England
Oxfordshire

Waterperry Gardens

Eight acres of wonderful formal and informal gardens make Waterperry a must-see for garden lovers. Among the most notable aspects of Waterperry is the pure herbaceous border, but there is a lot more to interest visitors, with separate rose gardens, an alpine garden, knot garden, gravel garden, rock garden, Coulour Border, and Formal Garden area, plus a peaceful canal and riverside walk. The Long Walk offers over 100m of colourful borders

Waterperry was established over 70 years ago by the School of Horticulture for Ladies. Within the gardens are two further attractions; the Museum of Rural Life, and a delightful church dating to the Saxon period.

The garden is home to the National Collection of Kabischia Saxifrage. These delightful small plants are to be found in a  courtyard of raised beds designed to show off the saxifrages to full advantage, interspersed with floral alpine plants. The best time to see the saxifrages is from early spring to early summer.

Museum of Rural Life

A Georgian granary houses this museum, which features agricultural and gardening tools from days gone by. In addition, there are a wide variety of artefacts ranging from kitchen tools to decorative meat skewers, veterinary equipment, brass stamps, and alarm guns dating back over the past several hundred years. Step even further back in time through a special exhibit of medieval pottery discovered on the Waterperry estate.

Saxon Church

The parish church of St Mary the Virgin stands close beside the manor house at Waterperry. It is an architectural treasure, which dates back to the Saxon period. The church retains its original Saxon chancel arch and stained glass dating to the early 13th century. In addition, the church boasts an unusual collection of 12th century floor tiles.

See Also:
Events Calendar for 2008 at Waterperry Gardens

Details
Waterperry Gardens
Wheatley
Oxfordshire
England
OX33 1JZ
Location: off M40 Junction 8
Website: Waterperry Gardens
Phone: 01844 339 254
Fax: 01844 339 883
map
OS SP630 063

NEW - great for holiday planning Get an Ordnance Survey map covering the Wheatley area (opens new window)

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Photos are courtesy of Waterperry Gardens