LONGSTOCK PARK WATER GARDEN
AS A FAMILY we enjoy gardens. We love reading about them, watching TV programmes about them and tending and caring for our own garden – and, of course, we love visiting them, whether they be wild, formal, children’s playgrounds, historical or specialist. One of our favourites is Longstock Park Water Garden, and each time we visit I remind myself how fortunate I am to be associated with a company which has both a desire and a duty to own and preserve such elements of English tradition and heritage. Waitrose is part of the John Lewis Partnership, which owns and manages what has been voted the finest water garden in the world, and it is open to the public on the first and third Sundays of each month throughout the summer, with all proceeds going to local charities (although the third Sunday in June is invariably reserved for the National Garden Scheme).
THE PICNIC
Poached Salmon with Watercress
No matter when you visit, it is always a joy to spot not just the different flowers, shrubs and grasses, but the amazing plethora of birds, insects and butterflies. The girls are particularly keen on these and we always take a picture chart as a guide and mark how many we can spot, along with dragonflies and water boatmen.
The garden, almost seven acres of it, was constructed mainly in the early part of the 20th century, using water diverted from the River Test to make the lakes and connecting canals – and it is these water features which make this habitat so extraordinary. Just by sitting still and watching the water carefully you can spot any number of freshwater fish such as pike and bream, as well a number of different Japanese Koi carp, all hungry for bread. Then there are the birds – the kingfishers alone are worth a visit, while the place is bejewelled with woodpeckers (three different species), herons, moorhens, larks and many more.
Of course, what we all love are the plants and as we go around we make notes of the ones we hope we will see on sale in the nursery at the end. The water lilies are what the place is famed for, and depending which report you read, there are between 40 and 80 different types. The girls, when not running around, love drawing them as they are such a perfect shape.
We spend rather a long time, and often much money, in the nursery, which is situated in the old walled kitchen garden. Apart from housing the National Collections of Buddleias and Clematis Viticella, it also has the most stunning 100-year-old herbaceous border which is the envy of everyone who sees it. The great thing about the nursery is that you can order in advance for different season and I often have to be restrained from ordering beautiful, but inappropriate plants for my own garden.
The other element of Longstock which pleases me greatly is that it is part of the Leckford Estate – home to the Waitrose farm. The farm supplies some of our stores as well as having its own shop. We always make a point of visiting for treats to take home.
The Picnic Site
Anywhere you can lay a blanket in this beautiful area.
• Try to coincide with Winchester Farmers’ Market and find: goats’ cheese from Rosary Goats’ Cheese, and other types from Lyburn Farmhouse Cheesemakers; fudge from Candy Carnival; fruit and salads from Durleighmarsh Farm Shop.
• The Restaurant at Netley Abbey offers more substantial meals, also using locally produced ingredients.
• The Mayfly pub on the River Test, near Stockbridge.
• The Peat Spade Inn in Longstock Village.
ALSO IN THE AREA
• Netley Abbey – the most complete Cistercian Abbey in the south of England which was visited often by Jane Austen and painted by Constable, while the nearby Royal Victoria Hospital was supposedly where Dr. Watson of Sherlock Holmes-fame trained.
• Wolvesey Castle – a 12th-century Norman keep which became the chief residence of the Bishops of Winchester.
• The Vyne at Sherborne St. John – a wonderful 16th-century house which has been in the same family for over 350 years and boasts a lovely Tudor chapel and great gardens and woodland.
• Hinton Ampner – another wonderful garden with magnificent topiary, and gardeners on hand to answer your questions.
• The Test Valley – the Test is one of the finest fly-fishing waters in the country and exploring its banks or simply sitting on them to enjoy them is a glorious thing to do on a summer afternoon.
• Stockbridge – lots of interesting independent shops. Feed the fish!