Levens Hall: World's Oldest Topiary Garden

Levens Hall is home to the world's oldest topiary garden, which is truly breathtaking.

Stroll along the path in front of Levens Hall, Grade I Listed Elizabethan mansion, and you will find a small wooden gate leading into the Gardens.

What awaits you, hidden behind the high stone wall, remains largely unchanged since the 17th century and is truly spectacular.

Dating back to the 1690s, the ten acres of Gardens retain many original features including the world’s oldest topiary gardens.

The parterre beneath the topiary provides a magnificent floral display through spring, summer and into early autumn. 

It is bedded twice a year with over 15,000 home-grown plants each time. 

The rose garden is set in an intricate low hedge-edged pattern of beds and is planted exclusively with David Austin’s ‘English’ roses. 

Beyond the romantic old orchard and separated by the great beech hedges, lie the magnificent herbaceous borders.

These are traditionally double in format and amongst the finest to be found in England. 

There are also wall borders, vegetable and herb gardens, a fountain garden, fine lawns, wildflower meadows, a willow labyrinth and much more besides.

This surreal and unique collection of ancient box and yew trees, in abstract or geometric shape, rises up from a beautiful display of underplanting, populated with an ever-changing array of bedding plants.

Further on, beyond the romantic old orchard and separated by the giant beech hedges, lies the magnificent herbaceous borders, amongst the finest to be found in England, as well as the first recorded ha-ha in Britain.

Enjoy the beautiful wall borders, vegetable, herb, fountain and rose gardens, fine lawns, wildflower meadows and willow labyrinth, and see how generations of owners and gardeners have added contemporary design within an historic framework.

Levens Hall is the family home of the Bagots, whose family have been in continual ownership for over 400 years.

It contains a collection of Jacobean furniture, fine paintings, the earliest English patchwork and many other beautiful objects.

The magnificent Elizabethan mansion was built around a 13th Century pele tower, which was expanded and rebuilt towards the end of the 16th Century.

You enter Levens directly into the Great Hall, which is linked to a richly panelled Great Chamber.

Interior rooms feature the family collections of paintings and memorabilia, including the earliest known example of English patchwork.

Among the various items on display are Beau Brummel's snuff-box, paintings by Van Dyck, Brueghel the Elder, and Rubens, and items associated with the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Nelson.

There is also a collection of Napoleonic mementoes, courtesy of a son of the house having married a niece of Wellington.

The Duke gave the couple several items associated with his old foe, including a clasp discovered in Napoleon's private coach after the Battle of Waterloo.

Levens Hall is home to several resident ghosts; a Grey Lady is known to appear in front of cars on the driveway, a woman in a print dress and cap appears before children, and a small black dog wanders the hall.

Both the Hall and the gardens are open to the public - and the reviews on TripAdvisor are excellent.

One recent customer, who visited earlier this year, said: “We enjoyed exploring the beautiful gardens, particularly the world’s oldest topiary garden, which was very impressive - I took sooo many photos!

”We were surprised that there were still so many flowers in September, even the rose garden still had several blooms.”

Another person added: “The gardens are beautiful and to make the whole experience better make sure you get the free audio commentary device which will tell you about the different places in the garden and its history.

”The house was also good with lots to learn and see. There were tour guides in most of the rooms who would answer any questions that we had.”

Admission is around £15 per adult, but check their website for full prices as it may vary depending on the time of year.

Tickets must be purchased online in advance - it’s worth noting that Levens Hall is part of Historic Houses, which represents well over 1000 independently owned homes and gardens in the UK. 

Many of these properties, including Levens Hall, offer free access for Historic Houses members.

If you’d like to visit, the address is: Kendal, Cumbria, England, LA8 0PD.

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