St Paul’s Walden Bury
St Paul’s Walden Bury through the avenue of trees that exemplify the style of wilderness gardening. 1/60s 250mm F14 Ilford FP4+ Bronica SQ-A.
Not far from where I grew up sits the Georgian era country house of St Paul’s Walden Bury, the home of the Bowes-Lyon family. If this name sounds familiar to you it is because of the family’s most famous member – Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, grandmother to the current King, Charles III. This is where she grew up as a child and if you search a little bit on the internet, you can also find the odd photo of the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret here as young children.
A closer view of the house where the Queen Mother grew up and which can also be visited on certain days of the month. 1/60s 50mm F11 Ilford FP4+ Bronica SQ-A.
Through the gates which lead to the alleys of trees. The photos I have found online of the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret are of them playing on the other side of the wall. 1/250s 250mm F9.0 Ilford FP4+ Bronica SQ-A.
Despite the attachment of such grandiose names this place is hardly a hotbed for visitors and seems to fly largely under the radar. On the day I went with my family there were only a handful of other visitors which made walking around the fifty acres of gardens a very tranquil experience, almost as though I was the only one there. The gardens are only open a couple of days a month and on one of those days the house is also open to visitors.
Looking down the alley from the house. If you look carefully you can see one of the many statues at the end. 1/60s 250mm F11 Ilford FP4+ Bronica SQ-A.
What makes this property so special and why it is well worth your time visiting, is that it is one of the best surviving examples in the country of wilderness gardening. Due to this it is listed as Grade I on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Popular from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, areas of formalised woodland were planted in geometrical formations and sectioned off with rows of hedges that lead visitors through shaded alleys to different parts of the garden. The work required to maintain it all must be tremendous, but the results do pay off, and it is just as much a physical experience as it is a visual one.
The statue of Venus and Adonis. Many are themed around Greek mythology. 1/30s 250mm F8.0 Ilford FP4+ Bronica SQ-A.
The diamond formation of the alleys takes you to different parts of the grounds which include a large pond with a temple sitting on its banks, numerous stone statues of mythological Greek figures, and more natural woodland free of hedges. It’s hardly a maze you can get lost in, but it is something that you can certainly lose yourself in as you take in this wonderful mixture of nature and human-guided organisation.
One of two temples on the grounds. This was originally built by William Chambers at Danson Park in Kent before being rescued and moved here by the large pond in 1961. 1/250s 250mm F5.6 Ilford FP4+ Bronica SQ-A.
The season of spring was in full bloom when I visited in May. 1/60s 250mm F5.6 Ilford FP4+ Bronica SQ-A.
The area closest to the house also has things of interest, including a mighty still living oak tree and the ruins of an old orangery. The grassy, open area is also the perfect place for a picnic on a sunny summer’s day.
Getting them to sit very still I photographed my family sitting beneath the other temple which was itself rescued from demolition at Copped Hall in Essex in 1950. 1/8s 50mm F8.0 Ilford FP4+ Bronica SQ-A.
With an entry fee of £7.50 for the gardens (and £15 to see inside the house as well), it is well worth your time if you want to explore this piece of gardening history and all the better that you often enjoy it in peace and quiet with few other visitors. I visited in May at the end of Spring and that may be the best time to go when the weather is good, and the seasonal bloom is in full swing. However, with the large numbers of trees I imagine a good autumn will produce great colours. And if you have time don’t forget to drive around the corner and visit the nearby church where the Queen Mother used to worship as a child.
The ruins of the old orangery that sits near the house. The flowers and plant life that has overtaken it make it a very attractive part of the grounds to view. 1/125s 50mm F8.0 Ilford FP4+ Bronica SQ-A.
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