Hestercombe Gardens

Did you know we have a ‘Turkish Tent’? There’s probably one of the best views from inside! • • • #hestercombe #hestercombegardens #taunton #somerset #visit #visitsomerset #visittaunton #gardensofinstagram #gardenofthegods #gardendesign

We love this photograph...botanists in the making!? If you love photography make sure you grab the last chance to enter our photography competition and your pictures could be part of our winter exhibition in the Stables Cafe. Closing date 30 Sept!
Enter here: https://www.facebook.com/…/a.1995490200 78…/1924583890908669/

Did you know that today is National Fitness Day? They say exercise is best done outdoors in the fresh air - so where better to come than Hestercombe for your fitness hit! #nationalfitnessday

We ❤️ this photo of the changing colours down on the Pergola!
📸 Repost @duffi_diane on Instagram ・・・ “I'll never ever tire of this place.. I've been coming here for at least 20 years, and it's been amazing to watch it evolve.. 💚💚 Mackintosh and I really love our walks here, though I think he's more interested in the squirrels and the treats!!”

The view from our Edwardian Formal Garden this morning: drop in to Hestercombe to see it in real life!

Hestercombe's Georgian Pear Pond with view up to the Chinese Seat, September 2018.

If you're a contemporary art lover, don't miss this exclusive seminar with our current exhibiting artist, Helen Sear, Whitechapel Gallery's Gareth Evans & Lille University's Dr Laurent Châtel here next Tuesday.

We love this photo of Sarah & Tom on Hestercombe House's grand staircase at the weekend - and Helen Sears' exhibition artwork behind them! 😍

Hestercombe’s Gift Shop and Plant Centre will be holding its end of summer season sale from 10am on Saturday 13th October. Visit early to get the best bargains!
The Gift Shop, Plant Centre and Cafe at Hestercombe are all free to enter, no admission, ticket or membership fee required.
Please note, no other offers or discounts can be used on sale items.
... Gardens Gift Shop and Plant Centre:
The Hestercombe Gardens Shop is an essential stop on the Hestercombe trail. Inside you’ll find a treasure trove full of garden gadgets, gorgeous gifts, tempting toiletries and tasty treats. Whether you are looking for a special present or just something to remind you of your visit to Hestercombe, there’s plenty to choose from, and with many locally sourced products, it’s a shopper’s paradise.
Next to the shop you’ll find the Plant Centre. The Plant Centre is full of healthy happy plants which are all seasonally selected. We also have a range of plants that come from our beautiful gardens so there is plenty of choice for everyone.
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If you’re heading to the Stables Cafe for lunch today take a look at how much it’s changed. After being used as a stable for centuries (pre-1950) it was then used as a store room for the (now) Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service. This photo is from 2002.
📸 @hestercombeheadgardener on Instagram #somerset #somersethistory

You may not know this, but we make all of our own cakes (thanks to the lovely Carol in the kitchen). This week’s featured cake is this autumnal-themed Pear and Chocolate 🍐 🍫
A few of our gluten free and vegan options below too - it’s free to pop into the cafe to try some!

Paradise Restored.
Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hestercombegdns

Meet Father Christmas at Hestercombe!
Father Christmas is taking time out of his busy Christmas schedule to take up residence at Hestercombe.
Book now to enjoy a magical experience where every child can speak to the man in red himself and receive their own special toy.
... When you arrive, you’ll be greeted by one of our friendly Hestercombe elves, then you’ll wander through the wintertime gardens to meet Father Christmas.
In his little house, the log fire will be roaring, lights will be twinkling on the Christmas tree and sacks of presents will be waiting.
A visit to Father Christmas is extra special in the dark as you can wander along the illuminated pathway to his garden hideout.
Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th December, from 10.10am Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th December, from 10.10am Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd December, from 10.10am Monday 24th December, from 10.10am
£9 per child (includes all-day admission to Hestercombe). Book your visit today!
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Meet Father Christmas at Hestercombe!
Father Christmas is taking time out of his busy Christmas schedule to take up residence at Hestercombe.
Book now to enjoy a magical experience where every child can speak to the man in red himself and receive their own special toy.
... When you arrive, you’ll be greeted by one of our friendly Hestercombe elves, then you’ll wander through the wintertime gardens to meet Father Christmas.
In his little house, the log fire will be roaring, lights will be twinkling on the Christmas tree and sacks of presents will be waiting.
A visit to Father Christmas is extra special in the dark as you can wander along the illuminated pathway to his garden hideout.
Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th December, from 10.10am Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th December, from 10.10am Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd December, from 10.10am Monday 24th December, from 10.10am
£9 per child (includes all-day admission to Hestercombe). Book your visit today!
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Our Gardens team are currently mending the leat in the landscape garden, which is a really big job. This year we're making the most of the dry season - there’s still no water heading down the leat to the cascade so it gives us a chance to fix some leaks and broken bricks. The Great Cascade should be better than ever once the water comes!
Thanks to our Head Gardener Claire for the photo: www.instagram.com/hestercombeheadgardener /

