The National Garden Scheme lets us see private homeowners gardens. The homeowner might have a humble cottage, a farm or a grand estate. When I reached out to Anne Barnes, I sent a simple message:
Would it be possible to see Spurfold today (5/22) or in the next few days? My wife and I are visiting from Boston,USA and we just learned of your garden.
The response we got from Anne was so gracious. She apologized for not answering our email sooner:
Dear Mark and Carola,
I am sorry that we were up in London today and so have just received your email on our return this evening.
Tuesday afternoon would be a possibility for a visit. Also Thursday and Friday are also a possibility. I normally only allow groups of people to book, but as you are far from home I am happy to make an exception! But I would charge you £8.00 per person for the visit. All monies go to the National Garden Scheme nursing charities.
Let me know if any of those days suits you. Best wishes
Anne Barnes
And what a garden. Anne and her husband are both designers – that makes me feel better because I can’t imagine how they conceived of the color and shapes and architecture that make this place so beautiful. When you walk around their garden every step reveals a different perspective that looks like a painting. I can’t remember ever being in a garden that was so beautiful from every angle.
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