
25/05/2025
We visited Hestercombe House and Gardens just outside Taunton, Somerset.
The stunning formal gardens were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll.
Remains of a medieval house date from 1280.
In 1872 after almost 500 years in the hands of the Warre family the Hestercombe estate was bought by the 1st viscount Portman.
On the death of Mrs Portman in 1951 it became Somerset Firebrigade headquarters for 50 years.
In 2013 bought by Hestercombe Trust, open to the public 2014.