The enchanting Chartwell

 

I always overlook Chartwell as a place to visit in the Summer, I have only ever visited in the Autumn/Winter months and after seeing the gorgeous cutting garden in bloom there recently, I realise what a fool I have been!

Admittedly Lady Churchill's rose garden was just past it's best, the flowers are still out but they look a little rough around the edges. I will have to put a note in my calendar to visit earlier next year. Winston Churchill proposed to his wife in the rose garden at Blehneim Palace so it must be so lovely to have one in your own home.

There is also the golden rose avenue within the gorgeous walled garden. Borders bursting with colour and butterflies. The gold roses were a gift from Winston's children as a golden wedding anniversary gift. I wouldn't have thought of Winston Churchill to have had such a romantic streak in him but he clearly adored his home and wife.

Strolling through the walled garden I could see such a variety of flora and fauna. There were sunflowers, the gourds were starting to grow, lavender bunches lined the paths, there were even some chickens!

I don't know what it is about a walled garden but I feel they contain some magic, you don't know what will be behind the gate but once you walk through it's as though you had entered some mystical land of peace and calm!

Born from the keen amateur but creative minds of both Winston and Clementine Churchill, the gardens of Chartwell are as varied as they are beautiful the whole year round. History and nature merge seamlessly across the estate from the distinctive pastel colours of pink and white roses favoured by Lady Churchill, fruit and vegetables framed by the walls Sir Winston Churchill helped build, to acres of woodland and wider meadows.

I have made a mental note to return in the Autumn when the orchards are busting with apples and the pumpkins have grown in. I love the change in the colours that the different seasons bring, although I am not quite ready to give up my Summer wardrobe just yet!