Iford Manor Gardens
Iford Manor, Westwood, near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
Harold Peto's top-graded Italianate hillside garden at Iford near Bradford-on-Avon, with terraces, a cloister, cypress, statues and wisteria on a steep slope above the River Frome.
Visit information checked 22 October 2026
Garden UK guide
Why visit Iford Manor Gardens?
Iford Manor is the garden to visit if you love the idea of Italy in an English valley. Harold Peto, the garden architect, lived here from 1899 to 1933 and shaped the steep slope behind the house into terraces furnished with columns, statues, urns and other antiquities collected on his travels. Flowers play a supporting role; the stars are stone, water, cypress and clipped evergreens.
You climb from the house up a series of terraces to the main lawn. Along it run a lily pool and the colonnaded Great Terrace, and nearby is the Cloisters, an Italian-style courtyard surrounded by an arcade that Peto called his 'Haunt of Ancient Peace'. Higher up are more terraces and a small pavilion called the Casita. Look for wisteria trained across the front of the house and up the steps, at its best in late May, plus scented daylilies, Martagon lilies and box growing as wild trees in the woods above. A Japanese Garden has been added by the present family, and since 2019 the garden has been replanted and expanded with the help of Troy Scott Smith, formerly head gardener at Sissinghurst.
Gardeners will take away ideas about using evergreens and ornaments to give a garden structure, and about how steps and levels make a small space feel like a journey. Expect a lot of steps. Iford also has a restaurant and café that open year-round.
What to see
- The Great Terrace with its colonnade, beside the lily pool and main lawn.
- The Cloisters, Peto's Italian-style arcaded courtyard.
- The Casita, a small pavilion high on the hillside.
- Wisteria trained across the house and up the steps, best in late May.
- Statues, columns and antiquities collected by Peto on his travels.
- The Japanese Garden added by the present owners.
Iford Manor Gardens through the year
- spring
- The garden reopens in April, and the wisteria on the house and steps is a highlight by late May.
- summer
- Terraces and statues are at their best, with scented daylilies and Martagon lilies in flower.
- autumn
- The garden normally closes at the end of September, though the restaurant, café and valley footpaths stay open.
- winter
- The garden is closed from October to March; check the official site for the season dates.
The story behind the garden
There has been a dwelling at Iford since the Domesday Book. The house began as a wool-trade building in the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century and gained its classical façade around 1725 to 1730. The Gaisford family created pleasure grounds and planted the hanging woods above the garden in the Georgian period.
Harold Peto bought Iford in 1899 and made the garden over the next three decades, until his death in 1933. After a period of decline, Elizabeth Cartwright, later Cartwright-Hignett, bought the estate in 1965 and restored the garden by the early 1970s, initially helped by Lanning Roper. Her family has since added a Japanese Garden, repaired the cloister and Georgian summer house in 2020, and brought in Troy Scott Smith in 2019 to replant and expand. 2025 marked 60 years of the family at Iford.
Plan your visit
- Best for
- Lovers of Italian-style gardens, garden history and anyone who enjoys architecture and ornaments outdoors.
- Getting there
- Iford is in the Frome valley, about two miles south-west of Bradford-on-Avon, on the Wiltshire and Somerset border.
- Before you go
- The garden is steep with many steps, so allow time and wear good shoes. The garden opens from April to September; check the official website for current opening times and tickets.
Questions about visiting Iford Manor Gardens
Who designed Iford Manor Gardens?
The garden was designed by Harold Peto, the garden architect, who lived at Iford from 1899 until his death in 1933. He filled the terraces with antiquities from his travels in the Italian style.
When is Iford Manor Garden open?
The garden is open from April to September and closed in the winter months. The restaurant and café open year-round. Check the official website for current days and times.
When is the wisteria at Iford Manor?
The standard Wisteria sinensis across the front of the house and up the steps between terraces is particularly good in late May, which makes that a popular time to visit.
Can you take dogs to Iford?
The estate asks visitors to keep dogs on leads in the fields to protect wildlife along the valley footpaths. Check the official website for the rules on dogs in the garden itself.
Is there a café at Iford Manor?
Yes. Iford has a restaurant and a café and bakery, both open year-round, so you can eat there even when the garden is closed.
Garden features
Location
Iford Manor, Westwood, near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
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