Iford Manor: Gardens

England, United Kingdom

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Iford Manor’s gardens are a small but highly regarded Grade I–listed landscape near Bradford‑on‑Avon, straddling the Wiltshire–Somerset border just southeast of Bath in southwest England.

Set on a steep hillside above the River Frome, the gardens were largely shaped between 1899 and 1933 by the architect‑turned‑garden‑designer Harold Peto, who turned the ancient manor estate into an Italianate fantasy with terraced levels, balustrades, cloisters, loggias, and classical statuary.

The planting mixes formal structure with romantic, eclectic details, including an Oriental garden, woodland walks, and intimate “garden rooms” that frame views over the surrounding countryside. After falling into neglect following the Second World War, the gardens were lovingly restored and expanded by the Cartwright‑Hignett family, who continue to maintain them as a seasonal visitor attraction, often described as a quietly magical, hidden gem with a distinctly theatrical and timeless feel.