Hestercombe Gardens

During the 16th century, the English Warre family, led by Richard Warre, built a country house where Hestercombe Gardens currently stands. Later, Richard's son married Judge John Popham's daughter. Ownership of the estate and its surrounding lands was transferred to Coplestone Warre Bampfylde (1720–1791) in the 18th century, who was a friend of Henry Hoare. The country house was enlarged and a Georgian landscape garden was laid out under Bampflyde's guidance. In 1873, the estate was acquired by Edward Portman, 1st Viscount Portman, who made significant changes to both the house and the garden between 1873 and 1878, resulting in the current Victorian-style appearance of the main building.…

The English landscape garden from the second half of the 18th century stands as the earliest garden within Hestercombe Gardens. This garden was crafted between 1750 and 1786 under the stewardship of the estate's then-owner, Coplestone Warre Bampfylde. Covering just over 16 acres, the Georgian landscape park is situated in a valley to the north of the manor house. Bampfylde himself envisioned and designed the landscape garden, drawing inspiration from the contemporary "Arcadian style", which was highly fashionable at the time. In these gardens, the emphasis was less on ornamental plants and more on creating specific atmospheres and viewpoints that harmonized with the surrounding landscape.…