Yews Garden, Windermere

The Yews garden, was primarily designed by H. Avray Tipping, and almost uniquely is unchanged in form since 1912. Tipping was an important early collaborator with Jekyll and Peto, and was a British writer on country houses and gardens, a garden designer and Architectural Editor of Country Life magazine for 17 years.
The formal garden is designed in the Arts & Crafts style and also contains earlier elements, including the ha-ha, the main drive and hedge designed by Thomas Mawson. As well as the Sunken Garden with mature acers, a Rose Garden with yew hedge and topiary, there is a bog garden and woodland walk, both undergoing restoration. There are 2 summer houses above a croquet lawn. The eponymous yews are 400 years old and there is a substantial yew maze with beech perimeter hedge. A newly designed vegetable garden and a glasshouse by Messenger houses an 110 year old grape vine. There is plenty of parking and the garden is wheelchair friendly however access is over gravel paths.

We offer tea, coffee and homemade cakes and we take a minimum of 12 visitors. Lunch can be provided by arrangement. The garden is open from the end of May until the end of September.

Booking in advance is essential and can be requested using the following email: [email protected]. All tours will be accompanied by the owner or head gardener. A brief description of the house is given at the start of the visit. Followed by the tour. Dogs are made very welcome and will need to be kept on a lead. There is no access to the house, but there is a visitor's toilet. For a fully immersive experience, Blackwell, the Grade I listed Arts & Crafts house is next door. The garden there was designed by Thomas Mawson, but there is not much planting to speak of however the position is glorious and the house is wonderful.