www.oldgreyheron.com

Kiftsgate Court, near Chipping Camden in Gloucestershire, is immediately across the road from the better known Hidcote Manor Garden owned by the National Trust. The gardens at Kiftsgate have a delightfully relaxed feel, a delightful mix of formality and informality and superbly creative use of the steep bank that takes you down to the swimming pool.

If you arrive on a summer's day as we did recently, the experience of getting out of the car and being engulfed by the sweet scent of the lime trees prepares the mind and the senses for the experiences to come.

For me the highlight was the enormous surprise when we found the Water Garden, built on the site of the old tennis court. The enclosed formal pond with water trickling from the gilded bronze philodendron leaves is a strangely both stimulating and calming. I could have sat there all day (particularly if no-one else had dropped in for a look).

The following photographs are some of my records of an all to brief visit (clicking on the small images will take you to a higher quality version opened in a new window - close the window to return).

You can find Kiftsgate Court's own website at www.kiftsgate.co.uk.