If its perfect battlemented hedges you want then Knightshayes is the place to go. They enclose several sections of the formal garden to the rear of the house and the pool garden with its elegant statuary is stunning.

The House was built in the 1870's for William Burges the eccentric local M.P. and the overall pattern of the garden was established at that time by Edward Kemp. However it was the Heathcoat Amory family, Sir John and his wife, who undertook the exotic planting after the Second World War and besides the formal topiary gardens near the house you will find woodland walks and much more to keep you interested. The property is now looked after by the National Trust and you could do worse, if you are just beginning to find an interest in gardens, than to visit Knightshayes, Devon's finest example.

The photographs above are not particularly politically correct as they depict hounds chasing a fox across the top of the hedges as designed by Sir Ian Heathcoat Amory. You can see how long it is since I visited and I'm sure the National Trust will have removed them now as they banned actual fox hunting on their land a few years back. I've included them as they show one of Britain's former Topiary eccentricities and give an indication of what you could do given the imagination.

All photographs by Anthony Blagg.

Visit the National Trust Website