Highgrove Gardens
A digital tour of the spectacular Highgrove Gardens, at The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's private residence.
Highgrove House and Gardens
Highgrove House in Gloucestershire is the private residence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess Of Cornwall. Originally built in a Georgian Neoclassical style between 1796 and 1798, Highgrove has been home to The Prince since 1980.
Blue Plaque at Highgrove (18 July 2016)Highgrove Gardens
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Click and drag to explore The Front Garden of Highgrove House in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
Highgrove by Jason IngramHighgrove Gardens
During that time, His Royal Highness has made extensive changes to both the house and garden.
The transformation of Highgrove Garden has been a passionate project for The Prince of Wales.
On The Prince's arrival at Highgrove, the garden boasted little more than a neglected kitchen garden, an overgrown copse, some pastureland and a few hollow oaks.
Today, the gardens at Highgrove are widely considered some of the most inspiring and innovative in the UK - and are full of personal touches dreamed up by The Prince himself.
HRH The Prince of WalesHighgrove Gardens
The Highgrove Gardens (2011-08-17)Highgrove Gardens
Highgrove HouseHighgrove Gardens
Sustainability is at the heart of The Prince of Wales's management of the gardens.
All waste materials are recycled, and the gardens are maintained to ensure they thrive in complete harmony with nature.
Rainwater is collated and used for irrigation, and a specially designed reed bed sewage system manages the estate’s waste water.
Solar panels and a wood chip boiler are used for heating, while composting and natural fertilisers ensure the garden is as self-sufficient and environmentally friendly as possible.
Highgrove: Discover it's sustainable secrets (2011-08-17)Highgrove Gardens
Chickens at The Highgrove Gardens (August 2017)Highgrove Gardens
The Highgrove Estate is also the location of Home Farm, a centre of excellence for organic farming.
The Meadow (2014-03-01)Highgrove Gardens
Members of the public can visit Highgrove Gardens on select dates between February and October.
Plan of Highgrove by Jonathan Myles -LeeHighgrove Gardens
The Stumpery
The Stumpery is one of the highlights of the garden tour. A tranquil corner of the garden, and a rich habitat for wildlife, The Stumpery is inspired by a Victorian concept of growing ferns amongst upturned tree stumps. This stone water feature, crowned with a canopy of gunera, is a favourite nesting spot for ducks.
The Stumpery (2013-08-01)Highgrove Gardens
Tree ferns and mossy tree stumps help create an other-worldly, mystical atmosphere in The Stumpery.
This enchanting garden also features hydrangeas, and The Prince's prized National Collection of large and giant-leaved hostas - one of his favourite plants.
Tree house by Andrew ButlerHighgrove Gardens
The Stumpery's treehouse was originally built in a holly tree, for the young Princes William and Harry, and is now enjoyed by the Prince Of Wales's grandchildren.
It is nicknamed 'Holyrood House', after the Queen's palace in Scotland, and harking back to its holly tree roots. The door is also shaped like a holly leaf.
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Click and drag to explore The Stumpery in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
The Stumpery by Jason IngramHighgrove Gardens
Showcasing wood's natural sculptural qualities, The Stumpery features two classical style temples, crafted from green oak and cut to resemble stone.
This temple's carved oak seat was designed by celebrated garden designers Julian and Isabel Bannerman, and features The Prince of Wales's feathers.
It's also home to two model leprechauns, which were given to The Prince by an Irish friend.
The friend wrote: 'If the wee man with the red beard makes an appearance in the garden, you can rub his left cheek for luck and tell him what we think of him.'
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Click and drag to explore The Stumpery in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
The Goddess of the Woods by Andrew ButlerHighgrove Gardens
The Goddess of the Wood sculpture, by David Wynne, also sits in The Stumpery.
The Stumpery by Jason IngramHighgrove Gardens
Another special feature of The Stumpery is The Temple of Worthies.
Designed by the Bannermans, it is a memorial dedicated to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The Temple of Worthies is made from green oak, which is distressed to appear vermiculated, and features a bronze relief of The Prince's late grandmother.
The Cottage Garden
The Cottage Garden is a garden of two halves, old and new. The New Cottage Garden has a vibrant colour scheme of yellow, pink and blue, inspired by Tibetan silks. The Old Cottage Garden has a more classic, quintessentially English feel, and was designed by The Prince with the late Rosemary Verey OBE. It features a mixture of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and bulbs, providing year-round colour, as well as an oak summer house, designed by The Prince and Mark Hoare.
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Click and drag to explore The Indian Gate - also known as The Shand Gate, after The Prince of Wale's brother-in-law - in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
The Sundial Garden
This iconic garden takes its name from the sundial at its far end, which sits in front of reclaimed wrought iron gates topped with The Prince of Wales's feathers. Originally designed by Lady Salisbury as a rose garden, today The Sundial Garden boasts a bold planting scheme, enhanced by the use of willow structures.
The Sundial Garden, Highgrove (2014-05-01)Highgrove Gardens
The garden is particularly colourful during the summer months, when these aliums blossom in the May sunshine.
The Sundial Garden by Jason IngramHighgrove Gardens
Delphiniums flower during June and July, providing a particularly show-stopping delight.
Bust of Prince Charles by Jason IngramHighgrove Gardens
The entire garden is lined with yew hedges that have been clipped with ‘windows’ to reveal busts of The Prince of Wales at various stages of his life.
