About

A firm favourite with our Special Event regulars, this is your chance to see Folly Farm in the Spring.

The Folly Farm estate has evolved from a seventeenth-century cottage, to an eighteenth-century farmhouse, a twentieth-century country house and now a twenty first-century estate. Home to the horticulturist Robert Fenn for nearly 30 years and was then sold to H. H. Cochrane in the early twentieth century. It was Cochrane who commissioned Edwin Lutyens to extend the building into a small country house. Lutyens returned in 1912 to extend the house further and during these two periods he worked with Gertrude Jekyll to produce one of their most important collaborations. In 1916 Lutyens and his family, at the invitation of then owner, Antonie Merton, spent the summer at Folly Farm and it was during this period that Gertrude Jekyll also visited.

Following a long period of careful restoration the house and gardens have now been rejuvenated. As the owners have noted: “It has been a revelation to watch this garden come magically back to vibrant life. We have all worked together from east to west, taking one project at a time.” Working closely with the garden designer Dan Pearson, a modern interpretation of a Jekyll garden has been achieved. And the incorporation of the wider landscape makes Folly Farm a truly memorable experience.

Guests will be able to tour the Flower Parterre, Wind Garden, Sunken Pool Garden and the one-acre walled garden. Our hosts for the day will be Estate Manager Simon Goodenough and Head Gardener Tim Stretton.

Guided garden tour followed by a buffet lunch.

Terms and conditions