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Summer Outing to Rousham and Chastleton, 13/07/2022
Rousham is 12 miles north of Oxford, and Chastleton is four miles from Moreton-in-Marsh. Both are exceptional houses set in celebrated gardens, both have remained in the ownership of the same families for nearly 400 years. Chastleton was acquired by the National Trust in 1991.
ROUSHAM
The landscape garden at Rousham should be a place of pilgrimage for admirers of the work of William Kent (1685-1748). It represents the first phase of English landscape design and remains almost as Kent left it. The House was built in 1635 by Sir Robert Dormer and was re-modelled by Kent in a free Gothic style. Both House and Garden are now owned by the Cottrell-Dormer family.
- Guided tour of the house, circa 45 minutes.
- Richard Wheeler, previously a National Trust specialist in garden history led us round the garden.
CHASTLETON
Upon arrival at Chastleton, Richard Wheeler gave us an introductory talk and accompanied us round the house and garden. Completed in 1612, Chastleton is one of the finest and most complete Jacobean houses in England. It has been little altered from its original design. By remaining in the same family for much of its existence, it has been preserved as a time capsule. The Grade II-listed gardens, with topiary that is truly Jacobean in style, show architectural evidence that they have been unchanged for 400 years.
