Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens

About the garden

Kelmarsh Hall is an elegant Palladian house built in 1732. Nestled in the glorious Northamptonshire countryside, it is surrounded by highly-regarded gardens shaped by three of the 20th century’s most remarkable taste-makers and garden designers: Nancy Lancaster, the American doyenne of English country house style and former co-owner of the interior decorating firm Colefax and Fowler; Norah Lindsay, influenced by Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West; and landscape architect Geoffrey Jellicoe.

A formal terrace and horse chestnut avenues lead down to a lake, offering views of the rolling countryside beyond. From the sophisticated pastels of the sunken garden, through a traditional double border and two rose gardens, to the dramatic colours of the long border, the garden leads the visitor on a tour around the perimeter of a triangular walled garden. This bursts with vibrant flower borders, cutting flowers, fruits, vegetables and a fine collection of dahlias, which are at their best in September when the special dahlia festivals take place.