26 YEARBOOK 2025 and although relatively small it is carefully considered. Henry Holland had an interest in French design and the rear courtyard illustrates this with ‘a sense of grandeur and an intimate scale’. As a whole, Berrington’s design is an important example of the Brown and Holland partnership, illustrating how they worked together to apply their talents to create an integrated, picturesque landscape. Through the long-term management of Berrington Hall the National Trust has focused on ensuring that the significance of the hall and its designed landscape is maintained while providing appropriate facilities for members to appreciate that significance. There has been a consistent review of elements that jar. In 2021 the trust took the decision to remove the longstanding farming operation from the curved walled garden and to undertake extensive repair, with the aim of developing a new garden in the curved area. This project is ongoing. THE NEW PATHWAY The entrances and driveways that lead into Berrington have changed over the years. Whilst there are three main drives today, the visitors enter the parkland on the north side and arrive at the car park positioned to the side of the walled garden, just north of the triumphal arch. From here they can walk along the drive which leads to the front of the house or separate off toward the courtyard. Between the triumphal arch and the courtyard a substantial reordering of the garden landscape came into focus as a project that could deliver benefits. WHY? There were three key drivers for the development. Firstly, from a visitor experience perspective, it was felt that there was insufficient interest in this area specifically. The sense was that a flower garden could reinvigorate this area, encouraging repeat visits. A second driver was the need to improve physical access generally for key circulation routes. Finally, from a heritage perspective it was agreed that an arrival path from the triumphal arch towards the hall, dating from the Edwardian period, was far from ideal as it was overtly regimented, at odds with the intent found in the The plan from the 1887 sales particulars shows only sweeping lines of paths and carriage ways, with the triumphal arch bottom left, the house above, and the curved walled garden in the centre. (All images this page: National Trust) The formal path shown in this aerial photo ran from the lodge (bottom right) into the courtyard: this Edwardian intervention with its clipped yews was at odds with the flowing lines shown in earlier plans. The impact of the Edwardian terracing, formal planting and rectilinear path on the picturesque landscape is captured in this early photograph.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzI0Mzk=