Cobham - Painshill Park

By Matthew Williams

Before Ground Force was even a concept on the BBC’s drawing board – before there was even a BBC in fact – there was Painshill. If the programme had been around in the 1700s, and had been invited into the garden of some rich aristocrat, this famous park might well be similar to what Alan Titchmarsh, Tommy Walsh, Charlie Dimmock & co. would have dreamt up.

At the time, Painshill was a hugely ambitious garden; no-one had ever incorporated so many different cultures and sculptures, from around the world, into one idyllic landscape garden. A serpentine lake, water features that Ms Dimmock would die for and a series of architectural features, including a grotto, gothic temple, and Chinese bridge, meant that this was a garden design way ahead of its time.

Created by English visionary, the Hon Charles Hamilton, the park took inspiration from his two Grand Tours of Europe. Hamilton then dedicated his creative genius to the layout and composition of this landscape garden, located off Portsmouth Road, Cobham.

“Sometimes, people forget that Painshill has a heritage just as rich as the likes of Kew and the Chelsea Physic gardens,” says Jayne Newman, Painshill’s market development manager. “This is something we want to re-address. With the rich variety of plants and follies at the park, we have plenty of our own for visitors to explore.”

The original work on the park began in 1738, and Hamilton, an avid collector of plants, imported exotic species and landscaped the gardens with his finds. The theatricality of Painshill was carefully staged with a variety of eye-catchers. Hamilton was also a great traveller and brought artefacts and ideas from other cultures to Painshill.

Over time, the cost of running the park grew too much, and Painshill was sold, eventually to fall into disrepair. The estate was split up in 1948, with the owners separating the mansion from the park and selling the land in separate lots.

The Painshill Park Trust (PPT) was formed to save what was left of the majestic park, but even by 1981, only some of the park’s original features were still to be found and these were obscured by years of neglect.

“The PPT now has the long-term aim for the park to be fully restored, and has made substantial progress with their work,” continues Jayne. “The future is bright for Painshill, with the trust rescuing and restoring the Grade I landscape and buildings.”

The park was awarded the rare Europa Nostra Medal in 1998, and more recently won a gold medal at the Hampton Court Flower Show for its plant heritage. Today, you can walk through the lush landscapes, imagine the grandiose past, be inspired, and even hold your wedding reception at this fantastic park.

• Painshill Park is located in Portsmouth Road, Cobham. It is open throughout the year including Bank Holidays (except Christmas Day & Boxing Day). www.painshill.co.uk

5 great reasons to visit

Jayne Newman, Painshill’s market development manager, gives us five of her park highlights…

1. Situated on an island, the grotto is an unusual folly. Visitors can wander through a tunnel covered in crystal stalactites into a large cavern with rock pools. Each year, we utilise the grotto for some very unique and popular family events, such as Halloween and visits to Father Christmas. Our visitors constantly say they love the grotto and that children find it magical!

2. Painshill produces its own wine from its on site vineyards. This year, there is a wine tasting event on Sunday October 7. In our vineyard, we grow three different types of grape. From this, we produce our own Painshill Wine – rosé and sparkling are available at the moment. We are always looking for volunteers to come and help us grape picking in October. It is hard work but great fun – I have done it myself.

3. The park offers fantastic views, that on a clear day, allow visitors to see all across Surrey. The gothic tower is one of our great Surrey towers. It is an imitation of a medieval watch tower, and was sometimes referred to by Hamilton as his castle. If you climb the 99 steps, on a clear day, you can see right over to Canary Wharf, Windsor Castle and the Surrey downs.

4. For those looking to propose in a beautiful, serene location, the park has some idyllic situations to fall down on one knee and say those magic words. One of the last additions to Hamilton’s follies is the romantic ruined abbey, which was built to conceal the remains of his commercial brick and tile works. Over the years, men have used the abbey as a romantic place to propose.

5. This year, at the Hampton Court Flower Show, Painshill was awarded a Gold Medal for their John Bartram Heritage Plant Collection of North American Trees & Shrubs show garden. Our American Roots Exhibition is open all year long to visitors but is at its finest between May to September. The display tells the story of the 18th century craze for new and exciting plants from outside the British Isles, and shows how they were used to transform British garden design at Painshill Park and other 18th century landscape gardens.

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