Iford Manor is located on the Frome River valley. It has been occupied since Roman times and the house has a classical facade added in the eighteenth century. In 1899, architect and landscape designer, Harold A. Peto purchased the property and began the gardens we see today.

The Italian style gardens are set on a 2.5 acre hillside behind the manor house. They include terraces, sculptures and wonderful views of the river valley below. The Peto Garden at Iford Manor in Wiltshire won the Historic Houses Association/Christie's 1998 Garden of the Year Award given in recognition of a garden, outstanding both for its horticultural and public interest.

 

Bradford-on-Avon
Wiltshire
England BA15 1NB

On our second visit in 2004, the head gardener of over 40 years was on the verge of retirement. It was easy to tell that he would miss this beautiful garden which had been such a part of life for so long. Most of the structures, statuary and other stoneworks had to be "fixed" during his tenure. The original foundations were improperly designed and the features were beginning to fall over. So, he and his staff had to manually deconstruct much of the garden, lay a proper foundation and then rebuild it to its original grandeur. They did a magnificent job!

 
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