Castle Ashby Gardens

Castle Ashby Gardens are located about 25 minutes away from here in Duston and one of the few gardens in the area that neither Jessica or we had visited. Tuesday was a lovely warm day and perfect for a garden visit.  

A view of the castle from along the garden path.

 

A panoramic view of the castle and some of the park like gardens. 

  We arrived before lunch so spent an hour or so walking and exploring this extensive garden. There is plenty to see from the 13th century church, to the Orangery and Italian gardens, the the Arboretum and the menagerie with its meerkats, chipmunks and marmosets. 

The Italian gardens with the Orangery in the distance.

Some of the topiary and large urns in this garden.

We spent time reading the history of the garden which was set up in a building beside the Triumphal Arch.   The estate covers 10 000acres and was granted to the Compton family in 1512 by Henry VIII. The castle was built 62 years later and is now the ancestral home of the 7th Marquess of Northampton. The beginnings of the extensive gardens, which now covers 35 acres, had their beginnings in 1695 when William III visited and suggested the construction of four great avenues of trees, one of which remains today. In the 1790s the parkland was shaped by Capabilty Brown.   The gardens only are open to the public 365 days of the year and are well worth a visit. Further information can be found on their website by clicking this link.

The triumphal arch leads into the Italian Garden.

After a break for lunch in their tearoom, we went back for another wander to find some of the remaining features on our map such as the Fuschia house, the butterfly garden and the secret garden.  It was lovely to see so many families out enjoying themselves, many with their picnic lunches.

The Fuschia house which was originally a pineapple house. There are in fact three sculpted pineapples can be seen on roof.

Both NZ flax and cabbage trees can be found in the gardens.