The house and gardens that form The Garden House were bought in the 1940s by our founders; Lionel and Katharine Fortescue.

Over the next 40 years the Fortescues created a garden which was – and continues to be – viewed as one of the finest in Britain.

By 1961 they had established the Fortescue Garden Trust, an independant registered charity to which they bequeathed the house and garden to ensure the survival of this beautiful place for future generations. After their deaths in the 1980s ownership passed to the charity, which to this day maintains the Fortescues’ lovely legacy.