Located in the village of Burton-on-the-Hill, in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, Bourton House is an eighteenth-century manor house with a sixteenth-century Tithe Barn. It is surrounded by a three-acre garden and a seven-acre walled pasture that is now planted with specimen trees.
The Jacobean-style house was originally built in 1598 and was shortly thereafter purchased by the wealthy London lawyer Sir Nicholas Overbury. There is a dark history involving Overbury's son, which includes adultery and murder. It is quite a convoluted story, and I don't believe any of the shady dealings actually took place at Bourton House. You can read the story here and decide for yourself.
An interesting note about these manor houses and gardens is that the front of the houses usually faced the back of the property. At least that was the case with Hidcote and Kiftsgate. The same here with Bourton House, where the entrance to the property (right next to a busy street) contained a little walled garden, some concrete planters, the entrance to the Tithe Barn, and another building to the side that I wasn't sure what purpose it served.
A narrow passageway leads to the gardens at the back (er - front) of the house -
A small greenhouse was bursting with many exotic plants -
And then we come to the gardens, which include several terraced areas that extend along the back and side of the house.
The Tithe Barn is the original building built in 1570. It preserves the dedication stone with the initials "RP" for the then owner, Richard Palmer. The tithe barn was used in the Middle Ages to store tithes (sometimes in the forms of agricultural produce) collected from the community. Today it serves as a gift shop and small cafe which had drinks and a delicious array of desserts.
The house has seen several owners over the past century. In 1983, Mr. & Mrs. R. Paice, moved in and set about restoring and developing the gardens. In 2010, new owners continued to enhance the gardens, and it remains open to the public.
(Visited May 7, 2025)
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Now that's a proper shade house! The greenhouse looks great too. Oh, to have that large a garden - and gardeners to help maintain it!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love the basket weave pattern on the water feature structure!
ReplyDeleteWoah, now THAT's a shade house! Lovely grounds, such a dream.
ReplyDelete