House was one of only two in Scotland featured in the late Rosemary Verey's book "Secret Gardens" and lives up to its reputation with many individual gardens nestling inside each other like Chinese boxes. It reveals itself slowly starting with the Millennium Garden nearest the house planted with lavender, irises, oriental poppies and salvias.

The main feature of the garden, however is the elegant stone rill flowing for 40 yards under rose covered arches planted with nepetia and alliums. The rill connects the central formal pond with a raised pond at the back of the garden containing four fountains which overflow to feed the rill. 

Other features of the garden include a bulb meadow, a woodland garden, a knot garden, a shrub rose border and a rose-covered arbour.


History: 
Shepherd House dates from 1690 and the garden is surrounded by high stone walls. Inveresk was a Roman camp so the ground has obviously been cultivated for hundreds of years. However, when the present owners moved to the property in 1957, the garden was a wilderness. After consulting ancient maps, they first restored the central path and began the task of clearing the remainder. They began re-designing the rest of the garden and slowly the garden has evolved. Remarkably, they have never employed a garden designer nor operated to a central plan.

Local Inns: 


Accomodation: 
Self-catering cottage can be booked at www.scottish-country-cottages.co.uk

Restaurants: 


Village/Town/Sightseeing: 
18th century village of Inveresk near to Musselburgh and 7 miles east of Edinburgh.