Haddon Hall is described as one of the of the most romantic houses in England, and that was the base of our inspiration for the gardens. The aim was to create a garden that was incredibly soft and romantic and laced in history. Throughout the garden we are really playing with ideas of formality versus informality, using topiary for example but a-symmetrically placed, seemingly random and clipped from beech in contrast to the existing structure of the formally placed topiary yews on the bowling green. The new topiary sit in bands of wild flower meadow, which connect the garden areas close to the Hall to the pastures and meadows that you see beyond. The abundance of roses, something Haddon has long been famous for, soften the structure further. In mid-summer, the ancient building is softly veiled in a wonderful gauzy mass of flower, with the remarkable seventeenth-century structure of balustraded walls and grand staircase creating a soft grey limestone framing to the whole picture.
