• Plants from our nursery and juice from our orchar
• Beautiful Gardens
• Shopping
• Teashop
• Artists' Showroom/Gallery
• Art, Crafts, and Gardening Courses
• Events throughout the year
• Museum of Rural Life

Ornamental Gardens, tourism, garden centre, teashop, juice and cider production, orchards, gift shop, artist showroom, rural life museum, arts, crafts and gardening courses, events including theatre and music, Christmas market

A varied day out at Waterperry Gardens estate

The Waterperry estate has a history extending back before the Domesday Book, in which it is mentioned. However the more contemporary interest dates from the early 1930s when Beatrix Havergal and Avice Sanders arrived to establish their horticultural school for ladies which ran until the early 70s. This famous school produced a number of well-known lady gardeners, including Sybille Kreutzberger and Pamela Schwerdt, who were recruited by Vita Sackville-West to be joint head gardeners at Sissinghurst. Their legacy comes via Waterperry which includes a focus on herbaceous gardening. At Waterperry this is best-represented by the classical herbaceous border - 200 feet of nothing but herbaceous perennials, skillfully planted to provide 3 seasons of seamless colour between May and October. There is plenty more to see in the 8 acre gardens, after which visitors will be in need of a delicious lunch, prepared by hand in the teashop, Miss H's, or perhaps cake or scones with a top class tea or coffee from freshly-ground beans.
Duly refreshed, you will be able to browse the Gallery, containing a great range of British designer made works including jewellery, glass, ceramics, paintings, wood products, and textiles. There is also a Gift Barn with a wide selection of items with an emphasis on British and ethically-sourced products. For the gardener, there is a great selection of plants, many of which are on show in the gardens, and most of which are grown in our own Nursery, and in the Garden Shop you will find most of the necessities for your gardening needs, plus a lot more. You will also find there, depending on the season, fresh apples, pears, and plums from our own orchards, not to mention varietal apple juices and cider, all produced in the traditional way, on the estate.
On your way back towards the teashop for another cup of tea and piece of cake you will come across the Museum of Rural Life (open Tues-Sun, 2pm-5pm) and the friendly curator Gordon who will take pride in explaining everything he knows about his collection. If you are good he will also let you have a go on Ronny Barker's famous cash register. He will direct you towards the nearby Church of St. Mary's with its Saxon Chancel arch, 12th Century floor tiles, early 13th century glass and a lot more.
If we have a play or event going on you may like to stay on, but if not we are a short distance from the M40 and the quick journey back to London, the midlands, and Oxford.
We have a website where you can purchase a number of our plants, courses, vouchers, and gardens membership, or sign up to our newsletter, so there is no reason not to keep in touch one way or another.

Find Us

Close junctions 8 and 8a of M40, 7 miles from Oxford, off A40. Brown signs for directions.