We might be biased but we believe Somerset is home to some of the prettiest villages in the country. With glowing ham stone buildings, thatched abodes and stunning stately homes, we pick 8 of the most beautiful in the south of the county
Montacute
Montacute House is an Elizabethan Renaissance gem, and makes a stunning backdrop to the graceful gardens around it. Here, fine lawns are surrounded by neatly-trimmed yews, while a sunken lawn is backed by pavilions and walls with balustrades and pinnacles. Also, Montacute s tree-lined West Drive can be seen in Sense and Sensibility (1995), which was partially filmed here (find some more of Somerset s famous film locations here). Visitors can have a meal or snack at the courtyard café, or pick up a gift in the shop.
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G. gracilis and
G. elwesii.”
Hynes, who moved to Cherubeer 30 years ago, grew snowdrops in her previous Buckinghamshire garden having been given three named varieties by the late Gwladys Tonge, who was Hardy Plant Society chairman from 1987 to 1990. Those three originals, ‘Scharlockii’, ‘Viridapice’ and ‘Atkinsii’, moved to Devon and were soon joined by ‘Magnet’, ‘Colossus’ and ‘S. Arnott’.
“These big and bold varieties make large clumps without self-seeding,” Hynes tells me. “My garden relies on larger clumps grown in the ground to create a backbone of white.”
Her snowdrops are placed carefully to lead the eye, perhaps towards a fine witch hazel, or the fiery orange-red stems of a willow (