Places to visit in Essex
Gardens of Easton Lodge
- Warwick House,
- Easton Lodge,
- Great Dunmow,
- Essex.
- CM6 2BB
- Website: www.eastonlodge.co.uk
- Telephone: 01371 876979
- Opening times: Fri, Sat & Sun 12noon-6pm (other times by appointment)
A beautiful, romantic and magical 23-acre garden with something for everyone, easily accessible and just outside Great Dunmow off the B184. Formerly home to the Countess of Warwick, affectionately known as Darling Daisy, and a venue for lavish entertainment for the Prince of Wales and the Marlborough House Set. In 1902,‘Daisy’ commissioned famous architect and landscape designer Harold Peto to create new gardens in the grounds of Easton Lodge. His creations here are the only ones to be found in East Anglia and included a sunken Italian garden with a 100 ft long oval lily pond, terrace beds, and croquet lawns framed by arched pergolas. From 1895 onward, ‘Daisy’ devoted her life to good causes and died in 1938.
A severe snowstorm in 1922 caused considerable damage to the pergolas and during WWII, when the entire estate was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence, much of the estate was given over to the creation of an airfield for the USAAF. The gardens were maintained by ‘Daisy’s’ family up until 1950 but, after her son’s death in 1960, much of the stonework was sold off and nature began to take over.
Brian and Diana Creasey moved into Warwick House in 1971 and, after painstaking research into the original plans and hard work, the restoration of the Gardens of Easton Lodge began. The project has been so successful that Easton Lodge has now been recognised as a Garden of National Importance and has been placed on the National Gardens Register by English Heritage.
We welcome visits from individuals or pre-booked groups every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Easter until the end October each year from 12noon-6pm (other times by appointment), plus Bank Holidays. We are also open for visits to see our Snowdrops in February and March (when in bloom) from noon to dusk. Light lunches and teas are available though you are also welcome to picnic anywhere in the grounds. Dogs on leads are permitted. There is wheelchair access to most of the Gardens and we have two available for loan.
Throughout the year we host many events including open air music evenings, garden Discovery Days and, for families and children, special days of themed art and craft activities, when you can combine creative fun with a visit to see the gardens and the animals.
Easton Lodge
print published 1834