Referring to the title of Helen Sear's current exhibition in Hestercombe Gallery, Prospect Refuge Hazard 2, and drawing on the theory posited by Jay Appleton in his 1975 book The Experience of Landscape, this seminar will consider contemporary links between beauty and survival, in the context of the works in the exhibition, the history of landscape gardens and more broadly our human relationships with the surrounding environment.
Artist Helen Sear will be joined by French aca...demic Dr Laurent Châtel, Professor in British Art, Culture and Visual Studies at Lille University who specialises in 18th century English Landscape gardens as well as Gareth Evans, London-based writer, editor, film and event producer who curates Whitechapel Gallery’s Adjunct Moving Image as well as co-curates Whitstable Biennale, Porto's Forum of the Future and Flipside Festival.
Please join us for a fascinating afternoon of conversation. There will also be an opportunity to view Helen's exhibition in Hestercombe Gallery.
£10 per person.
To book go to: https://www.hestercombe.com/…/disrupted -views-seminar-with…/ or call 01823 413923
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Today we welcome Akiko and Yui to Hestercombe - they’re both part of the Triad fellowship, a horticultural scholarship between Japanese, American and British gardens allowing students to experience different gardening cultures.

When you get interrupted during your favourite TV show.

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION! Enter now to share your love of gardens and you could be part of our next exhibition in the Stables Café.
Inspired by the 175th birthday anniversary of the amazing Gertrude Jekyll, the theme is ‘My Garden’. We’re looking for photographs that really capture the inspiration that gardens and gardening bring – it could be your own garden, a plant you’ve tended or a historic or contemporary garden that you love.
Just submit your entry as a post comment, ...tell us a bit about the photograph and if you're under or over 18. Our judges, Head Gardener Claire Greenslade and Country Life Magazine news editor Annunciata Elwes will do the rest!
One entry per person, amateur photographers only please.
More info and full terms and conditions here: https://www.hestercombe.com/competitions/
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We walk our dog here most days ... he's blind, so this enables a long safe walk with lots of smells and noises. He knows the paths so well he leads us round!! He loves the occasional treat at the main entrance too �

We visited Hestercombe today for the Father Christmas experience, I cannot recommend this enough to other parents whose children still believe! So well thought out and carried through with great staff, special thanks to Elf Alice and Elf Sam and the man in red himself! We will definitely be back for more of the same next year.

Was lucky enough to have a tour arranged by my WI which included Claire the head gardener talking us through the garden. It was amazing and so interesting. Would really recommend to anyone to book up on a tour and go along. It will inspire you to get in your own garden ���

Myself and my partner visited here on Sunday and were not disappointed. The long walks were wonderful and lots of hidden places to seek out, thank goodness for the map provided :-) I thought how amazing it is to have so much natural beauty which belongs to one place and a big pat on the back to all the volunteers who take the time to look after so much land and to keep it looking so natural. If I were local it would be lovely to get involved.

Afternoon tea in the pillar room was excellent, 10/10 service from our waiter, the sandwiches were yummy. And the view from our table was outstanding.

So impressed we bought gift vouchers for family members who live locally.

Lot's of lovely items in the gift shop, my partner bought me a lovely hummingbird scarf and he bought a gardening book for himself, the plants for sale is also a great idea and looked wonderful

The ornate garden is also so beautiful, we didn't get chance to fully discover this so back again soon!

Thank you again to all the staff and volunteers who make this place so wonderful to visit! Keep up the great work, we will be back!

