Bowood Woodland Gardens

About the garden

Owned by The Marquis of Lansdowne, the Woodland Garden is a separate attraction on the Bowood Estate. It is open for just six weeks each year during the flowering season, which runs from mid-April to early June. Covering more than 30 acres, the Woodland Garden features over two miles of paths that meander through an oasis filled with azaleas, bluebells, magnolias and rhododendrons.

The garden surrounds the family mausoleum, one of Robert Adam’s finest classical buildings, which was commissioned in 1761 by the widow of the first Earl of Shelburne. Recently, the Woodland Garden was the site of an exciting horticultural discovery: more than 30 original hardy hybrids, previously believed to be extinct. These plants date back to when the garden was initially planted by the third Marquis of Lansdowne in 1854. The present Marquis’s great-grandfather significantly expanded the gardens upon his return from India, where he served as Viceroy.

Within the Woodland Garden is The Jubilee Garden, a four-acre section that was initially laid out around 1854 by the third Marquis of Lansdowne. Continuing this family tradition, the current Marquis has dedicated 12 years to enhancing the Rhododendron Walks, starting his planting efforts in the woods in 2006. Complimentary parking is available just outside the entrance to the Woodland Garden, along with a catering hut offering hot drinks and homemade cakes.