Did you miss it?
Everyone was given a map and information about the gardens and then set off in the direction of the south garden and magnificent walled garden. We were allowed to view the gardens at our will and see from the outside the complete renovation and restoration of the Manor House that is taking place.
Statement of Significance taken from the The Manor House, Bledlow site dossier https://bucksgardenstrust.org.uk/research-and-recording/locally-important-sites/
Overview A complex modern country house garden where strong design in a variety of styles, character and appearance is matched by adventurous and colourful planting. It is the vision of Lord and Lady Carrington from the 1950s to the present, commissioning designer Robert Adams from the late 1960s onwards in a series of designs, to make the most of the opportunities relating to the C17‐C18 Manor House and its surroundings.
The 1980s Lyde is a rare detached water garden of this period in informal style, of particular interest. The whole garden, a sequence of contrasting linked compartments, survives complete and in good condition, and is still undergoing development alongside a small contemporary park.
Archaeological interest Archaeological potential is largely related to the farmstead and a Chiltern manor house and its setting up to the mid‐C20, and features relating to the former uses of The Lyde.
Architectural interest The Manor House is a typical brick‐built Chiltern manor house with much work of the mid‐C17 and early C18, similar to others nearby such as Princes Risborough. The remaining early farmstead buildings are typical of the area, being timber framed and clad.
Artistic interest The complex garden is the vision of the owners(Lord and Lady Peter Carrington) in partnership with designer Robert Adams, who together have developed it over a number of decades. The many linked compartments adopt a variety of styles with both traditional and innovative planting. It has been widely reported and represents one of the best later C20 gardens of its type, comparable with others such as Rosemary Verey’s Barnsley Manor, and Highgrove, both Gloucestershire.
The garden divides roughly into three contrasting areas: around the house in formal compartments, the less formal Sculpture Garden, and the detached Lyde water garden, a feature of high quality design and innovative planting very unusual particularly in the Chilterns. The modern sculpture collection is of considerable interest in the garden setting. The contemporary park with clumps of trees forms the wider designed setting. Historic interest The site has been connected with the Carington family for over two centuries including with the present Lord Carrington, a renowned diplomat and politician who served in the Cabinet in the 1980s including as Foreign Secretary.
