Set in the glorious Cotswold village of Upper Slaughter is the historic Lords of the Manor Hotel. Just a few miles from Stow on the Wold, the hotel has eight acres of glorious and grandiose gardens surrounding the main building. On 17 September, as part of the National Garden Scheme open gardens, you have the opportunity to explore these gardens with their wide variety of vistas and interesting plants.
The main hotel building dates back to 1649. Originally a much smaller house, over the years the property has been extended and altered by those who owned it. The Slaughter family (originally Sclostre, meaning ‘a slough or muddy place’) purchased the Manor from King Henry VIII. It was later occupied by Ferdinando Tracy Travell, whose portrait still hangs on the first-floor landing. The Travell coat-of-arms can also be found incorporated into the decoration of the Drawing Room fireplace.
In 1808, the house passed to the Reverend Francis Edward Witts, nephew of Ferdinando Tracy Travell. The Witts family were first Rectors, and then Lords of Upper Slaughter. When the Reverend E F Witts died, he was succeeded by his son the Reverend Canon Francis Edward Broome Witts. Broome is a minor corruption of ‘broom’ and the plant – known in Latin as planta genista – gave its name to the Plantagenet Kings of England who wore a sprig of broom in their helmets in battle. Broom’s association with the Witts’ and Upper Slaughter is commemorated in the family crest which can be discovered over the porch featuring a sprig of broom in an eagle’s beak.
F E Broome Witts was succeeded in 1913 by his son, Major Edward Francis Broome Witts DSO who returned safely home following service in WWI. Few areas of Britain were as fortunate as the Cotswolds; Upper Slaughter is one of only 14 doubly thankful towns or villages in Britain with no men lost in either WWI or WWII. Throughout the Second World War, the Manor was occupied by the Army, and it was during this time that the front porch was damaged by an army vehicle, evidence of which can still be seen to this day. The owners have no intention of repairing this mark of history.
In 1972 the Manor was converted into a hotel. Francis Witts, son of Major General Witts, still resides in Upper Slaughter and he privately managed the property with his cousins until 1985. Lords was then sold to James Gulliver, with the Gulliver family putting the hotel up for sale in 1997.
Remaining privately owned since then, current owners, the Munir family, are committed to the conservation of the property and ensuring the grounds offer guests a variety of different areas to enjoy during their visit.
Head Gardener Mike Dron and his sister Annie work tirelessly to maintain and develop the hotel’s formal and informal gardens. Over recent years, Mike has replanted areas previously designed in 2012 by landscape and garden designer Julie Toll and ensures the herb garden is well stocked to supply the famed kitchens.
If you approach the property from the rear carpark, you will be rewarded by the beauty provided within the well-established walled garden. There is a pathway lined with old apple trees underplanted with white phlox, leading down to the rear patio area. Perennial planting in the walled garden has been chosen with a colour palette of mauve, purple, white and pale pink with additional darker purple leaf plants adding contrast and texture. Beds have been planted with summer flowering phlox and tall Phlomis tuberosa Amazone, with its dark purple stems and pointed deep green leaves with dense whorls of hooded, lilac flowers in summer remaining as attractive seedheads in autumn. You will also see a combination of both green and dark leaf Actaea which produce small, fragrant, white flowers in early autumn, often tinted purple in bud.
The herb garden is of particular interest, not only to gardeners but for cooking enthusiasts, too. Circular in design it is divided into sections with a central area planted with low growing thyme. Here using plug plants, Mike has combined two low growing thymes: a most unusual Thymus caespititus (Azores thyme or creeping thyme) with Thymus Jekka's Rosy Carpet, both planted into free-draining pea gravel. The overall effect is both fabulous and bee-friendly. The sections of this part of the garden include traditional, annual and exotic herbs and a Sichuan pepper tree (Zanthoxylum simulans).
Walking round to the front of the Manor (the hotel’s drop off point) there is a formal lawn area with herbaceous borders carefully colour co-ordinated with the extended view of the more informal gardens. In summer months, Old English roses bloom alongside a selection of cottage garden favourites, including chocolate cosmos which provides seasonal interest into the autumn. From the main lawn, look down towards the wild flower meadow and the borrowed landscape beyond.
Beyond the neatly mown main lawn area, where guests can sit and enjoy refreshments, there are paths leading to the rose garden and areas beyond. There’s a secluded area in which to sit and listen to birdsong where you’ll find a shady corner planted with Hostas and ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). The Old English roses have been selected to commemorate famous Britons including Charles Darwin, Darcy Bussell and Gertrude Jekyll.
From the rose garden, a woodland path leads you down to the wilder parts of the grounds where natural plants are allowed to grow, encouraging wildlife to find food and shelter. Pathways take you around the lower part of the wildflower meadow where in the summer you can spot Marsh Orchids and sometimes Bee Orchids growing amongst the Ox-eye daisies and other wildflowers. Walking past what was once a Victorian skating pond, you will come to the shady bog garden – an ongoing project in terms of replanting, since it was created by Julie Toll. Here you will see clumps of Gunnera sitting alongside Darmera peltate with its red autumn foliage. Other tall perennials include moisture loving Eupatorium, Aruncus dioicus and Ligularia dentata Desdemona along with several varieties of Hosta, ferns and, in early summer, Primula Candelabra add splashes of vibrant colour. A bench is placed here, allowing visitors to sit and enjoy the atmosphere.
In fact, all around the gardens at the Lords of the Manor Hotel there are thoughtfully positioned seating areas allowing visitors to pause and enjoy the vista whilst listening to the birds singing harmoniously in the background. Every corner that you walk around provides a different aspect, with the whole making a wonderful garden to visit and enjoy.
Tickets can be pre-booked online and pre-booking for afternoon with the hotel direct is essential for afternoon tea. Those with limited mobility should be aware that whilst accessibility is good in general, there are some steps in parts of the garden, including the bog garden.
