Abbotsford

Standing on the banks of the River Tweed on the Scottish borders, Abbotsford was the home of Sir Walter Scott.  The gardens seen today are a rich and rare surviving example of Regency design and are still fundamentally the creation of Scott himself, reflecting his aesthetic with the blending of romance, historicism and utility.  The style is completely different from the English Landscape Garden which ‘Capability’ Brown made his own in the previous decades.

The gardens are arranged as three walled or courtyard “rooms”, each with its own character: the South Court (or entrance court), the East Court (also sometimes called the Morris Garden), and the Kitchen Garden.

The South Court serves as the elegant arrival space, with formal elements. The East Court is a quieter, sunken ornamental lawned garden, flanked by the east-facing façade of the house. The Kitchen Garden combines practical cultivation (heritage fruit, vegetables, herbs) with decorative planting.

A notable structure is the glasshouse built in 1825, sometimes called the “Pavilion” and based on a medieval jousting tent design. It is heated via a sunken furnace house, which was used to support cultivation of more tender plants.

https://www.scottsabbotsford.com/news/summer-in-abbotsford-s-gardens