Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens

"Established in 1765 by Elizabeth, the first Countess of Ilchester, as a kitchen garden for her nearby castle. Developed since then into a magnificent 20 acre garden filled with rare and exotic plants from all over the world. For the last twenty years the curator of Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens has been Stephen Griffith. He has masterminded the garden's renaissance following a great storm in 1990. Many new exotic and unusual flowers have been introduced. The Garden is a mixture of formal and informal flowers, world famous for its Camellia groves and magnolias. Noted in Dorset for its Rhododendron and Hydrangea collections and the charming Victorian Garden."

Cotswold Sculpture Park

 The Cotswold Sculpture Park

Location: The Paddocks, Somerford Keynes, Gloucestershire,GL7 6FE

The main entrance

It is home to “Elemental”, a collection of exciting sculptures displayed outdoors. 

The park is run by David Hartland (a sculptor himself) and his son Tadd Hartland . 

THE LAND

The Cotswold Sculpture Park sits on a ten-acre site very affectionately known by Dave and Serena simply as ‘The Land’. When they bought the land in 1997, its was a wild thistle field.

Though the thistle field had its own beauty The Land has now been transformed into a mixed deciduous and conifer woodland with ponds, gardens and glades. Joining these diverse spaces are meandering paths that take you on a journey around the park providing an international centre for contemporary art.