Mount Ephraim Gardens

The gardens are laid out around a large house and 800 acre estate. It was originally built in 1695, then rebuilt in 1878 and then extended 1913 all for the Dawes family. The house is listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England, and its gardens are also Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The gardens were laid out in the early 1900s, but after wartime neglect (when most adult men were enlisted in wartime services) were substantially restored by Mary and Bill Dawes from the early 1950s. Mary Dawes was involved in the day-to-day running of the gardens until her death in 2009, at the age of 93. Mount Ephraim has never been a 'professionally' maintained…

Mount Ephraim Gardens have a large collection of spring bulbs, trees and shrubs including Rhododendrons, many types of Camellias and Magnolias. It has various areas, including the Millennium Rose Garden. It also has a large Sweet Chestnut, planted to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. The 'Miz-maze' was planted in 2004 on the slopes of a former vineyard. Based on an ancient labyrinth called a Mizmaze (Mary Dawes, who lived at Mount Ephraim for sixty years, was always known to family and friends as 'Miz'). It was created by garden designer Sarah Morgan. Although based on a traditional labyrinth design, the layout incorporates some dead-ends, making it a hybrid between a maze and a…