Thanks to the generous donations of supporters and the hard work of the garden team in late 2020, The Mary Roxburghe Rose Garden has been brought back to life and is looking the best it has done for many years. 

Matt has planted 125 Munstead lavender that were kindly donated by Elisabeth Sherras Clark and the topiary and beds have been given a lot of TLC in the last few months. The local wildlife and erratic spells of extreme weather have been a battle, but the new Olivia Austin roses are bursting into life and the re-planted Icebergs are following close behind. 

A small eager band of volunteers are itching to start dead heading and we are so thrilled to see all four beds in bloom.

The rose garden was renamed the Mary Roxburghe Rose Garden in honour of Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe. Mary was the last occupant of West Horsley Place, which she left to her great nephew Bamber Gascoigne upon her death in 2014. Bamber and his wife Christina then founded the West Horsley Place Trust to ensure the future of this beautiful place. Mary chose a bedroom on the west side of the house overlooking the walled gardens of which she was extremely fond. Rejuvenating the rose parterre and renaming it in her honour therefore felt particularly appropriate. The work has included re-laying the low level stone retaining walls which had collapsed, purchasing and planting the new Olivia Austin roses for two of the sections where the roses were sickly, and finishing the design off with with a beautiful new lavender hedge. 

We look forward to more visitors being able to enjoy the sights and fragrances this summer. You can enjoy the gardens by attending one of our pre-booked events, such as a Nooks & Crannies Tour, Open Day or performance of 'The Secret Garden'.