Docwra's Manor

A Very English Garden

Docwra's Manor stands in the Cambridgeshire village of Shepreth. From the road it looks rather formal; an eighteenth century squire's house perhaps. But around the back an older building is revealed; a farmhouse, in fact, dating in parts back to the fifteenth century.

The lawns and little summer house stand on what was once an old farmyard.

Around the front of the house to kneel down on the cobbles and photograph some of the colourful blooms. 

Very nice but hardly worth the price of admission, even to support the work of a charity. But wait here's a gap in the hedge leading into another garden.

As if it were some eccentric old lady or gentleman further acquaintance kept revealing unexpected and surprising facets to the garden's personality and past.

Roses bloomed in unkempt profusion as a maze of overgrown, secret paths led amongst the flowers.

Self-seeding plants are encouraged which destroys any pretence of formality or arrangement but gives rise to more surprises and delights.

The fanciful and eccentric are around every corner.

I wandered on by my serendipitous route, weaving in and out of the various gardens, never quite knowing if I was about to discover something new or find myself back where I'd started.

Sometimes I was surrounded by impenetrable vegetation while at others traditional buildings formed a sympathetic backdrop.

On and on I rambled, in and out the arches, round and round the garden. Images and memories to recall on grey winter days....which is what I intend to do with the rest of the pictures; sometime next winter, should you, me and "By Stargoose And Hanglands" survive that long, I'll share the rest of this gloriously English garden with you.

Take care.