Top of the World
The gardens of historic Spetchley Park, a magical estate just outside Worcester, are the result of 400 years’ care by generations of one family, the Berkeleys. One person was particularly influential in their creation: the great Edwardian gardener Ellen Willmott, who helped her sister Rose Berkeley plant and design many of the garden spaces. This does not feel like a formal garden, although there are many formal elements. Mostly it is a glorious mix of packed borders and beautiful specimen trees, such as the cork oak near the 19th-century root house. My favourite place was the secret Fountain Garden, where the ghost of Ellen may still linger. A lovely tea room serves light lunches and cream teas.