Me and my hubby got married here in november and i couldnt have wished for a more perfect day, all your staff are absolutely amazing and took the stress and worry out of everything on our big day, from the bottom of my heart thank you for all your hard work you are amazing and i loved that the bar staff were bopping along to the music in the evening too :D xx would definitly recommend hestercombe gardens to any bride to be, ohhh also your food is absolutely fantastic, beautifully presented and really tasty :D xxx

Lovely large gardens and ponds. Ideal for a long stroll through the woods and lots of places to stop and enjoy the undulating landscape. Dogs are allowed on leads which many gardens do not allow.

Highly recommended for a day out - nice cafe for lunch too!

Love coming here to walk around the gardens.

The food is great and staff very friendly.

Hestercombe is one of my favorite places i am a annual member of the gardens and spend hours there it changes so much through the seasons which also makes it a great place for weddings with days of photo opportunities the staff are very organised and friendly, highly recommended!!!

Hestercombe is beautiful. It provided a perfect backdrop to my son & daughter in laws wedding last Sept. Nothing was too much trouble and the staff smiled despite my daughter in laws spreadsheets!! Would highly recommend it as a wedding venue - the setting and organisation was perfect.

Had a wonderful time at Hestercombe over the weekend. The marquees were very well attended. Although very busy the shop was beautiful!Lots of fantastic Christmas gifts to choose from & such lovely friendly staff. Well done!

Great place to take kids. Love the ice skating at Christmas time.

First visit for me and my 3 year old daughter, I also had my 9 year old daughter with me who has been many times with her Dad's family. We did the Halloween trail. I thought it was fab and so did the girls. Loved the dressing up in the witches hut! They loved collecting their chocolate frog prize! The little park is lovely too! The gardens are just stunning even in autumn, I can't wait to visit again. The girls loved freely running around playing hide and seek. A wonderful place!

We have been members of The National Trust for a long time, as a family, so knew we would like the outdoor gardens and cafe and entertainment at Hestercombe ( even though it's not NT )

Our 11+14 year-old children really enjoyed the ice-skating, 70+ Mum-in law was really interested by the history of Hestercombe, and us parents felt pampered in the cafe, all of us enjoying a hearty lunch for a very reasonable price.

We will look forward to visiting again in the Spring/ Summer to explore the grounds. Thankyou for making us welcome, Hestercombe! PS the 2nd hand bookshop is really cosy too!

It's ok but expensive for retired people's I remember going with guests about 4pm no

reduction .only seniors price £ 32 for 4 as it was so late thought we'd get it a little cheaper as our guests had just arrived from Essex and thought a nice venue from station for a cuppa .choked at price .sent email to say rather disappointed , never even got a reply wouldn't take guests again oh well some you gain some you loose .

We went for the Reindeer trail which in itself was a great idea however the entrance cost of over £30 for 2 adults and 2 children was not good value for money. I appreciate it is Winter however there were too many empty beds and areas in development. It looked desolate and uncared for. Can I suggest a Winter reduced fee if you're not going to accommodate all seasons. I wouldn't visit here again.

Not complaining as such but just wanted to let you know that we thought this years halloween trail was really disappointing. As members we have always enjoyed it before, but this year apart from a few witches hats in the witches house it was not very halloweeny. It just felt like any other day at Hestercombe which although beautiful was not up to your usual standards

Lovely venue but its a shame the staff havent bothered to reply when I am interested in booking a wedding with them. � Disappointed

Last weekend my daughter, son-in-law, two grandchildren and I visited Santa in his grotto or should I say "grotty"!

The main walk way to the booking office was closed so our buggy had to be carried up a steep flight of steps and the grounds around the entrance were shabby and unkept, including Santa's waiting area which needed a good sweeping as it had days worth of old leaves laying around.

The stone steps down to the house were covered in weeds and the bank to the side had a lovely display of stinging nettles!

When it was our turn to meet Santa we were greeted by an "elf" who was very friendly but not very convincing. The grotto was very boring with no thought or imagination going into the decoration of the room. Santa was very friendly with a lot of "ho ho ho's" but the very obvious fake beard, black bin bags over his boots and American accent spoilt the whole moment.

With the setting available it could of been a really magical experience.

Took my son ice-skating for earlie Xmas. Was his 1st time and he could hardly move the penguin � even I found it hard, he was really looking forward to it but asked to go home after not even 15 minutes. It was more like walking on it then being able to skate or even slide. Nice friendly staff tho but expensive for what it is.