L I V E 2 4 -SE V EN


THROUGH THE GA RDEN GAT E CLIVEDEN HOUSE


This month, our media horticulturalist, Camilla Bassett-Smith, heads for a garden and property fit for a Duchess – Cliveden House in Berkshire; an easy journey along the M4 and you’re at the door and garden gates of one of the most talked about estates in history.


Built for the second Duke of Buckingham in 1666 and host to glitterati throughout the ages, it is well-known as the meeting place of Christine Keeler and John Profumo, the swimming pool where this introduction took place is still a focal point to this day as part of the luxury hotel spa.


Luxury in fact describes this location to a tee, from the decadent ‘Prince of Wales’ suite, which was simply stunning with fantastic views of the perfect parterre below, to the lavish entrance hall in all its rich velvet glory. So regal is this residence that The Duchess of Sussex chose to spend her last night as a single lady here ahead of her Windsor wedding in May, but luxury is not confined to the indoors and so to the grounds we headed for an afternoon of botanical beauty.


The Fountain of Love, designed and carved in Rome, is a real statement of romance and passion and like much of the Estate, the result of the Astor family who resided here from 1893, a relative with whom I shared the corridors and curriculum of Cheltenham Ladies’ College in the 1990 (mother of adorably sweet ear holding bridesmaid at Royal Wedding of handsome young prince number one in 2011). Lord Astor didn’t stop at importing fountains, for the Italian Borghese


Balustrade with its elaborate carving and seats, runs the length of the terrace and is an impressive sight in stone.


Now in the ownership of The National Trust, the gardens are made up of many different areas, or rooms, from the impressive Long Garden with its topiary and colourful annuals to the Ilex Grove, maze and Rose Garden. The latter was once a formal grassed area known as ‘a cabinet’, but in 1959, the third Lord Astor asked famed garden designer Jellicoe to create a secretive rose garden which has recently been re-instated with the planting over 900 roses.


One of my favourite spots was The Water Garden where water lilies, shrubs and fountains created the most serene of atmospheres. A rainbow even curved in celebratory approval as I photographed from the water’s edge.


The Round Fruit Garden is possibly the only surviving example of a circular fruit garden in the UK, having been laid out in the middle of


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