Hide & Seek: Design Tricks from Sudeley Castle

There are so many castles in England  that choosing which ones to take a tour group to can be tricky. All are fascinating in their own way whether their medieval history, tales of renovation or collections of priceless art and most have gardens that are worth a visit but truthfully the only reason I included Sudeley Castle on my recent tour was because it was a good stopping point on our journey between Oxford and the Cotswolds! Thankfully it was a good call and we all enjoyed our visit here exploring the romantic ruins and varied gardens.

It was only when I went back and looked more closely at my photos that I realized there were some interesting design tricks played out, concepts that can be used in our home gardens no matter whether you have a castle or a cottage. If I were to sum these up in a single phrase it would 'Hide and Seek' – here's what I mean.

Tension  = Anticipation

Peek a Boo views

Imagine a large garden where everything is visible at once: it would feel exposed, perhaps rather boring and unless there are some intriguing pathways it would be unlikely to encourage us to wander and explore. 

Now imagine that garden divided into smaller garden rooms where we only got glimpses of adjacent areas. That would pique our interest much more and offer  exciting opportunities to discover hidden vignettes. 

The idea of garden rooms has long been employed in design of course, most notably by John Brookes MBE, but what I found at Sudeley was that this concept was taken a step further. In many of these outdoor rooms I felt visually restrained by only having the merest hint at what lay beyond, a sense of tension that had me almost rushing around the next corner because I really didn't know what to expect. I wanted to "go seek!" 

Here a some examples of how that played out in a few of the castle gardens.

Tithe Barn Garden

The Tithe Barn at Sudeley Castle

Our guide took us first into this secluded Tithe Barn Garden which dates back to the 15th century and was partially destroyed by Cromwell during the Civil War. Today the ruins are a romantic backdrop to abundant perennial gardens. Even though our May visit meant only a few were in bloom the wonderful layering of foliage textures was still effective. 

Mass plantings of euphorbia against the weathered stone walls were a delight and contrasted perfectly with the bold silver foliage of an emerging cardoon.

What was fascinating about this garden was the way the windows and doors created tantalizing glimpses of the castle and larger gardens. These portals begged us to venture out to explore further. It was really hard to stand still and listen to our guides! That sense of anticipation was real.

The Queens Garden

The Queen's Garden is named after four of England's Queens: Anne Boleyn, Katherine Parr, Lady Jane Grey and Queen Elizabeth 1

The centerpiece of the gardens at Sudeley is the Queen's Garden. We passed through these imposing gates engraved with the Tudor rose emblem to reveal a wide gravel path. The strong axis drew our eyes and feet to a fountain, passing between striking topiary forms and up a flight of stone steps.

In Tudor times this garden would have been planted with herbs and flowers but has been redesigned over the centuries and today boasts more than 80 varieties of roses.

Again there was a sense of tension here; what is up those steps? What is off to the sides?

The Knot Garden

This courtyard was one of my favorite areas. The tiled water feature reminded me of a Moroccan design

With the sheer scale and grandeur of a castle backdrop, it can be hard to create a sense of intimacy and enclosure yet this has been achieved beautifully in the sheltered courtyard. A Knot Garden planted with boxwood fills the space, its simplicity allowing the design, based on a dress worn by Elizabeth 1 to shine. Surrounded by the mellow stone walls and immaculately pruned tall hedges this space felt like a secret oasis.

With such tall hedges one really has no idea what comes next – there's that sense of anticipation again, feeling almost blindfolded and having to trust our guide to lead us. It was as though we held our collective breath as walked beneath the arbor, exhaling when we were through the portal.

The Ruins Garden

The Ruins Garden

The remains of the original 15th century Banqueting Hall provide an imposing backdrop for this garden which is one of only a few that felt much more open, that contrast in itself a great design trick.

The ruins of the banqueting hall is used today for private gatherings

Here and on the walls opposite were some delightful early season plantings.

A warm sunny wall supported climbing roses and taller shrubs

The sun made this rose glow! It was charming against the mellow walls.

Ribes speciosum dripping with blooms

I had to look this plant up, At first I thought it was a fuchsia but it is in fact a fuchsia-flowered gooseberry (look at the leaves), Ribes speciosum. This semi-evergreen shrub is a US native it seems although I don't recall having seen it before.

There are ten gardens in all  that we explored including the White Garden which frames St Mary's Church. And then just when you think you've seen it all…..

Our visit coincided with an exhibition of 30 life-sized elephant sculptures

Take Home Ideas

Assuming an elephant is not in your design plans, what other ideas can we glean? Here's my thoughts.

1. Vary the experience

I talk a lot about creating outdoor rooms with partial glimpses of what lies beyond. You might do that by adding a  curve in a pathway, or using tall grasses to offer a filtered view. Don't be afraid to occasionally obstruct the view. Tall hedges, privacy screen, deeper plant layers all can be used to achieve this. Perhaps you have a dense, tall hedge that you can cut an archway into? Even one such experience will read differently from the other glimpsed views. The sense of tension will be heightened and equally important, the sense of release will be also.

Another garden that does this exceptionally well is Old Ruston Old Vicarage Garden in Norfolk.

2. Use a focal point

Remember the story of Narnia? The children enter a wardrobe only to find that it isn't a wardrobe at all but rather a portal into another world. They are encouraged to venture out and explore by virtue of a lamp post just ahead. Recreate that idea in your garden. Create these portals but then add a teaser, some sort of focal point to draw you out to explore. At Sudeley the focal point was at times glimpses of the castle, or a fountain, but you could use statuary or a container. East Ruston is again a great garden to get inspiration for the power of axis and focal points to draw you.

Photo credit for lead image: Sudeley Castle