Forde Abbey is a grand country house built on the site of a 12th century Abbey near Chard in Somerset, on the River Axe, near the border with Dorset.

This review concentrates on the gardens which cover around 30 lush acres of prime West Country land. 

These are very rewarding gardens to visit, though they do not boast celebrity designers but make up for it with a comprehensive collection of plants and garden areas of many different moods and designs.

Forde Abbey though is perhaps most famous for the recent addition of the 'Centenary Fountain' in 2005. 

This is a truly spectacular feature that even puts Chatsworth into the shade, spouting water up to 160 feet in the air and can be seen from miles around when it is triggered three times a day, running for fifteen minutes at a time.

The primary element of these gardens is water, having been originally conceived by Sir Francis Gwyn and comprise three cascades, delivering water from the Great Pond at the top, down through the Canal and Mermaid Ponds into the Long Pond that now hosts the fountain.

It is a unifying element, bringing the many disparate precincts of the gardens together very effectively. 

These include:-

The Kitchen Garden: 

A classic 19th century walled garden producing vast quantities of fruit, vegetables and flowers for the house and tea rooms all year round.

The Grand Lawns: 

Rolling down towards the front of the house, they feature some massive topiarised Yew along with some very grand Cedars that need the space to appreciate their stately outline.

The Rock Garden: 

This is a recent addition containing an interesting collection of alpine and rock plants along with colourful Iris, Lillies and Dogwoods.

The Arboretum: 

was first planted in the mid 20th century giving plenty of time for many of the trees and shrubs to reach impressive maturity. It provides a lovely setting for a leafy, shaded walk on a warm day.

The Herbaceous Border: 

is of course best in summer when it overflows with colour, while also providing a welcome habitat for flocks of birds and butterflies.

The Mount: 

provides a perfect spot to sit and enjoy the view back to the house across the long pond. It is also home to a fabulous collection of mature trees including Redwood, Cedar, Plane and Dogwood. There is also a lovely Nut Walk of Hazelnut bushes.

The Great Pond: 

At the top of this lake is a bird hide made entirely of live Beech that has been woven into shape on the water's edge. It is a truly tranquil spot and worth the walk.

The Bog Garden: 

right at the very top of the garden features some lush plantings of plants that like wet feet. Astilebes in particular dominate here, amongst many others, providing colourful swathes of feathered blooms dancing in the breeze.

Garden design afficionados may not find the classic flowing designs of many great country houses here at Forde Abbey, but these gardens are nonetheless enchanting, peaceful, colourful, comprehensive and grand in their own right.

The visitor can get in touch with history and nature in some splendid landscaped grounds that have provided pleasure to so many people of all walks of life for many hundreds of years.

And not forgetting the plant sales nursery - not to be missed on the way out.