Fenton House

16 th April 2011

Fenton House

Windmill Hill, Hampstead, London NW3 6RT. Infoline: 01494755563

Fenton House, a Georgian house once owned by Lord Fenton, a wealthy 17^th century merchant. Last purchased in1936 and bequeathed to the National Trust in 1952 by a Lady Binning. Containing a fine collection of musical instruments and porcelain added at a later time. Clothed by an oasis of a traditional English country garden laid out in a grid pattern emphasising the use of several out door rooms including an ornamental lawn, rose garden and a 300 year old Orchard. Holding true to the Genus Loci of the local countryside of the day. In the 18^th century the house would have been surrounded by countryside with a actual windmill on windmill hill. Today it feels like a rural idle in the middle of a hustling, bustling bohemian district of London called Hampstead, next door to the world famous Hampstead Heath popular with tourists and resident alike.

The South Facing Garden

There are three access points to the house and gardens there is evidence of more in the garden which have since been bricked up. What I believe to have been the front entrance via Holly Hill from Hampstead High Street. Climbing up a few stone steps, you are faced with a rather imposing ornate iron gate which screams out money, power and keeping the poor fowl wretches, ne'er do wells muck and filth of the outside out. Reminiscent of the same style of gates in the countryside that standalone in a field or wood mark the boundary of the estate. Spirited to and from the house through a straight axis from a large first floor Georgian window with a few steps, from where visitors could be spied upon as they come up the path, through a funnel of clipped yew laid out in a pied a tere design with a axis to the gardeners cottage and yard, to the main gate and around to what is now the main entrance . The path is on a gentle incline through a plantation of uniformed trees, I feel the trees could have been planted a little more randomly, to make it more naturalistic. This echoes the fashion of the day, showing man's control over nature. Full of for boding and to many in number. The space tries to give a woodland feel but fails due to the narrowness of the garden and limited space not helped by the encroaching perimeter walls, town and infrastructure tree plant spacing. Made worse by the oddly shaped shrubs. A good example of the use of willow fencing has been used to screening off a utility area and some semblance of meadow or glade planting has been used by up by the yew hedge. There is this feeling that you weren't supposed to hang about and admire the view just concentrate on the business at hand. Rather than advertise wealth or attempt to to clothe the building, the whole front garden is very austere with an emphasis on the every day business of the running of the family house, estate, and business at hand.

The North Facing Garden

Guided around the east side of the house by the curvature of the clipped Taxus baccata (yew), one enters a boxed shaped pergola of the same species and variety. Eschewed across the east gravelled main entrance where the inhabitants and guests of the house would have been set down and picked up by there carriages. Then gobbled up by a second mirrored clipped T. baccata box shaped pergola, as if travelling through a time portal and POW !!! you are sucker punched by the North garden. Okay have I entered another world you exclaim, I could live with this.

Graduated or terraced if you like, East to west, the north facing garden has a west facing walled, with a C.18^th century espaliered fruit tree and herbaceous border. Bordered by a low, slow growing Buxus sufruiticosa which has been trained and clipped uniformly in an “A” frame in keeping with the Taxus hedge in the front. This may also seem austere and regimented but it also adds a little bit of Je ne say que when the spring light falls upon it, like decorative frilly icing on a cake. Carrying you and your eye down the path to the bottom of the garden directing, encouraging you to walk along the northern path which lays at right angles, is also walled with espaliered shrubs and a bricked up entrance from the street. Back to the eastern path which is terraced on the same level to the house. Punctuated only by a wrought iron garden seat half way along and overlooking the ornamental lawn and the blossomed tree tops of the orchard which lies down below. Along the other side of the path 7 flower tubs. and then 3, somebody new what they were doing. Groupings of 3,5 and 7 are the most pleasing to the eye. The path runs Westward along the bottom of the garden until you come to a wisteria covered dead end with a white painted wooden seat acting as a focal point. As I did, neglecting, or just not registering the ornate iron flight of steps into the rose garden located off centre to the east of the central axis coming off the large Georgian window to the centrally situated main internal staircase to the house. So as no to spoil the view down through the garden from the house.

