Deanery Garden, Berkshire, England

An early C20 house by Edwin Lutyens surrounded by a contemporary formal and informal garden by Lutyens, with planting plans by Gertrude Jekyll.

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

Edward Hudson of 'Country Life' Magazine was introduced to Edward Lutyens by Gertrude Jekyll so when he bought a walled orchard in Sonning in the 1890s he was an obvious choice to employ to design a house and garden for the site. The survey and plans he duly provided for the proposed house and garden were dated June 1899. The Deanery Garden house and garden were finished by 1901. In 1907 Hudson sold the property, it being sold again in 1929, subsequently changing hands several times and remaining in private ownership (1998).

Gertrude Jekyll,as she did for Lutyens country houses designed the planting plan for the garden. Despite being in the centre of Sonning village next to the landmarks of St Andrew's Church and the Bull Inn, being surrounded by tall walls means the house and garden are both very private and secluded, the garden can however be viewed from the church tower.

OWNERS

• Nigel Broakes
• Stanley Seeger during the 1980s
• Marian Thompson helped to restore the garden.
• Jimmy Page, guitarist with the group Led Zeppelin