Broughton Grange Gardens

Broughton Grange overlooks a beautiful Oxfordshire valley. Its history dates back to 1620 initially as a small farm cottage associated with the Saye and Sele estate at neighbouring Broughton Castle. Broughton Grange is set in over 400 acres of parkland, farmland and open meadow, with parkland planting that owes its origins to the Victorian era. In the early 20th century and under the ownership of Lady Ottoline and Philip Morrell, and although not ultimately fond of Broughton, Lady Ottoline wrote“I think the country looks very charming, very secluded; the trees and air and stillness are so delightful”.

Over the last 25 years, Broughton Grange and its gardens have been substantially transformed such that it is now recognised as one of the most significant private contemporary gardens in Britain. Its development accelerated in 2001, when leading landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith was commissioned to transform a six-acre south facing field into a walled garden. This impressive new garden, walled on two sides only, features three individually themed terraces and has been designed in strong relation to the surrounding rural landscape. It is now seen as amongst Tom’s best work and is widely featured in books and magazines. Since the late 1990s, many other parts of the gardens have been beautifully developed and from 2003 onwards, a substantial arboretum has been planted and continues to be developed. The tree collection at Broughton includes a wide range of interesting species and cultivars, covering an area of approximately 80 acres.