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The Dutch garden is so called because such gardens were first laid out in the Netherlands and first became popular in England during the reign of William III of Orange. They evolved from the larger formal geometric French gardens. This example was probably laid out in about 1840.
It was restored in 2003 by which time most of the original box had been lost. The famous landscape architect, Gertrude Jekyll, visited the garden early in the 20th century and the drawing she made was incorporated in the second edition of a book written in conjunction with Lawrence Weaver entitled ‘Gardens for Small Country Houses’ and published for Country Life in 1913. It is replicated on this board. If you look carefully at the drawing you will note that the layout of the box hedging is not symmetrical. Although no one is certain the box topiary as originally planted could have been symmetrical and thus the more fragmented topiary on the northern side could have been a mirror image of its neighbour to the south. Perhaps a succession of gardeners unwittingly incorporating changes in the intervening 75-year period due to lapses in understanding of the original concept.
Only a few early photographs exist and the one shown is believed to date from the turn of the 20th century. Nearby there are two long vistas. These are characteristic of the Garden as a whole, often linking distinct parts of the garden. In this area one runs from the Eagle Gate entrance through the axis of the Dutch garden and along the centre of the Wilderness. A second runs from the Pavilion (described as Summer house on the drawing) along the Pavilion Path, under the canopy of overarching trees, to a sundial, seat and balusters.
Particular points of interest are:
- The original stone eagles on top of the entrance gates.
- The replacement lead fountain purchased 2003 (20th century although believed to be cast from a 19th century mould).
- The restored Goose Boy, after a Roman antique, against the northern boundary, interpreted to be inscribed M. Geiss, Berlin.
- The restored balustered wall, Long Border and repeat beds on the southern boundary.
- The restored viewing platform from which the topiary patterns can best be appreciated.
- The restored Pavilion with its new seat, contemporary with the period and also a recently painted ceiling and allegorical drawing.
 
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