Thyme Walk
The Thyme Walk is an impressive avenue lined with whimsically shaped golden yew topiary. As the name suggests, The Thyme Walk is planted with different varieties of thyme, as well as golden marjoram, primroses, agapanthus, and lavender.
The Thyme Walk (2013-07-01)Highgrove Gardens
This bold, fragrant promenade draws your eye towards the house, and Terrace Garden.
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Click and drag to explore The Thyme Walk in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
Highgrove Garden (2010-05-01)Highgrove Gardens
At the opposite end from the house is an impressive bronze gladiator - a gift to the Prince from Lord Cholmondeley.
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Click and drag to explore The Laurel Tunnel in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
The Lily Pool Garden
At the bottom of the Thyme Walk, and overlooked by the Borghese Gladiator, lies the tranquil Lily Pool Garden. This garden was designed in the shape of a water lily flower. The swooping hedge accentuates the design of the bench.
The Thyme Walk by Andrew ButlerHighgrove Gardens
The GladiatorHighgrove Gardens
The terracotta pots, like the one seen to the side of the gladiator, were shipped over from Italy, addressed to 'The Prince of Wales, Tetbury' - and were initially delivered to the local pub of the same name!
Wildflower Meadow
Highgrove's peaceful Wildflower Meadow is a four-acre plot of untamed beauty. Originally planted with a 32-species seed mix in 1982, it is managed as a traditional hay meadow. Seed-rich green hay introduces new species each year, creating a constantly evolving landscape that is cultivated in harmony with the seasons. The meadow provides sanctuary to different wildlife throughout every season of the year.
Wild Flower Meadow (2013-04-01)Highgrove Gardens
Oaks, chestnuts, poplars and beech trees are dotted around the meadow.
Yellow rattle keeps grasses cropped and over five types of orchid thrive in the meadow’s soil.
Spring sees the Lent Lily and Ice Follies appear, whilst the meadow is cut in the summer for hay and grazed by sheep between September and December, which help to tread the wildflower seed back into the ground.
The Wild Flower Meadow (2010-05-01)Highgrove Gardens
An avenue of fastigiate hornbeam trees leads through the meadow, from the side of the house up to the Kitchen Garden.
A splendid ‘ribbon of red’ lies at the end of this avenue, which is particularly stunning in the autumn, when Japanese maples and copper beech are at their most dazzling.
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Click and drag to explore The Wildflower Meadow in the autumn in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
The Rose Pergola
The rose pergola was created for The Prince's 50th birthday. It has been planted with roses, clematis, and wisteria.
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Although not in flower, The Rose Pergola is architecturally interesting through the autumn and winter.
Click and drag to explore it in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
The Sanctuary
Tucked away in The Arboretum is The Prince of Wales' private sanctuary, built to commemorate the millennium and in thanksgiving to God. The Sanctuary was designed by architect Charles Morris, and built from local stone, timber, and bricks made from Highgrove clay with chopped barley straw. It has with steeply pitched roofs, a mustard-coloured facade, and four columns outside the front door - which only The Prince and a select few of his closest friends can unlock.
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Click and drag to explore The Arboretum in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
The Daughters of Odessa by Andrew ButlerHighgrove Gardens
Situated in The Arboretum, The Daughters of Odessa statue represents the children of the Tsar Nicholas II of Russie, killed in the Bolshevik Revolution in 1918.
It is an allegorical piece reflecting the oppression of people throughout the world.
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Click and drag to explore this corner of The Arboretum in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
HRH The Prince of WalesHighgrove Gardens
Memorial to Tigga
Another personal touch to be found in the gardens is this wicker memorial to the late Tigga, The Prince of Wales' beloved pet dog. Tigga was a Jack Russell Terrier, given to The Prince as a puppy by Lady Salisbury. He passed away in 2002, aged 18, but his memory lives on in Highgrove Gardens.
The Prince of Wales with TiggaRoyal Collection Trust, UK
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Click and drag to explore the entrance to The Winterbourne Garden in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
The Terrace Garden
Located directly in front of the house, The Terrace Garden is designed to combine the wild with the tamed. Crocuses, lilies of the valley, alchemillas, and other ephemerals grow through the thick gaps in the paving stones, and the small pool at the centre features a 'Toad Road' - a willow ramp for wildlife from which wildlife can enjoy the water. The Pepperpot House in the corner of the garden provides a peaceful, sheltered spot to sit and take in the views.
The Carpet Garden
This stunning, award-winning garden was dreamed up by The Prince, inspired by a Turkish carpet. It was brought to life by Islamic gardens expert Emma Clark and Dr Khaled Azzam, head of the Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts programme at the Prince’s Foundation. In 2001 it was awarded a silver-gilt medal by the Royal Horticultural Society at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The Carpet Garden by Andrew ButlerHighgrove Gardens
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Click and drag to explore The Carpet Garden in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
The Kitchen Garden
The working Kitchen Garden features an impressive selection of heritage varieties of fruit and vegetables, grown in plots that make up the crosses of Saint George and Saint Andrew.
Kitchen GardenHighgrove Gardens
There is an Italian fountain at the centre of a tunnel of apple trees.
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Click and drag to explore The Kitchen Garden in 360 degrees on Google Street View.
HRH The Prince of WalesHighgrove Gardens
Highgrove Gardens have been painstakingly designed and maintained by The Prince of Wales for nearly 40 years.
A true passion project and labour of love, the gardens inspired by his travels and wide range of interests, full of personal touches, and cared for in line with his sustainable principles.
To find out more about visiting the gardens, visit the Highgrove Gardens website.
