Everdon Hall, Northamptonshire, The home of Charles and Caroline Coaker
THE kitchen window of Everdon Hall looks out over a spreading magnolia tree that marks the visitor’s arrival to the house. When Charles and Caroline Coaker took on the ‘almost derelict’ house 25 years ago, renovations were delayed by planning issues, so they decided to start on the garden before they moved in and to enjoy the opportunity offered by an almost blank canvas: a few mature trees and an abandoned walled garden.
Malus hupehensis in the Walled Garden emerge from a low circle of clipped box and a mound of Hebe rakaiensis.
The Coakers asked garden designer Angel Collins to help them, starting with the walled garden, which had the advantage of being far enough away from the house not to clash with building works. Mrs Collins has returned at regular intervals over the years to develop other parts of the 4½-acre garden that gently encircles the house with views onto glorious parkland. ‘This is really why we fell in love with this place—everywhere you look, there are views to rolling hills,’ says Mrs Coaker.
The new owner of Everdon Hall had a good idea of the style she had in mind: ‘I wanted the garden to be comfortable and soft, almost Italian. I love green; I wouldn’t mind if there was nothing else.’ Her brief for the key elements of the walled garden was even clearer. ‘I wanted a tennis court and a swimming pool to entice the children to the new house, but I didn’t want a kitchen garden. Nowadays, they are all terrible foodies, but when they were young all they would eat were frozen peas!’
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin June 22, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin June 22, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery