Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire

© Lauren Hibbit/Danita Delimon

Clouds over Waterperry. A learning garden

Today we’re in Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire. The gardens have gone through many changes since 1932, when Beatrix Havergal and Avice Sanders first began turning the grounds of a country house into an educational public garden. (Waterperry grew much-needed produce during World War II.) The gardening school at Waterperry closed in 1971, and now the land is owned and operated by the School of Economic Science, which uses some of the buildings for study projects and retreats. Waterperry is a wonderful example of classic English gardening. Visitors can stroll through the aromatic knot garden seen on our homepage today, or explore other parts of the gardens, including orchards, a nursery and a museum.