At the southern boarder of Somerset proudly stands Tintinhull House; a 17th century British Manor House surrounded by extraordinary gardens. The former farmhouse is now owned and operated by the National Trust who open the property out to the public on selected days throughout the summer. Here is a closer look at the stunning Grade I house and gardens:

Originally forming part of the much larger Tintinhull Court estate, the manor dates back to 1630 when the property operated as a small farmhouse. Tintinhull Court had once been a medieval parsonage until the dissolution of the monasteries reverted the estate back to the crown. The Court was then sold on to the Napper family who had Tintinhull House expanded and reshaped in 1722 to include the handsome honey-coloured façade that greets the 25,000 visitors every year. The remodelling of the farmhouse was to convert the small home into a respectable Dower House for the widows of the Napper family, but the house was later relinquished the Pennys in the 19th century, before being sold on again and again throughout the 20th century until finally being left to the National Trust.

Today, the pretty British Manor House is set amongst just an acre of village land, but every inch is exquisitely cultivated into stunning gardens. The striking box domes were crafted by Tintinhull House’s last owner; Phyllis Reiss, who transformed the property’s land into the inspiring landscapes of today. Reiss constructed various ‘garden rooms’ including Eagle Court (the former courtyard), Middle Garden, Fountain Garden and Pool Garden, which was developed on a former tennis court in memory of Reiss’ nephew who died in World War Two.

The National Trust are caretakers of the property today and allow the public to visit the gardens on selected days throughout the year. They describe Reiss’ work as follows:

Reiss took a ‘painterly’ approach to her garden, aiming for impact and emotional effect. She took ideas from famed garden designer Gertrude Jekyll, but simplified the herbaceous planting and planned imaginative and bold colour schemes. The garden is deceptively disciplined, with a strict formal framework offset with much looser floriferous planting; Reiss also included architectural plants for year-round interest.

The garden is listed on Historic England’s Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, and can be visited from April to October each year from Friday to Tuesday. Find out all you need to know about visiting at National Trust’s website here, or read more about the garden and its backstory here.

See more English gardens by browsing the ‘garden‘ tag to see previous posts such as Garden Goals or a Festive Village Garden. Alternatively, take a look inside British manors in previous posts such as Inside Bramall Hall or Hall I’ th’ Wood.

feature image: Ian capper