The rose garden is a sunken levelled garden, down to a third level with a basket weave paved floor. Partially enclosed by a Taxus Hedge approx 2.8 M upon a wall and partially walled with wrought iron fence. Mirrored ornate wrought iron balustrade d stone steps sweep regally into and out of the garden. The route of which only broken up by the standard classical fountain which distracts your attention into the rest of the garden. Alas I was there way before the roses came to bloom. With Lavendula billowing out of the bottom of the bottom riser, as it did a top the terraced wall, as if nature was making a comeback, but isn't that the art, the mode de employ of good garden design. Notice also the way the miniature hedging borders the rose beds carrying on that theme, accentuating the layout, making a statement of intention and adding all year interest. The manner in which the ornamental steps have been cut in to accentuate the steps and aid the ornamentation of the rose garden. Like a cut stone or piece of artwork or the whole rose garden speaks volumes to the wealth and power of the owner.

An enclosed green clipped corridor with herbaceous beds separates the ornamental lawn from the rose garden which has bench at one end, hidden away, to sit awhile gossiping, fawning and plotting to your hearts content. A solitary urn inhabits the other end acting as another focal point. The urn naturally draws you to the end where you are presented with a decision to be made with whether to turn left into the ornamental lawn or right down a flight of blocked steps. The green corridor really promotes the compartmentalisation of the different rooms. Adding to the circulation and whole adventure of the garden. Captivated by your new found youth full exuberance and inquisitiveness you venture down the flight of steps, laid out in a right angle. Note the element , and it is an element, of surprise as you reach the bottom were you are presented with the entrance to the orchard and then wonder if you hadn't just simply died and gone to heaven. Previously you had just a taster, cleverly done from the terraced east path, now you are going to get the whole mouth full with a cherry on top.

The 300 Year Old Orchard

As you leave the stairs you are presented with an olde worldy rustic walled enclosure. Were clouds upon clouds of white and pink blossom atop gnarled old stubs, which can only belong to the Malus (Apple) family are anchored in a field of Narcissus (Daffodils) and blue Myosotis (Forget me nots) where they have cleverly mown paths in a grid pattern, thus leaving unspoilt areas. Of course I was there in April but I hear tell apple day is also a good time to come wit the family. I digress. After picking your chin off the floor and deciding that life will never be the same again, you take it upon yourself to float along the perimeter path grinning like a Cheshire cat who has just got the cream. Along the north wall, all lined up and spick and span, past what was once a smallish nursery bed with Euphorbia, Fuchsia, Mahonia and Berberis and a selection of ferns. Past which you come upon an old fully restored green house, obligatory cold frame and another flight of steps leading down to what I presume was an ice house, a genteel reminder of where you are. As you turn to down the west path, drawn along by the little Head Gardeners cottage snuggled up against the east facing wall, with shingled roof and old fashioned 1/2 clay pipes used for drainage, at the end. You soon forget where you are and anything else for that matter as you are calmly bombarded with stimuli from every quarter. Every inch of orchard has been used including between the abutments which support the East facing wall. Where espaliered Pyrus sp. (Pear) show off there wears along lengths of wire, to anybody who cares to visit and pollinate their blossom or pick the fruits of their labour. A cross axis path dissects the garden with a water feature adorning the West facing wall spouting water gracefully into a stone trough.

The second half of the orchard contains an espaliered part en-closured trial beds colloquially known as an allotment. Divided in half with one half just been left rotivated and the other subdivided several times again by row upon row of annuals and bulbs such as Tulipa sp. (Tulip), Lilium and ornamental grasses. A well positioned composter sits in the southern corner of next to the allotments on the other side of the Eastern path. A Viburnum wafts its sugar coated scent over you as you come upon the relaxing water feature at the intersection of the dissecting path. You then amble on along the path, heading north, where you happen upon a welcome seat where you can just sit under the cooling shade of the apple trees and just absorb everything in this rustic dream scape, before you bid a fond farewell and head back up the brick steps, across the corridor and investigate the ornamental Lawn.

The Ornamental Lawn

Pyramidal Ilex aquifolium 'Golden Queen' standing proud in perfectly circular edged places. Standing sentinel guarding the lawn along the western path until you come to the sergeant major directing everything in this garden. The South East corner which has had its corner cut out around the base of a Holme Oak (Holly tree). Forming an avenue with 4 Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Columnaris' ( False Cypress). Anchored in a patch work of clumps of yellows and blues. Brimming with ground cover, the maximum number of species you want before it becomes too busy.

Another dainty formal avenue of standard topiary Ilex ball shaped lead you to the final set of wrought iron balustrade steps back to the terraced path and clipped Taxus (yew) box shaped pergola were you started. A simple Shepard boy can boy be spotted standing in a prominent position in front of the dark glaucous Taxus foil of the hedge between the the holly trees as they spirit you towards the stairs. Dark pink Auberietas spill out of the terrace wall above the Eastern herbaceous border. Only one major criticism is that nobody could tell me who if any body designed the garden.