I visited Claremont Landscape Garden, a National Trust property, on Sunday. Claremont Landscape Garden is located near Esher in Surrey, and it is one of the earliest surviving English Landscape Gardens with an original 18th century layout; it was also a place for Queen Victoria to escape to. It is a Grade I listed garden and was created for Claremont House. The gardens were created by famous landscape gardeners of the time - Capability Brown, William Kent, Charles Bridgeman, and John Vanbrugh.
The landscaping of the gardens took place between 1715 and 1727, and it includes a lake and ampitheatre The ampitheatre was used for an annual event, a country fair, and this event included four days of entertainment, which included music, theatre, and fireworks.
The ampitheatre is the remaining largest of its kind in existance in Europe. There were others, but they have disappeared over time. This ampitheatre is the focal point of the gardens. It is likely to have been used primarily as a viewpoint instead of as a stage.
Above the ampitheatre is a stone that reads "My Charlotte is gone". The story behind this is a sad one. Princess Charlotte commissioned a teahouse be built above the ampitheatre in 1817, but she died before it was finished. Her husband, Prince Leopold, converted it into a mausoleum as a memorial. Unfortunately, the stone for the mausoleum was used for a path.
There are short woodland trails with rows of rhododendrons on the northern part of the gardens, and I imagine that these look beautiful in the spring. This is probably the best time of the year to visit the gardens, but autumn may also look lovely.
A Camellia greenhouse was built here by Charlotte and Leopold and this is a quiet spot on the northern side of the garden.
Also, on the northern edge of the gardens is Belvedere Tower, which was constructed at the same time as the gardens. The windows are actually painted onto the brick.
Through the little trail in the wooded area are three statues: a boar, a bear, and a peacock. There is also a small thatched cottage (one small room only), and it has items for children to entertain themselves with.
In 1949, the landscape garden was donated to National Trust for protection. It was initially managed by the council but became fully under the control of National Trust in the early 1970s.
I enjoyed a walk around the small lake, which contains a grotto on one end. The gotto is a feature to be viewed from a distance only; it cannot be entered. It replaced a small waterfall. The lake also has an island with a little building in the middle, but the island cannot be accessed.
On the far side of the lake, visitors can enjoy the lake with the view of the ampitheatre.
There are a few seats dotted around the garden in order to relax and enjoy the views.
Have you ever visited Claremont Landscape Garden?
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